tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36595470632090519492024-03-16T13:50:33.218-05:00Shing's Adventures...~ Life's either a daring adventure or nothing ~khaishing.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05154189313956844355noreply@blogger.comBlogger527125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3659547063209051949.post-5781204609096092862024-01-06T16:07:00.008-06:002024-01-06T16:16:53.425-06:00Mommy is in Town<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="text-align: justify;">It has been 6.5 years since mom's last visit to Alabama, so we were glad to have her in town again after so long. When we booked our flights for Antarctica, we intentionally planned for her to fly to US first before continuing the journey to Argentina with us to break up her journey. Even though she only spent about 2.5 days at our place this time around, it was still good to spend some quality time together before starting our trip.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">This was not mom's first time traveling alone as she had previously traveled by herselft to Maldives and India in the past 1.5 years...thanks to me...lol! As such, I felt a lil' more comfortable with her traveling all by herself from Malaysia to the US. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/h3npzBI1Q8E?si=0EjFvItxp97f6iyl" title="YouTube video player" width="640"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>18-19 Nov 2023 (Sat-Sun): Penang - Singapore - London - Denver - Huntsville</b></div></span><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQXQLlHmiE0PYLwLyaAd0RcHD73ckoXIpGmF-4XCRIUEz35HZAphRistcLf7FhHMz10ZcZ08_4vWsx9cSV9GGw4_A_HoNd04O7vad-dLufQ4tSHRKlR9toqnIhyphenhyphenqiFBUEx-LLB3Gc-hW2P-RFMGdYmstcBpdfEliTsHg78W55gGPijWEkTRAZQdutE7Jc/s3840/ATSA7233.JPEG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQXQLlHmiE0PYLwLyaAd0RcHD73ckoXIpGmF-4XCRIUEz35HZAphRistcLf7FhHMz10ZcZ08_4vWsx9cSV9GGw4_A_HoNd04O7vad-dLufQ4tSHRKlR9toqnIhyphenhyphenqiFBUEx-LLB3Gc-hW2P-RFMGdYmstcBpdfEliTsHg78W55gGPijWEkTRAZQdutE7Jc/w640-h480/ATSA7233.JPEG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><b>Nov 18 (Sat): </b>I intentionally booked the route with Singapore airlines (always prefer Asian airlines) but this route goes through Europe so it was a long 52-hour journey. Since mom couldn't walk long, I requested for wheelchair assistance for her journey. She had Plaza Premium and United Club lounge access to make the long journey more comfortable. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><img border="0" height="905" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0msg-lnCBrZRsVVO0-ANp8VW6yAmRBaNIZIr6iV1XSRA2wPIc7WGhiaJgJidRBa64xNhVmgx5hdi7ZhOQU358ohLwt2BgjJ420jyCTrv8n18U1cKT3Jj-CgWhITUClrhxDgJ718xTIFjJxn0iI3ceXbATWEPPNB6Mpbtp3EzgohAqsM6ntyAHf6xsYp0/w617-h905/United%20Flight%20(Pen%20to%20Hsv).jpg" width="617" /></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><span style="text-align: justify;">I booked her flight in March with our United miles before the devaluation, and was able to get her roundtrip flights between Penang and Huntsville for 88,000 United miles + $157.45.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVB_Q5f5gR5yR11mkqoXP0P5k4xGR10A-9debiX8J2BH6V-WbnAaqf0j2PUfyjrEy_ykJixT8nMG8UFR8io0hNsigo906WW16m2aTfr8n6_kO8flBgpGrt700HaGkjSWogQXkmBwMCdXcPtG_1N5EFBOPes3pXin6c_vWHvVK7Uq8478J8hqE00uBIjBo/s3840/PKHP2158.JPEG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVB_Q5f5gR5yR11mkqoXP0P5k4xGR10A-9debiX8J2BH6V-WbnAaqf0j2PUfyjrEy_ykJixT8nMG8UFR8io0hNsigo906WW16m2aTfr8n6_kO8flBgpGrt700HaGkjSWogQXkmBwMCdXcPtG_1N5EFBOPes3pXin6c_vWHvVK7Uq8478J8hqE00uBIjBo/w640-h480/PKHP2158.JPEG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">I was tracking all of mom's flights and checking in with her on Whatsapp to make sure that everything was going smoothly. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><i>Leg 1: Penang - Singapore</i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Mom's journey started smoothly at 9.15pm from Penang with a short 1.5-hour flight to Singapore. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><i>Leg 2: Singapore - London</i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">After a 2.5-hour transit in Singapore (she didn't get to go to the lounge coz the wheelchair took too long), she departed Singapore on time for the 14-hour flight to London. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">As she was still enroute to London, I received a message from United notifying that her flight from London to Denver will be delayed by about 1.5 hour. I started to worry as her transit in Denver which was supposed to be 3 hours is gonna be cut short by 1.5 hours. Problem is she still has to go through immigration, pick up her luggage, go through customs, and recheck her bags. If she misses her flight in Denver, she'd have to wait till the next day for the next flight to Huntsville. I quickly called United to find out what other options are available, and the customer agent gave the option to change her flight to an earlier flight departing London with a transit via Washington or Chicago. I wasn't able to get in touch with mom yet so I told the agent not to change anything yet.</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><i>Leg 3: London - Denver</i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Despite the on time departure, her flight arrived London 30-min behind schedule, leaving her with only 3.5-hour for transit. Apparently, she had to wait for the wheelchair which took quite some time as well. I called her as soon as she landed and asked her to go to the United Club lounge in Heathrow, thinking that it'd be easier to sort out the flight change with the United staff. I asked her to pass the phone to the United staff at the lounge and explained the situation, but the staff said that she should have enough time for transit and that they couldn't make any changes on their end. So we decided not to change anything and kept our fingers crossed that there wouldn't be any further delays. And if worse case scenario she misses the Huntsville flight due to this delay and got stuck in Denver, she will just spend the night in Denver as United should give her a hotel voucher. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Her flight departed London at 1pm (1.5 hours behind schedule) and landed in Denver at 3.40pm (about 1 hour behind schedule).</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><i>Leg 4: Denver - Huntsville</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Mom messaged me as soon as she arrived Denver to let me know that she has arrived and that the wheelchair people is helping her. I didn't hear back from her for awhile and didn't want to bother her so she could focus on getting through immigration, customs, and security. Thankfully, immigration was fast in Denver and she made it to her boarding gate with an hour to spare. Her flight from Denver departed on time at 5.30pm and she finally made it to Huntsville at 9pm.</span></div></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIg0GR3FQoZm4zgwpYSaKwXvJRYpe0x_kiYbe0is3NhuWK3WZGo2L0_1IPqS4HFgdAUHIQBP3xZiziLDPxu4Y_r-Imdqwg7_wZNWSESGylno7EDu8JidIbS7C5zjCAnfTP0JZXiqzN01CM5_hKicc4tcIOKF7EhXme8IT6GHkBO4Pm5pDRhFY1dU8Pynw/s3840/SGZY1560.JPEG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIg0GR3FQoZm4zgwpYSaKwXvJRYpe0x_kiYbe0is3NhuWK3WZGo2L0_1IPqS4HFgdAUHIQBP3xZiziLDPxu4Y_r-Imdqwg7_wZNWSESGylno7EDu8JidIbS7C5zjCAnfTP0JZXiqzN01CM5_hKicc4tcIOKF7EhXme8IT6GHkBO4Pm5pDRhFY1dU8Pynw/w640-h640/SGZY1560.JPEG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Hubby and I went to the airport to pick her up and went home for her late dinner. Both her luggages arrived safely and one of them were filled with goodies for me. =D</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>19-22 Nov 2023 (Sun-Wed): Huntsville</b></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiysoEV6-Ikf44Oe_6unIQYHgF79QyBae5ADDWfK3JwGjBsoqgNgvV9CiexaFYx6hzcIFV-stj43fDS9XIqce4Gx9bZRIZreD4ZMpKxQWnDUc-L46S3gFMsPQuR1duZr5cWEcDa6wFTann3kjuOxqoub2cICoczQC_-Hj69PHxId4VcY14W3HNYoAJX3ko/s3840/PCFB3111.JPEG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiysoEV6-Ikf44Oe_6unIQYHgF79QyBae5ADDWfK3JwGjBsoqgNgvV9CiexaFYx6hzcIFV-stj43fDS9XIqce4Gx9bZRIZreD4ZMpKxQWnDUc-L46S3gFMsPQuR1duZr5cWEcDa6wFTann3kjuOxqoub2cICoczQC_-Hj69PHxId4VcY14W3HNYoAJX3ko/w640-h272/PCFB3111.JPEG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk9w47ikcEGWwygfVPlBP8jBKy83C23DQtLDODUQd97b2QfV3YaJA4uDBMfgBQognLmiY4C5gT-WAUYbYxC3EgRkia6tOjEGT8NyCCv9UjIi5pMO_trSStok8__2iqxdWJb7Klu4f0bsshpqgku1OJJVbDkAEFQTRR9TuTVZ8ahC7DDsJJ02nMIsLzSXc/s3840/ATAR2979.JPEG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk9w47ikcEGWwygfVPlBP8jBKy83C23DQtLDODUQd97b2QfV3YaJA4uDBMfgBQognLmiY4C5gT-WAUYbYxC3EgRkia6tOjEGT8NyCCv9UjIi5pMO_trSStok8__2iqxdWJb7Klu4f0bsshpqgku1OJJVbDkAEFQTRR9TuTVZ8ahC7DDsJJ02nMIsLzSXc/w640-h640/ATAR2979.JPEG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">20 Nov 2023 (Mom): I let mom rest as much as she wanted the next day to rest up and get through jetlag before we depart again on Wednesday. </span><span style="font-family: "Open Sans";">We didn't do much during the day, and only met up with MiL, SiL, BiL, and nephew for dinner at Viet Hoang.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs2GoVdHlSlKyW8B8WTlDIbFwvW2gtqLNG8utSHdcJwqNz9r7c0Se0dDNuW8jVwXkFlPVsCyXIhWRmMfal-3RihHp3TiLKtD7UmM-UuzKK1R-2ZwnZCdAY8RWpLreYRf24HIoW7c4B35iRex_mWNj16v2Zq7XxUdMW94QT_QKtNZbJpToG_HfWqOATIyI/s3840/VMHZ6381.JPEG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs2GoVdHlSlKyW8B8WTlDIbFwvW2gtqLNG8utSHdcJwqNz9r7c0Se0dDNuW8jVwXkFlPVsCyXIhWRmMfal-3RihHp3TiLKtD7UmM-UuzKK1R-2ZwnZCdAY8RWpLreYRf24HIoW7c4B35iRex_mWNj16v2Zq7XxUdMW94QT_QKtNZbJpToG_HfWqOATIyI/w640-h480/VMHZ6381.JPEG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">21 Nov 2023 (Tues): I took the week off from work so I took mom out for some shopping and met up with hubby for lunch at 88 Buffet. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">That's all for mom's super short visit to Huntsville before we continue our journey to Argentina together.</span></div></div> <div class="blogger-post-footer">http://khaishing.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default</div>khaishing.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05154189313956844355noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3659547063209051949.post-59108248628127584832024-01-06T13:47:00.002-06:002024-01-06T13:47:36.245-06:00Summer/Fall 2023<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">This post is long overdue, but better late than never right? I've been barely keeping up with all my trip reports and my quarterly update is slowly becoming a bi-annual update. Anyway, here are some photos and videos of we've been up to from May - Nov 2023.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Zoev1JfVQzE?si=U5jOeQcpq0ubxCzt" title="YouTube video player" width="640"></iframe></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCC8PJRCuCx6mFlCu9VnU2tNfHPF-BoA26MCTd5S2BIZomxYWz6NA2DReN0emjZKjBdcB7141sUWN_fdPUI_URIhV_fPs7rqjpjaCDGdgEK4kAAE3bO-XEnBGCbxg_79iOmxVvt1HnbUeXjyngQJGtk8UT5zoCZFtooCKTlecKUroPlzpPVuqJZWAxz6o/s3840/GGBM5209.JPEG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="853" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCC8PJRCuCx6mFlCu9VnU2tNfHPF-BoA26MCTd5S2BIZomxYWz6NA2DReN0emjZKjBdcB7141sUWN_fdPUI_URIhV_fPs7rqjpjaCDGdgEK4kAAE3bO-XEnBGCbxg_79iOmxVvt1HnbUeXjyngQJGtk8UT5zoCZFtooCKTlecKUroPlzpPVuqJZWAxz6o/w642-h853/GGBM5209.JPEG" width="642" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><b>May 29 (Mon):</b> I was back in the US for 2 weeks after returning from <a href="https://www.khaishing.com/2023/05/homecoming-trip-2023-malaysia.html" target="_blank">Malaysia</a> and before I left for <a href="https://www.khaishing.com/2023/11/india-work-trip-2023-6-weeks-in-india.html" target="_blank">India</a> so we spent Memorial Day holiday with the family and SIL's place.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/0TZ6M4nmRnA?si=u613INGENy_eHQGZ" title="YouTube video player" width="640"></iframe></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvV6er2xfCBDIR9gOFaPa2ckvMHv2N3pzQYr0JYYi1hzrdFw9nVkh_8kj4bwqpzCF0gMvEjmM6W-vaGgfLgHWbQtyFvoLOj3P-ncKpBnxz7AnsZ0R11IhyphenhyphenrHn0CAE3PfIJNgVPyCOWKwCrGoy1IjM7G5ZAT5yCLMMAwcoFmjYANXpaM4mNrz48oLPDcVk/s3840/NOKY4320.JPEG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvV6er2xfCBDIR9gOFaPa2ckvMHv2N3pzQYr0JYYi1hzrdFw9nVkh_8kj4bwqpzCF0gMvEjmM6W-vaGgfLgHWbQtyFvoLOj3P-ncKpBnxz7AnsZ0R11IhyphenhyphenrHn0CAE3PfIJNgVPyCOWKwCrGoy1IjM7G5ZAT5yCLMMAwcoFmjYANXpaM4mNrz48oLPDcVk/w640-h640/NOKY4320.JPEG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><b>Aug 12 (Sat): </b>Celebrated hubby and my birthdays with the family at Viet Hoang and went for bowling after.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTUu2wNRaOLOKtIJmoOqbArwWKmLVKdD06Nhtd_P7bTv_vq2Pcm8gpuvMtqTqtRrtsBB1GblcgdLjoNzj7uqJYwqwClAWx6S25ZtsVOmeCU8CCLQwnDmSSALfp2cSuc3uTPBX_X2jm_Fi0OoYO34xpKZ1nKRaz3I310i7p-gLhVUzQFD_MJk3WnjxYDGE/s3840/GPLB4897.JPEG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTUu2wNRaOLOKtIJmoOqbArwWKmLVKdD06Nhtd_P7bTv_vq2Pcm8gpuvMtqTqtRrtsBB1GblcgdLjoNzj7uqJYwqwClAWx6S25ZtsVOmeCU8CCLQwnDmSSALfp2cSuc3uTPBX_X2jm_Fi0OoYO34xpKZ1nKRaz3I310i7p-gLhVUzQFD_MJk3WnjxYDGE/w640-h640/GPLB4897.JPEG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><b>Aug 13 (Sun):</b> Missed out celebrating grandma's birthday in Malaysia but glad to see the family gather to celebrate it.</span></div></div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/GCekh5UgYKY?si=PS_m3CGMQq6w68YX" title="YouTube video player" width="640"></iframe></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKUQzzNkD7a58F_BPPCcxpSLdDALdVDcaliRbRlVMKjR8R4Pe1qaS_eVuFkfdjRzpMNulEEUNwwoQ4ombbK0a3pP20gQ1t4T_1senRMV8DR4JawBGcDNG9O8id2k1yU7I3FL1yaQddTi82xJ2SIbV1FOzNgyh-H8UKKxGLWq4biOgAkVf288xsJ4YaDyM/s3840/AEGL9708.JPEG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKUQzzNkD7a58F_BPPCcxpSLdDALdVDcaliRbRlVMKjR8R4Pe1qaS_eVuFkfdjRzpMNulEEUNwwoQ4ombbK0a3pP20gQ1t4T_1senRMV8DR4JawBGcDNG9O8id2k1yU7I3FL1yaQddTi82xJ2SIbV1FOzNgyh-H8UKKxGLWq4biOgAkVf288xsJ4YaDyM/w640-h640/AEGL9708.JPEG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3fJpa0PEsTZs0Mmo0Z5zWTBBE_gkGt2sGsR5hjWVkeIcglhnbfDLAmOEIciE1lSPXhJVVgsFv7PtnU4XXdU5xwJequtXTLS8f7hGAXpV9x6csN_XWtxf3972_gr9CRZu2igxK1yBOQEH-ZxQD1Ln_W0ZGhuKDVFpVFfPWlPXac-VTARm5Z1hagholmMc/s3840/AERC1959.JPEG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3fJpa0PEsTZs0Mmo0Z5zWTBBE_gkGt2sGsR5hjWVkeIcglhnbfDLAmOEIciE1lSPXhJVVgsFv7PtnU4XXdU5xwJequtXTLS8f7hGAXpV9x6csN_XWtxf3972_gr9CRZu2igxK1yBOQEH-ZxQD1Ln_W0ZGhuKDVFpVFfPWlPXac-VTARm5Z1hagholmMc/w640-h640/AERC1959.JPEG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><b>Oct 7-8 (Sat-Sun): </b>Took a road trip to Atlanta over the weekend and visited Georgia Aquarium with SIL, BIL, and nephew.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLe7WWygYSgUU2YoFKg4M0QYBjlJwd2ROnN4lGhRS1HOA6CVfMTKFtWd6FWueehR1IpevV1cpU33CF1pFHN_372qQOB9Yx1yv7MMU7pA1L8Tv7ZI4JNPrsaZzGoVoUeUwAUQPq4q6URVFbO4EXCPY9taUg52eU_y01sHDbtwa94sVv5RWzZu2dpsOE8zA/s3840/GOOI6600.JPEG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLe7WWygYSgUU2YoFKg4M0QYBjlJwd2ROnN4lGhRS1HOA6CVfMTKFtWd6FWueehR1IpevV1cpU33CF1pFHN_372qQOB9Yx1yv7MMU7pA1L8Tv7ZI4JNPrsaZzGoVoUeUwAUQPq4q6URVFbO4EXCPY9taUg52eU_y01sHDbtwa94sVv5RWzZu2dpsOE8zA/w640-h480/GOOI6600.JPEG" width="640" 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href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbkYNB7KRJHCVZtFl6cKbOdLCX_pK7Udj1pJf7QOljFm31LCGJ39vhN40eKKHOhD8Fg98k_9oqpnZstigBLiQD-_klnNrSwjST-O3OEQSZ7D6E8T9Xa5pWqsvT976OijrD1jlDFwdYSnBCXEA2WiYZkbn4F9uQyDjUv8m1YS4GTYrlkkaDte3CcCDo_ac/s3840/WPML3970.JPEG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbkYNB7KRJHCVZtFl6cKbOdLCX_pK7Udj1pJf7QOljFm31LCGJ39vhN40eKKHOhD8Fg98k_9oqpnZstigBLiQD-_klnNrSwjST-O3OEQSZ7D6E8T9Xa5pWqsvT976OijrD1jlDFwdYSnBCXEA2WiYZkbn4F9uQyDjUv8m1YS4GTYrlkkaDte3CcCDo_ac/w640-h640/WPML3970.JPEG" width="640" /></span></a></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoDDg_M-ieAEn_-Pa4Zx3e5Y7ncIoS4cKi6HulrVRqUqY_iELaqroztC6mihJ4HYxY8AGW_ADdtIXBMKvgZS9ioADfx0hM2JN59c5M4OrIrM8lG9i-Xw33C9vUY73RbxoChIuQ1KtIqjzbY8YzPFinAcG7zU8jG_FryJ7KbXswePcd_r3_31dIF0zxNtI/s3840/HVDV6628.JPEG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoDDg_M-ieAEn_-Pa4Zx3e5Y7ncIoS4cKi6HulrVRqUqY_iELaqroztC6mihJ4HYxY8AGW_ADdtIXBMKvgZS9ioADfx0hM2JN59c5M4OrIrM8lG9i-Xw33C9vUY73RbxoChIuQ1KtIqjzbY8YzPFinAcG7zU8jG_FryJ7KbXswePcd_r3_31dIF0zxNtI/w640-h640/HVDV6628.JPEG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div>After visiting the aquarium, hubby and I had lunch at Grindhouse Killer Burger, window shopped at IKEA, bought Asian groceries at Super H Mart, had dinner at Northern China Eatery, and spent the night at Holiday Inn Express Atlanta Clairmont to use up a free night that was expiring soon.</div><div><br /></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeXK6Io7TUAB5oZD7-HXSPBsAbNgG7amhNsbIFIapjccTkUOTU0ZtUgXkm3OiG-kY6_Oo7jvSe6KClEdsBH62oZUts4QCloXn5pxruNtZKrPqLFX1n9TY_c46LgqpJs_blFWWsleo1wThYOLeNNp72oWqoNeV2COkZHWcfD_PFcj38W8OG_yk_FyYDHhU/s3840/KYUU4788.JPEG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeXK6Io7TUAB5oZD7-HXSPBsAbNgG7amhNsbIFIapjccTkUOTU0ZtUgXkm3OiG-kY6_Oo7jvSe6KClEdsBH62oZUts4QCloXn5pxruNtZKrPqLFX1n9TY_c46LgqpJs_blFWWsleo1wThYOLeNNp72oWqoNeV2COkZHWcfD_PFcj38W8OG_yk_FyYDHhU/w640-h640/KYUU4788.JPEG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUmKvGs9tyeQEAAvDKkA3i0fkghQxcldozjU6Y9o4xaGDfD40lx4sJ-9uSHMk7wI3tOT4Rj8UzqYg4qU2MTy3fn7IX6QHj1IzUdoL2Qkoc1Pci-EbVQ3PPZJ-L_GHoA7jimgtrzSFevnjEfDD08zHn7R6gUAgUl_F-E_9CxNRjFqqLWAcL3CiVo8drCMs/s3840/VUBT9212.JPEG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUmKvGs9tyeQEAAvDKkA3i0fkghQxcldozjU6Y9o4xaGDfD40lx4sJ-9uSHMk7wI3tOT4Rj8UzqYg4qU2MTy3fn7IX6QHj1IzUdoL2Qkoc1Pci-EbVQ3PPZJ-L_GHoA7jimgtrzSFevnjEfDD08zHn7R6gUAgUl_F-E_9CxNRjFqqLWAcL3CiVo8drCMs/w640-h640/VUBT9212.JPEG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><b>Nov 11 (Sat): </b>Celebrated Thanksgiving with the family and SIL and BIL's house.</span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCYrGVL365UgUkAT85hSXjW4Hjf3hNO5UK5Z5bGuE_xfEDNdmjry6fMT9Nuw_Ioq64wCTji_u2vmUThBCv06iZnYvL1CwZq9so3jRBw4Ww-NkRv4_V6JlUjXGGGmh2BGwHkT90-lRSZBeEwrwJ942uZJwOFBf7d_J1hwyDPbtUOB6dGVL-XSZ7J16-poo/s3840/CQCL6824.JPEG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="849" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCYrGVL365UgUkAT85hSXjW4Hjf3hNO5UK5Z5bGuE_xfEDNdmjry6fMT9Nuw_Ioq64wCTji_u2vmUThBCv06iZnYvL1CwZq9so3jRBw4Ww-NkRv4_V6JlUjXGGGmh2BGwHkT90-lRSZBeEwrwJ942uZJwOFBf7d_J1hwyDPbtUOB6dGVL-XSZ7J16-poo/w637-h849/CQCL6824.JPEG" width="637" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrjbXUimKXS25wfu-wjnBjft9UCwREQt0yeaEHTMNbeUGTIhnamzdBLH8LWhk7A4QCtgkqp8R1y8fadeZpAa_8T6wuXpQShV_fZuJogTKWds56PTsgXtZednt3JHAwJ9GU4mudUw0FGJ7gS9cCluLiKMFdGKwiJ5udWurKebDlzN9Wuv7-duOaoGUmZ8g/s3840/QCQS0511.JPEG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="838" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrjbXUimKXS25wfu-wjnBjft9UCwREQt0yeaEHTMNbeUGTIhnamzdBLH8LWhk7A4QCtgkqp8R1y8fadeZpAa_8T6wuXpQShV_fZuJogTKWds56PTsgXtZednt3JHAwJ9GU4mudUw0FGJ7gS9cCluLiKMFdGKwiJ5udWurKebDlzN9Wuv7-duOaoGUmZ8g/w629-h838/QCQS0511.JPEG" width="629" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0IqRNpdmuTjanYPgchVB3p_bQ11RDgIuvJh5dVfpAfEJ9xE24QCs1wE12fGxK4fM7ev0btsxrOimlRYktHDzI9HVXhtEq6Q4PQraFpeCXCw9B4YFUWyddvgpvWfcptBoTGcTTLYyiyAq1RUDNG3T5Syf6mJQnn4AmnBT9cfJOSx6ngVTrt1IVsZTzDhE/s3840/CJCN1282.JPEG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="854" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0IqRNpdmuTjanYPgchVB3p_bQ11RDgIuvJh5dVfpAfEJ9xE24QCs1wE12fGxK4fM7ev0btsxrOimlRYktHDzI9HVXhtEq6Q4PQraFpeCXCw9B4YFUWyddvgpvWfcptBoTGcTTLYyiyAq1RUDNG3T5Syf6mJQnn4AmnBT9cfJOSx6ngVTrt1IVsZTzDhE/w640-h854/CJCN1282.JPEG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/9IAsKMCQDkI?si=UCUNfb6I6AhHGaJc" title="YouTube video player" width="640"></iframe></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><b>Sept 14 - Oct 16: </b>Hubby bought the NASA Apollo Saturn V lego and completed it after working on and off for about a month.</span></div><div><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB__shzRiDgj298OEq-tJhwgsPL0JRaMmp4lN4L4yPkr2gkC5Lqy-I7m4DwdCMrexuCONTZAcU8QJn3FuSVBM9zSZUOXEmH33N8zkVvuMUjNKLAgUuAJnc9Kl6HmgVTKNbojq_quppYFJZZbDNX-osPs8MlcoibfTEGVwmPj8QR7dqoRDRlC08i2Nsp8k/s3840/UDBP9824.JPEG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB__shzRiDgj298OEq-tJhwgsPL0JRaMmp4lN4L4yPkr2gkC5Lqy-I7m4DwdCMrexuCONTZAcU8QJn3FuSVBM9zSZUOXEmH33N8zkVvuMUjNKLAgUuAJnc9Kl6HmgVTKNbojq_quppYFJZZbDNX-osPs8MlcoibfTEGVwmPj8QR7dqoRDRlC08i2Nsp8k/w640-h640/UDBP9824.JPEG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><b>Aug 7 (Mon):</b> Received this new 'free' luggage as a replacement for my damaged bag after returning from <a href="https://www.khaishing.com/2023/11/homecoming-trip-2023-malaysia-20.html" target="_blank">Malaysia</a>.</span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOxN96ro5ZqwxWSxWfr9tPJCc0nofgLrHFn37juQI9FBnyvaNfJ2YneVEzBlhj0NFhGnmcnrcI06DlU4N_aNXU81PG76MuBezyc2MQ4QzxHi0_lsIX9KP_d2NbEzrGAazN_63r3T6P21qamI_e75NVJ0alTO94xTTm-2vCffTgqbyU1oFi0TA4RoSFSWs/s3840/JVEA1025.JPEG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOxN96ro5ZqwxWSxWfr9tPJCc0nofgLrHFn37juQI9FBnyvaNfJ2YneVEzBlhj0NFhGnmcnrcI06DlU4N_aNXU81PG76MuBezyc2MQ4QzxHi0_lsIX9KP_d2NbEzrGAazN_63r3T6P21qamI_e75NVJ0alTO94xTTm-2vCffTgqbyU1oFi0TA4RoSFSWs/w640-h640/JVEA1025.JPEG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><b>May 24, Sept 30 & Oct 9: </b>Almost 'free' tech stuffs from work. My phone contract was up so it was a good timing to switch carrier and paid only $199 for the iPhone 15 Pro Max. :) My work laptop was also up for replacement but I am not a fan of the Microsoft Surface at all so I'm gonna hang on to my old HP laptop until they force me to change :P</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="320" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/PWe8nAwWb_8" title="Home Improvement - Part 1: Tree Removal" width="180"></iframe> <iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="320" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/NHqo9SnMwHc" title="Home Improvement - Part 2: Fence Removal" width="180"></iframe> <iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="320" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/euCHUQpEajQ" title="Home Improvement - Part 3: New Fence Installation" width="180"></iframe></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiududZ17pn7R7PAqPsGbf7iecuHdwalqV6C_rtdI9pBXYPwZKaKhpX90WJhcEIgD3zMwx2NooVCU3SaJZpsaslSTafhkEEHf0X4FtRFvrRoftaMY-a9yUcjpexLfSNycrn-lV_rAtFL2mA7pQVsraoy7CtW4nLeT1HAV3YGFa538zYce6StLDezVuaVR0/s3840/NQWX6756.JPEG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiududZ17pn7R7PAqPsGbf7iecuHdwalqV6C_rtdI9pBXYPwZKaKhpX90WJhcEIgD3zMwx2NooVCU3SaJZpsaslSTafhkEEHf0X4FtRFvrRoftaMY-a9yUcjpexLfSNycrn-lV_rAtFL2mA7pQVsraoy7CtW4nLeT1HAV3YGFa538zYce6StLDezVuaVR0/w640-h640/NQWX6756.JPEG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtACorNv_gBVfD_5q4Xp6fB1iGDX1JHhhlJu6Ugp9IDZ5EXjzcMw91pWP_oeivCgi4ywAjTLJKJrDZcNIJ65gYQTfuahrG7mmCcD6fgazzLHfMh3eEJEZR2nDgJAu4-ar1jVm9sDei4dyGy9JUoVMdSHiXBg6sHWOxCvd2e0zKsEPDULHU3oVMJ24Vek8/s3840/JUEM8793.JPEG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtACorNv_gBVfD_5q4Xp6fB1iGDX1JHhhlJu6Ugp9IDZ5EXjzcMw91pWP_oeivCgi4ywAjTLJKJrDZcNIJ65gYQTfuahrG7mmCcD6fgazzLHfMh3eEJEZR2nDgJAu4-ar1jVm9sDei4dyGy9JUoVMdSHiXBg6sHWOxCvd2e0zKsEPDULHU3oVMJ24Vek8/w640-h480/JUEM8793.JPEG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf6FKr2N3xE-HksA4aTTpAvHDH2w55pcZVSpeqKbikxU9fC3PetabeACNs8RRCKq9ANMG9H1kPnbUC3GZvqF5C9-fRsG4M0dVap7Em2XCRGNgyn5QruPQfcpAhHQxxDqGRfy5mcVzSvj1hkvp-q36sjNSdDI8l3jIwJ1gnjmfEPXK8ZJc-uYsYb3erHuc/s3840/SCJS3503.JPEG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf6FKr2N3xE-HksA4aTTpAvHDH2w55pcZVSpeqKbikxU9fC3PetabeACNs8RRCKq9ANMG9H1kPnbUC3GZvqF5C9-fRsG4M0dVap7Em2XCRGNgyn5QruPQfcpAhHQxxDqGRfy5mcVzSvj1hkvp-q36sjNSdDI8l3jIwJ1gnjmfEPXK8ZJc-uYsYb3erHuc/w640-h640/SCJS3503.JPEG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsksY2rbZIQe5CwGBETFKeZxXNtCsP00I6RxTeIUQYjXRXyAXJxN0wAYHSMR-hyEPAki4YN3fsl1l37nEsdQ6dX8InVO4QbWq1aybwxXB95GpBIYbBqYRt_dnenIdTxc3nvREulq2US1XpN-vkhAwbbmxd4z9Qlv7FuAkF7I8XBSKeN7BbfkZlulIKXn0/s3840/JPCS0684.JPEG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsksY2rbZIQe5CwGBETFKeZxXNtCsP00I6RxTeIUQYjXRXyAXJxN0wAYHSMR-hyEPAki4YN3fsl1l37nEsdQ6dX8InVO4QbWq1aybwxXB95GpBIYbBqYRt_dnenIdTxc3nvREulq2US1XpN-vkhAwbbmxd4z9Qlv7FuAkF7I8XBSKeN7BbfkZlulIKXn0/w640-h640/JPCS0684.JPEG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div><div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><b>Aug 25-30: </b>Spent a good amount of $$ on exterior home improvement this summer. Removed 3 trees from our backyard for $3,200, and replaced our fence for $3,400.</span></div><div><br /></div></div></div><div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD8q9yiN9_W6I3Js68J1I123sQmdnhefFABXCLqpCIGaMmLcQMttF3aLOtRDnzT6Ip9_0VgJWsq7zRsCdQ0R0z2DKVmnUDvV4MOvVnuWe6f0yyBdD9BBsB3qNIPK2hlGPhF0uJMLU4yvYV2bkSHoTP9pidamHwngbDyymTTFpJ0Ygckaj5B_38sKFyzZM/s3840/RRWX1500.JPEG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD8q9yiN9_W6I3Js68J1I123sQmdnhefFABXCLqpCIGaMmLcQMttF3aLOtRDnzT6Ip9_0VgJWsq7zRsCdQ0R0z2DKVmnUDvV4MOvVnuWe6f0yyBdD9BBsB3qNIPK2hlGPhF0uJMLU4yvYV2bkSHoTP9pidamHwngbDyymTTFpJ0Ygckaj5B_38sKFyzZM/w640-h480/RRWX1500.JPEG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Also had fun playing with with LED lights for our office / game room.</span></div></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj-FnRca03hUXkRtveZuCg6VdqU1F6omXv9g15IuRGzWLPeYnjtk6lDaVk8UCjWQv8cf-x_HG1upV6tNCF_Oe-g0aM9ZEMNzXkC_bp2wItVnwTe8ll0cLkJwndoZiiwQjEhKUncm5EdO6EkhtQNLezZWBdoml_lZnEJ63btz-xYqKJZi2IuQaS9no7rN8/s3840/BKIR5690.JPEG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj-FnRca03hUXkRtveZuCg6VdqU1F6omXv9g15IuRGzWLPeYnjtk6lDaVk8UCjWQv8cf-x_HG1upV6tNCF_Oe-g0aM9ZEMNzXkC_bp2wItVnwTe8ll0cLkJwndoZiiwQjEhKUncm5EdO6EkhtQNLezZWBdoml_lZnEJ63btz-xYqKJZi2IuQaS9no7rN8/w640-h640/BKIR5690.JPEG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div><div>For the rest of the time, we were either working or chilling at home.</div></div><div><br /></div><div><div>And as usual, my weekly meal prep photo collection...</div><div><br /></div></div></span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirs_0uVVwHDJZOWWEB1CJhzXE9h0pK2WmCPqg5WR6egeWkrWaO03nE2qS-bJtvg14vvsW4BXD1lbBXlpOilPROK5YsIBLBs75xKwNQIFbfI3kmCUa7mlDSJjYis2Gf1yF6gTtYsG8ovcGBQIt0kI74nsxPhGmxNs-fUr9c1X_GCVFCPNVNOI-G5XTIis8/s3840/ELNU6226.JPEG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirs_0uVVwHDJZOWWEB1CJhzXE9h0pK2WmCPqg5WR6egeWkrWaO03nE2qS-bJtvg14vvsW4BXD1lbBXlpOilPROK5YsIBLBs75xKwNQIFbfI3kmCUa7mlDSJjYis2Gf1yF6gTtYsG8ovcGBQIt0kI74nsxPhGmxNs-fUr9c1X_GCVFCPNVNOI-G5XTIis8/w640-h640/ELNU6226.JPEG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><b>May 21 & Jul 23 (Sun): </b>Mash potato and pork tenderloin, salad, fried rice with mussels, chicken herbal soup, stir-fry veggies.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfOZ61OvuqgyBFy3MVVBTKgR-R5loia9-LOy1LbYXQ2Vtk_776R9pqHTABMazhfe0I1ughc1x1tHO_3t9avHsesfk-Bx4hHy2NrUUtlpJlDV6HaBwRRK2LqEHHBJQn68Bl0iYQwA5mrYshh4QdCqzNeFykSpNaQbuSOWd5XUB2jIG5esd_PruEqD6tlsY/s3840/UWLF3180.JPEG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfOZ61OvuqgyBFy3MVVBTKgR-R5loia9-LOy1LbYXQ2Vtk_776R9pqHTABMazhfe0I1ughc1x1tHO_3t9avHsesfk-Bx4hHy2NrUUtlpJlDV6HaBwRRK2LqEHHBJQn68Bl0iYQwA5mrYshh4QdCqzNeFykSpNaQbuSOWd5XUB2jIG5esd_PruEqD6tlsY/w640-h640/UWLF3180.JPEG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><b>Jul 30 & Aug 6 (Sun): </b>Bbq ribs, stir-fry veggie, tomyum noodles soup with mussels, mash potato with pork tenderloin.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMlLcRAttnsJFPlF0t4xzpihBkLlWRunM3gjfQffOy3G9xxGi1pFDrLkSaK4FMwh22oKZjTIYffQVNzs1BFXFbQHI7hTn2Q5pfdALReBES-LK9oYyNxeNYw5JFOv_il1UczDL0hEVchhmVTleu49qOf_SBaT_A8LfZUFppDLcVegBzU3WQvofxt_q_Sf0/s3840/Aug%20food.JPEG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3840" data-original-width="3840" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMlLcRAttnsJFPlF0t4xzpihBkLlWRunM3gjfQffOy3G9xxGi1pFDrLkSaK4FMwh22oKZjTIYffQVNzs1BFXFbQHI7hTn2Q5pfdALReBES-LK9oYyNxeNYw5JFOv_il1UczDL0hEVchhmVTleu49qOf_SBaT_A8LfZUFppDLcVegBzU3WQvofxt_q_Sf0/w640-h640/Aug%20food.JPEG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><b>Aug 13 & 20 (Sun): </b>Chicken herbal soup, pasta with meatballs, stir-fy veggies, tomyum soup with mussels, mash potatos with pork tenderloin.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBsdL2MGTVsFluKKksGQpfQqBEIFelcQhXZlPR6NCOcEXzd_zKL0pJJz9-e8HUoqYt3bZziILbcHz_-ZACptbNUmirYZPyKzZYPlCaJaVIqWZGkIZcka7c3cIUXyA6_t-UfxEkhwNLwYa0-NjxPeDUQqoZ3J3WtM1nz5kzWGTFMGEcFx5gyTmuxmaftwE/s3840/WBBM9973.JPEG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBsdL2MGTVsFluKKksGQpfQqBEIFelcQhXZlPR6NCOcEXzd_zKL0pJJz9-e8HUoqYt3bZziILbcHz_-ZACptbNUmirYZPyKzZYPlCaJaVIqWZGkIZcka7c3cIUXyA6_t-UfxEkhwNLwYa0-NjxPeDUQqoZ3J3WtM1nz5kzWGTFMGEcFx5gyTmuxmaftwE/w640-h640/WBBM9973.JPEG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><b>Aug 20 & 27 (Sun): </b>Mash potato with pork tenderloin, tomyum soup with mussels, pasta with meatballs, fried rice with ham and veggies, beef chili.</span></div></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju-mH-MNUG9NxXSFrhTrn9QLPbhrSGmaSWJuXNS5B_Y6bGHE2yCvhxbXjmy_9HvD50XKbaqGNdPI2gxFyZp6hA4XsmJajLmMU9eljga5deLci__mmDEoYIDt4g0VcB9BZX-hjyZ8XJaN-Tw39mZXtyuI9FY_A1C-bhFHLIElC2a_nvnMU0ddVS8jDD490/s3840/TSFH8267.JPEG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju-mH-MNUG9NxXSFrhTrn9QLPbhrSGmaSWJuXNS5B_Y6bGHE2yCvhxbXjmy_9HvD50XKbaqGNdPI2gxFyZp6hA4XsmJajLmMU9eljga5deLci__mmDEoYIDt4g0VcB9BZX-hjyZ8XJaN-Tw39mZXtyuI9FY_A1C-bhFHLIElC2a_nvnMU0ddVS8jDD490/w640-h640/TSFH8267.JPEG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><b>Sept 10 & 17 (Sun):</b> Jambalaya rice with sausage, yellow rice with pork tenderloin, stir-fry cabbage, pasta with meatballs, mash potato with pork tenderloin.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXqrFmqE9ZQHrk9hnnZ7VDBBmaYGPsr8fF4ky8ol21BUIZd2-WocqCMjMzoNf7QkN3LjPLLZ2Rm0R06u0wo1Cu4v6DdlUQ3BoojufpBsgutfSmAFFwJ2vUt6IjHBbkqkngMcy5kxj_JK7GU5rQXS2zO6TSVeW7cElVz3Drl6OsYJoRjCu-kY8WFn0vUQE/s3840/YHEP1529.JPEG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXqrFmqE9ZQHrk9hnnZ7VDBBmaYGPsr8fF4ky8ol21BUIZd2-WocqCMjMzoNf7QkN3LjPLLZ2Rm0R06u0wo1Cu4v6DdlUQ3BoojufpBsgutfSmAFFwJ2vUt6IjHBbkqkngMcy5kxj_JK7GU5rQXS2zO6TSVeW7cElVz3Drl6OsYJoRjCu-kY8WFn0vUQE/w640-h640/YHEP1529.JPEG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><b>Sept 24 & Oct 1 (Sun): </b>Luroufan, stir-fry veggies, mash potato with pork tenderloin, tomyum noodles soup with mussels and veggies.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdYovoU3i5QEADHi0pa-hQryf7KE4HRyfLLtMBuT4w6MJa1D_c4jEch1R-7M-Bnudryg77SSVP_bsVf1RAyPUfDBRyqUvVAvxqp66Ghy6L9bOW_sYqDKxbwuH3caWW-NCBXGMpzXLAPOZudgB123GBkeMjYDUnvHitKWj3o0qj-zjc1G9wx5P0Q-2Rluc/s3840/CSQE9217.JPEG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdYovoU3i5QEADHi0pa-hQryf7KE4HRyfLLtMBuT4w6MJa1D_c4jEch1R-7M-Bnudryg77SSVP_bsVf1RAyPUfDBRyqUvVAvxqp66Ghy6L9bOW_sYqDKxbwuH3caWW-NCBXGMpzXLAPOZudgB123GBkeMjYDUnvHitKWj3o0qj-zjc1G9wx5P0Q-2Rluc/w640-h640/CSQE9217.JPEG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><b>Oct 8 & 15 (Sun):</b> Chicken herbal soup, yellow rice with pork tenderloin, stir-fry veggies, salad, tomyum noodle soup with mussels, pasta with meatballs.</span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5CKGbgOinPypalvWjrhDNXCI_SVqDfdr2nilf8BLhyphenhyphenEozxc4ajCsbgXogja7Tu7SkVlODdzNM9bZsVdelqJLpUaGChEzqA8BSBeOrZY9VXGIzQW9e5c366yzFm6gs5U-P3Ncxsl7oLzOaSUXQpD8Ui1-ZSS7TVrdOArGm1_L7uUt9Hn8GzC3iVgmLCaA/s3840/CPTZ2758.JPEG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5CKGbgOinPypalvWjrhDNXCI_SVqDfdr2nilf8BLhyphenhyphenEozxc4ajCsbgXogja7Tu7SkVlODdzNM9bZsVdelqJLpUaGChEzqA8BSBeOrZY9VXGIzQW9e5c366yzFm6gs5U-P3Ncxsl7oLzOaSUXQpD8Ui1-ZSS7TVrdOArGm1_L7uUt9Hn8GzC3iVgmLCaA/w640-h640/CPTZ2758.JPEG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><b>Oct 22 & 29 (Sun): </b>Luroufan with ribs, stir-fry veggies salad, mash potato with pork tenderloin, stir-fry veggies, salad. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpIXVlvZp8QuUyn0UtEYprprtNywfgX1WmFQhlhhFEK4RmtzWXNPRj0U6XjRYCL96dAlDT5WsM8FhmHsEfCulptJez_VV4rmBdRuLEPNWHEw_My3KNeFsrFd5hSE1ockz3Syda7UQ3ZJjuFlbghSB_kdhuv2ogQURUx1eYXMRw9-v0qN7Gw7fZKMGTI_A/s3840/FRTJ9689.JPEG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpIXVlvZp8QuUyn0UtEYprprtNywfgX1WmFQhlhhFEK4RmtzWXNPRj0U6XjRYCL96dAlDT5WsM8FhmHsEfCulptJez_VV4rmBdRuLEPNWHEw_My3KNeFsrFd5hSE1ockz3Syda7UQ3ZJjuFlbghSB_kdhuv2ogQURUx1eYXMRw9-v0qN7Gw7fZKMGTI_A/w640-h640/FRTJ9689.JPEG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><b>Nov 5 & 12 (Sun): </b>Pasta with pork tenderloin, porridge with pork tenderoin, stir-fry veggies, salad, taco beef, stir-fry veggies with mussels.</span></div> <div class="blogger-post-footer">http://khaishing.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default</div>khaishing.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05154189313956844355noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3659547063209051949.post-62374730704516806512023-12-31T23:57:00.007-06:002024-01-06T09:38:27.888-06:00Thank You Wonderful 2023...Hello 2024!<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;">And with that, the 2023 season comes to an end. This year has flown by and I am truly grateful for a wonderful 2023. This has been a year of achieving milestones, making memories, and making dreams come true, so let's reflect and recap on the past year.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><u><b>Travel</b></u></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;">The big travel milestone this year was definitely traveling to Antarctica and finally step foot on my 7th continent. Antarctica had always felt like a unattainable dream, so I am so thankful to make this dream come true this year. We finally made it back to <a href="https://www.khaishing.com/2023/09/japan-2023-journey-to-japan.html" target="_blank">Japan</a> after multiple cancellations over the past 3 years, traveled home to Malaysia twice, visited 4 new countries (<a href="https://www.khaishing.com/2023/08/qatar-2022-doha-transit-tour.html" target="_blank">Qatar</a>, <a href="https://www.khaishing.com/2023/11/kingdom-of-bhutan-making-memories-with.html" target="_blank">Bhutan</a>, Argentina, Brazil) and a new continent. I definitely blew our travel budget this year visiting 2 very expensive destinations - Bhutan & Antarctica, but if not now, when? :P</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><i><u>Summary of my travels for 2023 (work+leisure):</u></i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;">Number of hotel/cruise nights - 91 nights (Marriott-68; Hilton-3; IHG-9; Others-14)</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;">Number of hotels - 22 hotels (Marriott-5; Hilton-3; IHG-4; Others-3)</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;">Number of airlines - 11 airlines (United, American Airlines, Qatar, Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Malaysia Airlines, JAL, ThaiSmiles, Bhutan Airlines, Aerolineas Argentina, Latam)</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><u><b>Work</b></u></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;">The big work milestone this year was my promotion from Senior Manager to Director. So thankful for everyone who have supported me along the way. I was given the opportunity to return to India again for 6 weeks, and it was great to see all the familiar faces again. </span><span style="font-family: "Source Sans Pro";">I am thankful that work allowed me to take leave of absence to <a href="https://www.khaishing.com/2023/05/homecoming-trip-2023-malaysia.html" target="_blank">travel home</a> for a month to spend time with family and help out with dad.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><u><b>Family</b></u></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;">Our big family milestone this year was celebrating our 10th anniversary, and we celebrated with an awesome trip to Antarctica! I'm thankful to be able to take leave of absence at work to <a href="https://www.khaishing.com/2023/05/homecoming-trip-2023-malaysia.html" target="_blank">travel home</a> for 4 weeks to spend time with my family in Malaysia. Besides, I am also glad that mom was able to visit me in India, and explored Bhutan together. Our making memories with moms journey continued this year with an epic trip to Argentina, Antarctica, and Brazil in 2.5 weeks. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><b><u>Health</u></b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;">Despite all the travels this year, I'm thankful to be able to stay healthy, physically and mentally, throughout the year and especially during our travels. I know I need to do better exercising so that's something to improve in the new year.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><u><b>Finance</b></u></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div>As compared to last year, the stock market has been great this year, which made everything looked great as we continue our wealth building journey. Our expenses spiked this year with the Antarctica trip, but fortunately, I received some bonuses from work which certainly helped offset this big blow.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;">Very thankful for an amazing 2023. I'm glad that work & life have been very well-balanced this year, while accomplishing big milestones in both work & life (travels). Life is good. :) </span><span style="font-family: "Source Sans Pro";">Look forward to exploring more of the world and making more memories in 2024. Happy New Year 2024!</span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://khaishing.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default</div>khaishing.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05154189313956844355noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3659547063209051949.post-78470504234992884752023-11-22T02:57:00.009-06:002024-01-06T09:38:18.350-06:00Homecoming Trip 2023 ✈ Malaysia 2.0<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">After wrapping up my 1.5 month work trip in India, I took a detour home to Malaysia to visit the family before returning to the US. Thankful to be able to travel home again for the 2nd time in 2023 after my last home trip in <a href="https://www.khaishing.com/2023/05/homecoming-trip-2023-malaysia.html" target="_blank">May 2023</a>.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/lOY4MgpxUHE?si=B6hooqlgxnSV8Rwz" title="YouTube video player" width="640"></iframe></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><b>14-15 July 2023 (Fri-Sat): Kolkata - Singapore - Penang</b></span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsotUvPIrEokEh2tJLvLtQOgVwDlAub6ofIKcSnClbdWuy8RIk-HDiu6BcP0ChAikvDvLOtW_k2V265gwYZdVy8aE6p30qhIRdYhbKv46I-KiL0zhhpPpuLeI5waQncNbVnvLn7-WaAfjzuh2Vu_wtv3vFQJC35TjUaSIfO73pkZ54nBTgVqTqIJGbe8I/w640-h640/JJZD8033.JPEG" width="640" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcz4jVBmsual4mIp1cUbggYJ7tObMQQFiHVV4Qf3QaljP_tjJiD9OfayeQA8KjyRRbxOlfwJQNXK598Pa0DjRm7TtsQgFUmMqdCj9IPp3cIKCGkhaLNlm3LFkVbOs4O1oRnAq-Hd5JIWEr5VEy5haRwRVH3FduzfD40KHrtdiH7Fcy8f2FScf5ZTKjDfc/s3840/JJZD8033.JPEG"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS6j_54kvQ7xl8I_e8CmIVg2-8O775iSAz0QCo7rzY_Ban7XHsiyYnBdFAs7hrbWHCgpkf_7za3SHSOTG5HWGxMsAcOOPFUjynjKQlb-N4FsO1LdwwkCH-KZAUwPsZd9GBUoi6yYGpfKUFJD8Zi4pD1gH4_0_azuh7Zd8JH5jIT25txbvS-ozQoJAJ2-0/s4096/LUUF9370.JPG"><img border="0" height="1121" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS6j_54kvQ7xl8I_e8CmIVg2-8O775iSAz0QCo7rzY_Ban7XHsiyYnBdFAs7hrbWHCgpkf_7za3SHSOTG5HWGxMsAcOOPFUjynjKQlb-N4FsO1LdwwkCH-KZAUwPsZd9GBUoi6yYGpfKUFJD8Zi4pD1gH4_0_azuh7Zd8JH5jIT25txbvS-ozQoJAJ2-0/w630-h1121/LUUF9370.JPG" width="630" /></a></span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div>Arrived Kolkata airport at 8.55pm for my 11.10pm flight to Singapore. Check-in was quick and thanks to my Star Alliance Gold status (with United Premier Platinum), I was able to check in all 3 bags (total weight of 68.7kg) without paying excess baggage fees. Learnt from my mistake <a href="https://www.khaishing.com/2023/05/homecoming-trip-2022-christmas-in.html" target="_blank">last year</a> and asked the hotel conceirge staff to help weigh my heavy bag before going to the airport, so I didn't have to repack my bags in the airport this time. Went to the Travel Club Business Lounge to chill before boarding the flight.</div><div><br /></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB29vIUgN7uwUzUL8BTOqDBbOmFW9A4u64xKx5iIdOQq5Ps15ZUPFZC1tftmwteaHMgi47Vsix4WC5cH54bAGr1s3eNqsFB6yiEcOZ_XZ4-U11Ki-2RkUdyuuwBryY255ISmA-i4Ojeg5Gj5zLAKbFtelzQ9rFaDINos0E9hSigf8pqESdand3OSQaP8A/s3840/TQXJ4097.JPEG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="842" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB29vIUgN7uwUzUL8BTOqDBbOmFW9A4u64xKx5iIdOQq5Ps15ZUPFZC1tftmwteaHMgi47Vsix4WC5cH54bAGr1s3eNqsFB6yiEcOZ_XZ4-U11Ki-2RkUdyuuwBryY255ISmA-i4Ojeg5Gj5zLAKbFtelzQ9rFaDINos0E9hSigf8pqESdand3OSQaP8A/w632-h842/TQXJ4097.JPEG" width="632" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">3hr 50min on Singapore Airlines business class from Kolkata to Singapore. Business class was fully occupied wih a family taking 7 of the 10 seats. This flight had a 2-2 layout so I chose the aisle seat coz I didn't want to 'climb over' someone to go to the lavatory. Singapore Sling, yoghurt patties with tamarind and mint sauce, and herb crusted chicken roulade for supper at 1am. Slept for about 3 hours in the lay-flat seats.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq8diFzbmgLu3TPztsyvGirFeqUiWditR8coTfRliXsIqG44mGgljJL0HUzf34-KL-2ZSWPav3Rv6BKb4fHVuLgh4OiiKiNAooEDszTcEY8wOrs2K2dUSPy8AH5Ej4NYev6m7SqchO1EdWOIzkHxhvG8556-HL7drH3AWYkg1_jpw4K_YD3Nk6RwEdido/s3840/ERXX7358.JPEG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="837" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq8diFzbmgLu3TPztsyvGirFeqUiWditR8coTfRliXsIqG44mGgljJL0HUzf34-KL-2ZSWPav3Rv6BKb4fHVuLgh4OiiKiNAooEDszTcEY8wOrs2K2dUSPy8AH5Ej4NYev6m7SqchO1EdWOIzkHxhvG8556-HL7drH3AWYkg1_jpw4K_YD3Nk6RwEdido/w628-h837/ERXX7358.JPEG" width="628" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Landed in Singapore at 6.40am with a 3-hour transit so I went to the Singapore Airlines Silverkris Lounge in T2 to grab some food and took a shower.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5jcRGFDrvOiopWskJYkgd0rKjrTo-7i7WsD_LVeGcnOyPObzWxIwvRkuCcmKKUaGiWdaGqdSVcsMv7gvocH7ZzFgY1MzKBlS9zeWObNE5XadM_G6mGW7OXT-TVaLeaBZfjtwBjdNygvCArisDFKJWcRfCIpYuaRl-6TpMOOSVy-ntdk3Ng4WAbVgQ56Y/s3840/SBIG9258.JPEG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5jcRGFDrvOiopWskJYkgd0rKjrTo-7i7WsD_LVeGcnOyPObzWxIwvRkuCcmKKUaGiWdaGqdSVcsMv7gvocH7ZzFgY1MzKBlS9zeWObNE5XadM_G6mGW7OXT-TVaLeaBZfjtwBjdNygvCArisDFKJWcRfCIpYuaRl-6TpMOOSVy-ntdk3Ng4WAbVgQ56Y/w640-h640/SBIG9258.JPEG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Had Dim Sum, Singapore Laksa, and champagne for breakfast at 7.15am...lol! Do not judge my breakfast combo.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo6oQyWmJTjNmkevKK8IHoX66zutygMO37wmOwMOUXvpG_HR9gCKAZizox-67srB5qZRtlNcuYMFue6V10UHX5ga3-QmbOA8NMturhDJS2KwyfnRliYyig5gRDV6tO1QFTvVnltibkzTXj88hedYPj7jqZyxh-mzzxVOIbG7YL49m-MM-j-URxCpedAw0/s3840/DJLD3816.JPEG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo6oQyWmJTjNmkevKK8IHoX66zutygMO37wmOwMOUXvpG_HR9gCKAZizox-67srB5qZRtlNcuYMFue6V10UHX5ga3-QmbOA8NMturhDJS2KwyfnRliYyig5gRDV6tO1QFTvVnltibkzTXj88hedYPj7jqZyxh-mzzxVOIbG7YL49m-MM-j-URxCpedAw0/w640-h640/DJLD3816.JPEG" width="640" /></span></a><span style="font-family: "Open Sans";">Singapore Airlines business class from Singapore to Penang at 10am. A meal was served on this short 1hr 20min flight but I was too sleepy to eat, even the flight attendant noticed I and said I looked so tired...lol! Instead, I opted for a Tiger and some snacks.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_O4jbKwnHMojq9X_IYIBVvQsO7txuUzKGJ1H8EFYDhzCILRt1gkNPlb9kXFNfd6RpSMsJqlPyqbluLR48EkVpK02co8QqnZjyXTzcI08xhr3ywTE7DNedPsB98UbLAzPzFwBtlT65ElPIuI5O4uRlpCQNGUM7TJ_egXhsNYzRsAWWxZI99PjRY7FESh4/s3840/MESM6077.JPEG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="830" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_O4jbKwnHMojq9X_IYIBVvQsO7txuUzKGJ1H8EFYDhzCILRt1gkNPlb9kXFNfd6RpSMsJqlPyqbluLR48EkVpK02co8QqnZjyXTzcI08xhr3ywTE7DNedPsB98UbLAzPzFwBtlT65ElPIuI5O4uRlpCQNGUM7TJ_egXhsNYzRsAWWxZI99PjRY7FESh4/w622-h830/MESM6077.JPEG" width="622" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Landed on time at Penang at 11.25am. Received all my bags within 15 min but was held up by the custom and was taxed $5 for excess alcohol...whoops! But blessing in disguise, the custom officer noticed that my bag was damaged (I didn't notice) and asked me to file a complaint with Singapore Airlines. Singapore Airlines wanted to repair my bag initially but after seeing another crack, they decided to just give me a new replacement bag, and didn't even bother taking my damaged bag coz there was too much stuffs in it.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><b>15-20 July 2023 (Sat-Thurs): 5 Days in Penang</b></span></p></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC6L-3JYsJHcNj61tLyMJxp8KIEWOmhkMVWHLbzXnc2BqywwdHq2zx2ENJH5dMcWF6ccofvbmzjETtsDYiFoErURVIi7UfCMYtQqvqnXold7gOh3MnLDDICDTNt2B4HT8uPKHVMbNtHHXTEcITMYglgBV1RfGUwq8fDnpbmXq9JW1TtLqkJF6EQVMxwjA/s3840/LYAH6991.JPEG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC6L-3JYsJHcNj61tLyMJxp8KIEWOmhkMVWHLbzXnc2BqywwdHq2zx2ENJH5dMcWF6ccofvbmzjETtsDYiFoErURVIi7UfCMYtQqvqnXold7gOh3MnLDDICDTNt2B4HT8uPKHVMbNtHHXTEcITMYglgBV1RfGUwq8fDnpbmXq9JW1TtLqkJF6EQVMxwjA/w640-h640/LYAH6991.JPEG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Being home means spending quality time with the family even though this was a short trip of only 5 days.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYo5jZn8urCafkd_CuGuFE25pPNEsGyR4n-iZ80kXugT4IIXrYFKm8qoePZNvyxThTTq5STaYhyUkDXq7CJsQQt5003dJRBk4liQrMrOdiZ8KVJxR7JGval4sMxNu-VRi63OlVH1UEOrNeBXIJY7tEeC9lglIeTqd9nlJWFGAOMnbsa2hhpp55nAYgLOI/s3840/CQOJ7372.JPEG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYo5jZn8urCafkd_CuGuFE25pPNEsGyR4n-iZ80kXugT4IIXrYFKm8qoePZNvyxThTTq5STaYhyUkDXq7CJsQQt5003dJRBk4liQrMrOdiZ8KVJxR7JGval4sMxNu-VRi63OlVH1UEOrNeBXIJY7tEeC9lglIeTqd9nlJWFGAOMnbsa2hhpp55nAYgLOI/w640-h640/CQOJ7372.JPEG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Celebrated dad's early birthday with the family and conveniently repurposed the cake for our August birthdays.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvbQy1bW6RR9UUTwB-vRdIopIDgaHXLp_CXPFWxqv83UNt5lKmVgwIlksyr-j465PEsOLL227BzveyU5FNsicizGXkgL65TdVAvXL_N49FSASVnZetpVUkygy7YDJOGYSqnXh5-xq01rbT3dTAk2n9Ju9J0mvF45N-qn-WLLYCnx68uCEcuZCI_eL1NtA/s4096/DISD4976.JPG" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvbQy1bW6RR9UUTwB-vRdIopIDgaHXLp_CXPFWxqv83UNt5lKmVgwIlksyr-j465PEsOLL227BzveyU5FNsicizGXkgL65TdVAvXL_N49FSASVnZetpVUkygy7YDJOGYSqnXh5-xq01rbT3dTAk2n9Ju9J0mvF45N-qn-WLLYCnx68uCEcuZCI_eL1NtA/w360-h640/DISD4976.JPG" width="360" /></span></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">How time flies!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAUWj7yWpDAC02TEIyhSaTCt-nxWwezQTUToj9ErpcOveWtjGwn1R7k1veGO-nCVeFxKJOGXA_u9iSQThphPaFOrqkv63tNliAMfJsUv5N8IyF-8QoxQBQdm88TRNJj7RYmuVgR4bb_CH9O37tzI5SeTS2R4kC6SzowDMcyW5wxBWLFXh8iVz0hLt1dwI/s4096/IGLW0971.JPG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAUWj7yWpDAC02TEIyhSaTCt-nxWwezQTUToj9ErpcOveWtjGwn1R7k1veGO-nCVeFxKJOGXA_u9iSQThphPaFOrqkv63tNliAMfJsUv5N8IyF-8QoxQBQdm88TRNJj7RYmuVgR4bb_CH9O37tzI5SeTS2R4kC6SzowDMcyW5wxBWLFXh8iVz0hLt1dwI/w640-h640/IGLW0971.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Caught up with friends.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><b>20-21 July 2023 (Thurs-Fri): Penang - Hong Kong - Doha - Chicago - Huntsville</b></span></p></span></div></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZvZMXrFbx413c-KV1gSkjNHzATezwuWtSHn3jH__MhCT32JaA4nhTs4eGWQPNh6vmJIlTL-QUwNYiu0Zi9ZcMfxhm_jBDqyJKBm_C-qriGRrWXH5JGeLfGXXHwnrGXwkbARrpqJ_jqCrdHEwH8dqmfYac3G9cIiYeeUVuDfirP4MieWGfnRlJjIN97Zw/w640-h640/QEAC8752.JPEG" width="640" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">After a short trip home, it was time to say goodbye again. Arrived at the airport at 10.30am and the Cathay Pacific counters were still empty. I did not weigh my bags at all after packing at home and surprisingly both bags were on the dot (32kg + 31kg) for the baggage allowance of 32kg per bag...I'm legit amazed by my packing skill...lol!!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYBgc5yt3kN9ZVwCJpTa4G0Z977tZAqxUG_Dvvg0wvMCkBgjKqGtbXZK1wHv2sJAjyf6lulkKLaOcF3e6IT5xmxCXPnHTLsk3Ia-7us2XIy2F6wHgDU3ACbB62sNwkZVW8eF42g-q-BIYv8Zq8DIvANhHdoBnWzyxrDGFp7xXfy-gMMvuVS1vPLvPucC8/s3840/KIEN3784.JPEG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYBgc5yt3kN9ZVwCJpTa4G0Z977tZAqxUG_Dvvg0wvMCkBgjKqGtbXZK1wHv2sJAjyf6lulkKLaOcF3e6IT5xmxCXPnHTLsk3Ia-7us2XIy2F6wHgDU3ACbB62sNwkZVW8eF42g-q-BIYv8Zq8DIvANhHdoBnWzyxrDGFp7xXfy-gMMvuVS1vPLvPucC8/w640-h640/KIEN3784.JPEG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeWbqXBjvALnXAyFjaAgoYxmUsCHQU3eiPYwVsPNQ6bBMT9PQZWB9QQDKQ2uych25fQ3fPqm9a_4Y26MPwbD108j9BYXgmOUTEKkbRT6z-hML-3NK6TejDr3F3z155r7IDwUfb4LeFb9cf9LThG2RwIy8c9tQMikT3SxEfguj9AGm7NGJGE7lJlMG2ijg/s3840/STBD3684.JPEG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeWbqXBjvALnXAyFjaAgoYxmUsCHQU3eiPYwVsPNQ6bBMT9PQZWB9QQDKQ2uych25fQ3fPqm9a_4Y26MPwbD108j9BYXgmOUTEKkbRT6z-hML-3NK6TejDr3F3z155r7IDwUfb4LeFb9cf9LThG2RwIy8c9tQMikT3SxEfguj9AGm7NGJGE7lJlMG2ijg/w640-h640/STBD3684.JPEG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Had 2 hours to wait before my 1pm flight so I went to the Plaza Premium Lounge to grab some food. The lounge was pretty busy as there were 2 international fligts departing around the same time, SIA and Cathay Pacific. Cathay Pacific passengersget to choose an ala carte item but I wasn't hungry so I juts had some koey teow soup. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXb5MwOnEAyfIr27woPcakLWbvHRKHFqfI39PESV3ECvWuoiLE4k-NlYwYc8MSx1UwjuPlVPfUyBOFlxvJyHqf_yu_hFGdlnYc-CDNv0BxJav7Nx2gDiy6AFB05hPLwujmaEk7onG98acZHkQfI_WAIBMFw50pMjvnfrlKEN7Kr49CbtQmpI_vFRW6keM/s3840/RIPB3046.JPEG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="847" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXb5MwOnEAyfIr27woPcakLWbvHRKHFqfI39PESV3ECvWuoiLE4k-NlYwYc8MSx1UwjuPlVPfUyBOFlxvJyHqf_yu_hFGdlnYc-CDNv0BxJav7Nx2gDiy6AFB05hPLwujmaEk7onG98acZHkQfI_WAIBMFw50pMjvnfrlKEN7Kr49CbtQmpI_vFRW6keM/w636-h847/RIPB3046.JPEG" width="636" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">4-hours on Cathay Pacific business class from Penang to Hong Kong. Was lucky to get this lie-flat seat on this relatively short flight.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9xQYwbdRQcbY3xFhGe1U7kWfs6LhtdIug7_AcWKua3QdksY2o0O6H1XTVtv2elPf9-zspH0iWoOjWaerIdixRQRPSnKCmvsK7pBWjtEaXmgYKaM0GfGpKmr8etjdOzXPLHLL19Jaw-VXfPeUx5TQns_7mG-FupW8B31NR1K-iAOnyCugKyN2D72kqvDQ/s3840/ITUH4166.JPEG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9xQYwbdRQcbY3xFhGe1U7kWfs6LhtdIug7_AcWKua3QdksY2o0O6H1XTVtv2elPf9-zspH0iWoOjWaerIdixRQRPSnKCmvsK7pBWjtEaXmgYKaM0GfGpKmr8etjdOzXPLHLL19Jaw-VXfPeUx5TQns_7mG-FupW8B31NR1K-iAOnyCugKyN2D72kqvDQ/w640-h480/ITUH4166.JPEG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Salad, Thai style prawns salad with pomelo, Hainanese chicken rice, and a not so bubbly champagne was served. Took a 2 hour nap after meal. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJlJrjWg36JgwbvTRaBcs7IsypTtSNrnsRKob6aC2tGx0H0P2-MW2nvOPP2_JnNvaBnb8UxCF_HB0HpDpqwLwEDAu_inPWUAPCY92lg72TDRrt7RGjCsCdMXQPOsWGALmcgb2Z69B5maLcO1_ceSUvbgP6U8FLDePwl4r2TdMwcY1galmg7qNbHEGlCuc/s3840/LCMP0417.JPEG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJlJrjWg36JgwbvTRaBcs7IsypTtSNrnsRKob6aC2tGx0H0P2-MW2nvOPP2_JnNvaBnb8UxCF_HB0HpDpqwLwEDAu_inPWUAPCY92lg72TDRrt7RGjCsCdMXQPOsWGALmcgb2Z69B5maLcO1_ceSUvbgP6U8FLDePwl4r2TdMwcY1galmg7qNbHEGlCuc/w640-h640/LCMP0417.JPEG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Landed in Hong Kong at 4.40pm, 20 minutes ahead of schedule.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC7pMKIyXA5c1Wdo01UAfYaGl9HsTqkOQvsuBHa-57acGhiATrK32XHvdLleX3CxMe6dPpw5flBeGfpniPoBTfONLs_uwKg90AwBVgEGbdgCJqvTmNxYn1Q7PQ7Atftv9nBeT_d3JTCfBBBwMYbPta3tE20dp61tiabbdLXmW5EXz3GYjmxvpHaSm28_8/s3840/EIQM9982.JPEG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="840" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC7pMKIyXA5c1Wdo01UAfYaGl9HsTqkOQvsuBHa-57acGhiATrK32XHvdLleX3CxMe6dPpw5flBeGfpniPoBTfONLs_uwKg90AwBVgEGbdgCJqvTmNxYn1Q7PQ7Atftv9nBeT_d3JTCfBBBwMYbPta3tE20dp61tiabbdLXmW5EXz3GYjmxvpHaSm28_8/w630-h840/EIQM9982.JPEG" width="630" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Call me crazy but one of the main reasons I chose to transit in Hong Kong (instead of KL) was to visit this First Class lounge even though I wasn't flying First Class. I had access to this lounge with my Oneworld Emerald status.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">What I didn't know was that this lounge had been closed since Feb 17, 2020 and was still closed when I booked my flight. I got lucky that the lounge reopened just one day before my transit...couldn't have timed it better than this! Perfect timing for my 7-hour transit!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4CYKC1xfHhPOiBrRkcHKJKpJQYgXe-TYIOKPwryv_gC44Tg9RXg4PcOv7gHK0GLY2z5TIeurdtsy_AU9Nnrak_hkRnBT4DmLZNM9x5IziaEVHJBUbvfezusLbb1nqGuhnoWvPDnMNBkVmkkXZHpvjLibrvqYbbwZIQTTRj-dEVbk9W5zUUwWcSxysBf8/s3840/NWQI4778.JPEG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4CYKC1xfHhPOiBrRkcHKJKpJQYgXe-TYIOKPwryv_gC44Tg9RXg4PcOv7gHK0GLY2z5TIeurdtsy_AU9Nnrak_hkRnBT4DmLZNM9x5IziaEVHJBUbvfezusLbb1nqGuhnoWvPDnMNBkVmkkXZHpvjLibrvqYbbwZIQTTRj-dEVbk9W5zUUwWcSxysBf8/w640-h480/NWQI4778.JPEG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">First things first... a complimentary 15 minutes foot massage or neck and shoulder massage. I opted for the latter.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl1-ErSP2ebF-6UaP1qufwOJiXdwqxLbdG-H06PAe5ju3iqYgxD1vKe3f1bKHcaP-OWDNT18_jJRzOzZ1Sj6V5-Ne-xHxbIbOAU9HaLzjsSLD5OpT27d-bOZshyphenhypheno3Fdw2YC8HiPX6SdPXzm7X7d6etIpIYzo-9VeqdTogl5XR7IC1BiUsBAX5EIuJnXhk/s3840/IDGN3948.JPEG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl1-ErSP2ebF-6UaP1qufwOJiXdwqxLbdG-H06PAe5ju3iqYgxD1vKe3f1bKHcaP-OWDNT18_jJRzOzZ1Sj6V5-Ne-xHxbIbOAU9HaLzjsSLD5OpT27d-bOZshyphenhypheno3Fdw2YC8HiPX6SdPXzm7X7d6etIpIYzo-9VeqdTogl5XR7IC1BiUsBAX5EIuJnXhk/w640-h480/IDGN3948.JPEG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4H2Eb5qeLFiwMG5COOINGkpYqElxtZ6rvE4zuEWEQw21sjrRZXACDScnk5PD6WPvMmb5MnAb4ciHnPLN5ca5woR5_hV5b8b3y2QTa1rzXyNZIYg8BbQII3LN98gZZDjl9q0lsi9me5UdIY595iYrOvQWTg6RvH8d1qsJHc3-3TCdtuBobXke66yABYIs/s3840/ISLM2288.JPEG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4H2Eb5qeLFiwMG5COOINGkpYqElxtZ6rvE4zuEWEQw21sjrRZXACDScnk5PD6WPvMmb5MnAb4ciHnPLN5ca5woR5_hV5b8b3y2QTa1rzXyNZIYg8BbQII3LN98gZZDjl9q0lsi9me5UdIY595iYrOvQWTg6RvH8d1qsJHc3-3TCdtuBobXke66yABYIs/w640-h480/ISLM2288.JPEG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Then it was time for some food and drinks at the Dining Room. Everything was ala carte like a restaurant. I ordered the Double boiled forest mushroom soup, the signature wonton soup, Movenpick ice cream, and of course, champagne. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSRczw2Zp8jo-uuAHJjlMq6kGInU4Cr02kLqtytgnLtSbsTb2uljASNhN9-aE8v0crfuAF2yvKQx3bTASEi35QwSYaFrIJvtIf3dtydQPUdsn6myVDE0FAv-9viGnDh5W_NMMNz-2Bu4jqgT248tY0PTgcdxxeQEI6aa1UUge87X0liM5vPDdExkiGOiY/s3840/PSCM1669.JPEG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSRczw2Zp8jo-uuAHJjlMq6kGInU4Cr02kLqtytgnLtSbsTb2uljASNhN9-aE8v0crfuAF2yvKQx3bTASEi35QwSYaFrIJvtIf3dtydQPUdsn6myVDE0FAv-9viGnDh5W_NMMNz-2Bu4jqgT248tY0PTgcdxxeQEI6aa1UUge87X0liM5vPDdExkiGOiY/w640-h640/PSCM1669.JPEG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Went back to the Retreat for a shower to freshen up before another long flight. The shower room was nice with brass finishes.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO9Vo50BD3Uz_rCDyJos7jvv7Ezcc30yKrkIOuhNi8fnO93nK3otzaRJdUi7WHdLDWYHQZ8AWcYvZnPVYvUAfNCBlmgra5-AiH0hoy78gHmbBwdIzSPoAx6d1vaXwTVl6FerQ4qGPhvNFAQa8d18RDY16bvTA5e73Ycf_2aM9Wx7KxlWX3M24vVHOko5U/s3840/CMTH5924.JPEG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO9Vo50BD3Uz_rCDyJos7jvv7Ezcc30yKrkIOuhNi8fnO93nK3otzaRJdUi7WHdLDWYHQZ8AWcYvZnPVYvUAfNCBlmgra5-AiH0hoy78gHmbBwdIzSPoAx6d1vaXwTVl6FerQ4qGPhvNFAQa8d18RDY16bvTA5e73Ycf_2aM9Wx7KxlWX3M24vVHOko5U/w640-h480/CMTH5924.JPEG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Had 4 more hours before my flight so I went to the Day Suites for a nap. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ5KVE_EsYYiSzrSW4aJ2oiO7wm3O-HCuq8Z1I4YWRk6UUDtsR1F_ykMenV19ua8pphJzE-xSmzI4CdQsesBrxbWAA-2NupcpYRBJMz0UP0kbG9WmG4p0Thnyq652ZnP5nkMENxr32M1ywTdlf2uCAOKQaFlkzwMUu7vdxqpRBvqNQ5mULJR7STU0eK0g/s3840/HNXA9651.JPEG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ5KVE_EsYYiSzrSW4aJ2oiO7wm3O-HCuq8Z1I4YWRk6UUDtsR1F_ykMenV19ua8pphJzE-xSmzI4CdQsesBrxbWAA-2NupcpYRBJMz0UP0kbG9WmG4p0Thnyq652ZnP5nkMENxr32M1ywTdlf2uCAOKQaFlkzwMUu7vdxqpRBvqNQ5mULJR7STU0eK0g/w640-h640/HNXA9651.JPEG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Went to the Bureau at 9pm to get some work done, and had a work call at 10pm, accompanied by a Hong Kong beer. :P</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9H5461wjO1dZQo0P-Z86pAfBkzUVDGKB0bWqsomQw1y_0YzqniYeMvmtfeNEDC5AauQlk-NcSligtaumtWkecPwLiECXb_zEBvdn3bekB_mfuv-F1d9Fuj7Hktsiri72A8-c4Oa3TBj7ae4ij2SoO7fXcS9_7_Yhx3MjtGW8cVVbx5Ajr6ayl1iJFbhE/s3840/TZKZ6880.JPEG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9H5461wjO1dZQo0P-Z86pAfBkzUVDGKB0bWqsomQw1y_0YzqniYeMvmtfeNEDC5AauQlk-NcSligtaumtWkecPwLiECXb_zEBvdn3bekB_mfuv-F1d9Fuj7Hktsiri72A8-c4Oa3TBj7ae4ij2SoO7fXcS9_7_Yhx3MjtGW8cVVbx5Ajr6ayl1iJFbhE/w640-h640/TZKZ6880.JPEG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Went back to the Dining Room at 10.45pm for the signature Dan Dan Mien. Checked out the fancy bathroom before heading over to the gate. It was time to say bye bye to the lounge at 11.25pm after spending the last 5.5 hours here.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivJowFoF1c8gyqIiMP30e5_rm4TdX87WEfJb-Uamd96mLLEfA0YFF7jEYLiHDdywFp8Rmlnux8-KbZYDKBkAdYEaMWe2RPVzK4sWyCM35kgO-7XSWA_mq55emjRaknzVui69Sz2RRSAJIKALp3eeRTrJXgRyTKDLy6F8RNvYU8kOciAijdQpSkhzqgQTs/s3840/ASXZ4244.JPEG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3840" data-original-width="2880" height="845" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivJowFoF1c8gyqIiMP30e5_rm4TdX87WEfJb-Uamd96mLLEfA0YFF7jEYLiHDdywFp8Rmlnux8-KbZYDKBkAdYEaMWe2RPVzK4sWyCM35kgO-7XSWA_mq55emjRaknzVui69Sz2RRSAJIKALp3eeRTrJXgRyTKDLy6F8RNvYU8kOciAijdQpSkhzqgQTs/w635-h845/ASXZ4244.JPEG" width="635" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Open Sans";">2nd leg...8-hour on Qatar business class (not Qsuite) from Hong Kong to Doha.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgbVER1TEdino5ZQEEeP5qiadCsGYNSi-KmS9XpAgDxpnC8IXMYWekSjJm5WAm8WhJmp4lWwEOBK3hDxd5fdAyOcUVWW-8iHbX4-sq3v5j6QQCOm216A_CVvaABqJOAHAeYSOhM2OCKIA0XjYfhO2rGjgtzBfgUPL92HdghHQJGUferZGGLb68eOA2shM/s3840/UEOW1584.JPEG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="839" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgbVER1TEdino5ZQEEeP5qiadCsGYNSi-KmS9XpAgDxpnC8IXMYWekSjJm5WAm8WhJmp4lWwEOBK3hDxd5fdAyOcUVWW-8iHbX4-sq3v5j6QQCOm216A_CVvaABqJOAHAeYSOhM2OCKIA0XjYfhO2rGjgtzBfgUPL92HdghHQJGUferZGGLb68eOA2shM/w629-h839/UEOW1584.JPEG" width="629" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Even though this was a Qatar flight, the seat was exactly the same as the Cathay flight earlier. No Qsuite on this flight but it was still better than a 2-2-2 layout.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjmRvjTAoASxXUznVhsxTjb2ZexqNdqYCygw0yuvEkjRCjgXVc-uLTjRBf0iS4k3viJjb2Yl-PF7-z3lCjJC7tMCSlo_jcHuYfJ9FMDIRzuwJf73HZvFhbm8FzNl7UtuzsJJzaW4Bg3huyp5Ud07GRAK5ogVhGFez6b9ZSbyy24lAVDzA1G5BiV8D276s/s3840/BBXT9902.JPEG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjmRvjTAoASxXUznVhsxTjb2ZexqNdqYCygw0yuvEkjRCjgXVc-uLTjRBf0iS4k3viJjb2Yl-PF7-z3lCjJC7tMCSlo_jcHuYfJ9FMDIRzuwJf73HZvFhbm8FzNl7UtuzsJJzaW4Bg3huyp5Ud07GRAK5ogVhGFez6b9ZSbyy24lAVDzA1G5BiV8D276s/w640-h480/BBXT9902.JPEG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"> I wasted no time changing into the pyjamas even before take off. I wanted to sleep as soon as possible so I requested the flight attendant to serve both Hainan chicken rice and congee after I woke up. Unfortunately, the Hainan chicken rice wasn't available so I got the congee instead. Also got myself a 'fancy' corn flakes and cappucino.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYe1ZIouSudMIUt1F9IKf1YZJUxm0YsCYIZDZT3mBCJDkE3K88Xn_bGP3Ta88QoSFzLJI7NJ8w1tPI4y492VIVSWxAvIp5QRZsBweIdG_pJA5HlQpQXPkzb1mfSChyphenhyphenxFlnct0xMEOBTTqhDcL_lcFWGv8XQ-lEqjY1KOVg2pnGB7rJWWQg9HWBw9fLSyQ/s3840/RDPC6148.JPEG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYe1ZIouSudMIUt1F9IKf1YZJUxm0YsCYIZDZT3mBCJDkE3K88Xn_bGP3Ta88QoSFzLJI7NJ8w1tPI4y492VIVSWxAvIp5QRZsBweIdG_pJA5HlQpQXPkzb1mfSChyphenhyphenxFlnct0xMEOBTTqhDcL_lcFWGv8XQ-lEqjY1KOVg2pnGB7rJWWQg9HWBw9fLSyQ/w640-h640/RDPC6148.JPEG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">I asked the flight attendant if I could get an extra pajamas for hubby and she graciously gave this nice amenity kit to me as well.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnOvKpOG6nIUPtcz3c9dQgxy7-aHatV-l4A0hydANIZDCmbqEaUmlJ9c6O2PpqmKqj7QJ6aF6Y2aSBBoH1ggyNOy8Z3FvRIFYoez7Gt_0FSHwXGmlxH4-yQljjMYhueBfBiNhUujIUwkIkrM5SQrXu9Y6RR81TV2EUSA-V1LbpAxoRCbq6JWsw-YbaM0c/s3840/JXYJ2952.JPEG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="843" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnOvKpOG6nIUPtcz3c9dQgxy7-aHatV-l4A0hydANIZDCmbqEaUmlJ9c6O2PpqmKqj7QJ6aF6Y2aSBBoH1ggyNOy8Z3FvRIFYoez7Gt_0FSHwXGmlxH4-yQljjMYhueBfBiNhUujIUwkIkrM5SQrXu9Y6RR81TV2EUSA-V1LbpAxoRCbq6JWsw-YbaM0c/w632-h843/JXYJ2952.JPEG" width="632" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Arrived Doha at 3.30pm, 35 minutes ahead of schedule. Our flight was taxied further away from the terminal so we had to take a bus. Business class passengers get separate bus where everyone gets a seat. Btw, I was just here at this airport 2 months ago.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLPwQ2-GCFB5cVSBAccoeSkpwy-Vyn6VmssyjoMEKXJh4LRxKwbm0r6vBw3YvsdArAEFsvj1JsNQ5t06NP2biaXWsy5iuD_g7i0s3AnybHR1ksl3KxYtxNxKH4QbxlxyQSTqaOaXZMJhCXO2hThE-p2S8bIdk7EZThKUZe-_uJv-hjMfvyefJ6DqCFimo/s3840/FVLV8221.JPEG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLPwQ2-GCFB5cVSBAccoeSkpwy-Vyn6VmssyjoMEKXJh4LRxKwbm0r6vBw3YvsdArAEFsvj1JsNQ5t06NP2biaXWsy5iuD_g7i0s3AnybHR1ksl3KxYtxNxKH4QbxlxyQSTqaOaXZMJhCXO2hThE-p2S8bIdk7EZThKUZe-_uJv-hjMfvyefJ6DqCFimo/w640-h640/FVLV8221.JPEG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Went straight from the main terminal to the new terminal for the Al Mourjan business class lounge. The lounge was pretty empty at 4.20am. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsDwbWNgHzEYQ5Yf4lfG3OMVRpop0_R7tom3h_g5ihHd9NyiSAtMkZtA6Ex33LWGC7kvenAhwng7mNQGcwzLHQ-XBhrIxn2m_p9Obh5jauC9k39rxons1SqqQobYIxREBp2viA14d76UAsIB8XtiY6hmUhtOviOm0BSAaBYx3DusxPD1MZQuCBXKH4kEs/s3840/HEOU9807.JPEG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsDwbWNgHzEYQ5Yf4lfG3OMVRpop0_R7tom3h_g5ihHd9NyiSAtMkZtA6Ex33LWGC7kvenAhwng7mNQGcwzLHQ-XBhrIxn2m_p9Obh5jauC9k39rxons1SqqQobYIxREBp2viA14d76UAsIB8XtiY6hmUhtOviOm0BSAaBYx3DusxPD1MZQuCBXKH4kEs/w640-h640/HEOU9807.JPEG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Had about 3.5 hours before my next flight so of course gotta get a shower coz the next flight was a 15-hour long flight. Then it was time for more champagne at 5.30am...lol!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4d8gaMkbgJTzXot0rqmihRMp3JKF_Bk42GUwyw79GBAxuiKzMwqWGSeaxxH2nmw-j8MD64HoppBV5Ix7uKDhzxPzogvVnJcQWTL2t57VkxloEZHBWVTTTDANL84oHPg0YFHZmdv0f906gNNVU_P0k-aZ6-Vfk6L2DR7XqTay1lX7KE1I36dbimffdYXo/s3840/WQXG8426.JPEG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4d8gaMkbgJTzXot0rqmihRMp3JKF_Bk42GUwyw79GBAxuiKzMwqWGSeaxxH2nmw-j8MD64HoppBV5Ix7uKDhzxPzogvVnJcQWTL2t57VkxloEZHBWVTTTDANL84oHPg0YFHZmdv0f906gNNVU_P0k-aZ6-Vfk6L2DR7XqTay1lX7KE1I36dbimffdYXo/w640-h640/WQXG8426.JPEG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Headed to the boarding gate at 7am for my flight to Chicago.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieFgroTCXOSjtDa_U6J2cZhxVTSybIQKvAmMeMltqGm_jz_GFurEoMFkXulMn3CFmGDLKhiBiPORfqdsMmFsZiThvA6yct_EZ7n2nOU9leEwgNXCXs2uPYe-k6IGgJCKXo2Rtww3Tb6_KvqdlzmcciO2MuiWgzkBCFl9Vh51zRaWAjDn0X3NaF87z3mec/s3840/IUBZ9013.JPEG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="848" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieFgroTCXOSjtDa_U6J2cZhxVTSybIQKvAmMeMltqGm_jz_GFurEoMFkXulMn3CFmGDLKhiBiPORfqdsMmFsZiThvA6yct_EZ7n2nOU9leEwgNXCXs2uPYe-k6IGgJCKXo2Rtww3Tb6_KvqdlzmcciO2MuiWgzkBCFl9Vh51zRaWAjDn0X3NaF87z3mec/w636-h848/IUBZ9013.JPEG" width="636" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtwcTfowurZSApHZdkvmP2PcCLkJW_dNwi8SKDAvzORRXjhyphenhyphenVfXs_kySl6qsgEQ6OWWHEHO9K7UvbH4Qfn9wdWFy4kR3eNGZLNkEloaU2C9LsoLtQl9Nxq2Q4DgFKScA6KUDgC9mwMsSl7YA9TYCD_6m31OHFisgQCbnptCUcSZFKHUFQi5QiybzPAozY/s3840/TQUF6586.JPEG" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="847" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtwcTfowurZSApHZdkvmP2PcCLkJW_dNwi8SKDAvzORRXjhyphenhyphenVfXs_kySl6qsgEQ6OWWHEHO9K7UvbH4Qfn9wdWFy4kR3eNGZLNkEloaU2C9LsoLtQl9Nxq2Q4DgFKScA6KUDgC9mwMsSl7YA9TYCD_6m31OHFisgQCbnptCUcSZFKHUFQi5QiybzPAozY/w635-h847/TQUF6586.JPEG" width="635" /></span></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">15-hour on Qatar business class (Qsuite) from Doha to Chicago. Yayy for anti-social.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib6IPFRtWAIvvjG5RWdbbKvC_hFG7nUxxHhdUK2xW9nopNIzGYxUAem_d2DomXsBl5zVlK0YYY-f80HCYMR_D5_JwZtHFtShHGKH9DRA105QEMOrCYiqSGQWmwZ7LGPVo1NphufmAMK-8R912knBIVGCqvDOn3IoNy9kPFfXzVAVtj5XSwxmkVcgWbc2A/s3840/FCTO6513.JPEG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib6IPFRtWAIvvjG5RWdbbKvC_hFG7nUxxHhdUK2xW9nopNIzGYxUAem_d2DomXsBl5zVlK0YYY-f80HCYMR_D5_JwZtHFtShHGKH9DRA105QEMOrCYiqSGQWmwZ7LGPVo1NphufmAMK-8R912knBIVGCqvDOn3IoNy9kPFfXzVAVtj5XSwxmkVcgWbc2A/w640-h640/FCTO6513.JPEG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Food and drinks menu on this flight.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP_4CZ3qB_2Y7g0tAy75PUqwj1Xgkjj0RB_Sjg8JSdFLYvj_vSlVuqmdH6OpirDr23XfpJgaUNanXagTJ5JNm2ZBgIHuC_bYOHwWVqLg1hsDvZQG9VvdHkZmltx9foSNNn6ZP6qbMlhYj4Rb-LZ_sPYiPP7FKGn0fNVp_X1NWo-DSyvzwCFFE8QYzGMpk/s3840/LVIK4991.JPEG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP_4CZ3qB_2Y7g0tAy75PUqwj1Xgkjj0RB_Sjg8JSdFLYvj_vSlVuqmdH6OpirDr23XfpJgaUNanXagTJ5JNm2ZBgIHuC_bYOHwWVqLg1hsDvZQG9VvdHkZmltx9foSNNn6ZP6qbMlhYj4Rb-LZ_sPYiPP7FKGn0fNVp_X1NWo-DSyvzwCFFE8QYzGMpk/w640-h640/LVIK4991.JPEG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Pretty impressed with the food menu. Started off with the 'light' option...Chicken Tikka Masala with jeera rice, then it was time for a good 6 hours of sleep. 7.5 hours into the flight, had the cauliflower soup and Classic Arabic mezze with pita bread. Continued sleeping for another 4.5 hours and got this fancy lobster meal 2 hours before arrival.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgZSJ4yi7zzP6xOsSL8U1rV8GXO9__PpYAKdFrCmuwTb50IiAliBCZ8b44DLeqnVihMD-1EYsWN__nBGm1P1AdykFrFLKqqyxCdSywgYV2RaBSVXmv-oMeh3-M5UbRbFnYz-mMxEmiON80D5TqpyPVvOzbhOQhL-H34fOhbtw6AUVlPIJspv3H1a7AhXk/s3840/GFSS8617.JPEG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgZSJ4yi7zzP6xOsSL8U1rV8GXO9__PpYAKdFrCmuwTb50IiAliBCZ8b44DLeqnVihMD-1EYsWN__nBGm1P1AdykFrFLKqqyxCdSywgYV2RaBSVXmv-oMeh3-M5UbRbFnYz-mMxEmiON80D5TqpyPVvOzbhOQhL-H34fOhbtw6AUVlPIJspv3H1a7AhXk/w640-h640/GFSS8617.JPEG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Landed Chicago at 2.47pm, 13 minutes ahead of schedule. Took 15 minutes to walk from our gate to the immigration and there was no line at all for Global Entry, and I was through immigration by 3.16pm. Got my bags pretty quickly as well but I was 'welcomed' back to the US where the escalator and airport tram didn't work. Deja vu of my experience in Atlanta airport 2 months ago.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtwEl9szD3b0n0eqkXhcvW9RKeVYVHuBOXp_I2ZT4-KKIkD_QFnW72vCZ5h9agXu81_qOtQTPUSEi3LMxNd6f9Rdwk6X1GPnqDHBB2oELC03cieWH7qKle1O-fcufGltxJqEvDHAxNZ4FI5ugVXcvuGBFVPzMKIbgCnppWntmslPDz4jos4gepj3M5Vow/s3840/IBSZ7056.JPEG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="949" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtwEl9szD3b0n0eqkXhcvW9RKeVYVHuBOXp_I2ZT4-KKIkD_QFnW72vCZ5h9agXu81_qOtQTPUSEi3LMxNd6f9Rdwk6X1GPnqDHBB2oELC03cieWH7qKle1O-fcufGltxJqEvDHAxNZ4FI5ugVXcvuGBFVPzMKIbgCnppWntmslPDz4jos4gepj3M5Vow/w632-h949/IBSZ7056.JPEG" width="632" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Had 5 hours transit before my next flight. Glad I was able to access the AA Flagship Lounge as I was connecting from an international flight. One last round of champagne before wrapping up this wonderful journey.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcBdsxfLhKpw3ZXHnUQYbt4vliJQ4FnvvS21kVRsfoTBxH2UlIx8GDiIJyIylgTLD16mZQ8FKLP1xy8bAOXlevagI89KDNGVCRDTtG_j-_tossX_qr5nIF68PvovnFHgAqdnlMHq8QLzURHgtIAFIgDedV-JVnUVzx5297iUShoYWln9TMua45_oBTy84/s3840/ULBC9378.JPEG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcBdsxfLhKpw3ZXHnUQYbt4vliJQ4FnvvS21kVRsfoTBxH2UlIx8GDiIJyIylgTLD16mZQ8FKLP1xy8bAOXlevagI89KDNGVCRDTtG_j-_tossX_qr5nIF68PvovnFHgAqdnlMHq8QLzURHgtIAFIgDedV-JVnUVzx5297iUShoYWln9TMua45_oBTy84/w640-h640/ULBC9378.JPEG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">1.5 hours on American Airlines business class from Chicago to Huntsville. Finally made it back home at 10pm after traveling for 48 hours, and my buddy was waiting for me. :) My poor luggage was officially done. That's all for my short trip and my long journey home.</span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://khaishing.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default</div>khaishing.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05154189313956844355noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3659547063209051949.post-4784229186445884352023-11-22T00:00:00.006-06:002024-01-06T09:38:08.392-06:00India Work Trip 2023 ✈ 6 Weeks in India<div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><i>Following my 2-month work trip to India at the end of 2022, I was given the opportunity to travel to India again this year for round 2 of secondment. This trip was slightly shorter (1.5 months) but I was excited to return and see all the familiar faces again.</i></span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="369" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7COGfXG_c3I?si=k4kVdyWqeq9fLfUZ" title="YouTube video player" width="640"></iframe></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>1 June 2023 - 14 July 2023: Working and Living in India for 1.5 Months</b></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidsVm2Npfup7ENFVzvHGaKiWol9tY6TpIlRv9Yb07ZQ_hdV4rOj95TStiorC9FYmEe4E9OkO7EL_36vdiFBtPiQak1IzoiFNJctBqR9GB3MwxBE42EEvvSf6NrS6biG2R6ma7FHEy0uBJUEqBUEW9ShBbdFyGcPdDE-BQbVfL701Y8B7Jq-D9XqH9etss/s1920/IMG_2897.JPG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="819" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidsVm2Npfup7ENFVzvHGaKiWol9tY6TpIlRv9Yb07ZQ_hdV4rOj95TStiorC9FYmEe4E9OkO7EL_36vdiFBtPiQak1IzoiFNJctBqR9GB3MwxBE42EEvvSf6NrS6biG2R6ma7FHEy0uBJUEqBUEW9ShBbdFyGcPdDE-BQbVfL701Y8B7Jq-D9XqH9etss/w615-h819/IMG_2897.JPG" width="615" /></span></a></div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">After spending 10 days home with the hubby, it was time to say goodbye and hit the road again. Learning from my own experience last year, I decided to travel 'lighter' this time around and packed everything in only one 30kg, with 2 smaller luggages in the big bag. First leg of the flight was a 2-hour flight from Huntsville to Dallas on American Airlines.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsEGRq22bssLOInzf26X25DuWI9G4IEwLu6mai8TmQh8cmQ649hU1H9h1dL6EaGOtyGQBEXzBPXmu7-JBpZm4k7GxSJ-Av0lzAM4ajK_Oh_hmpK5pby5VA58tK3KthT_apS3NiWS4zuUtKuQhrAEspzM7gLGti25r8VJ8B2x0JG6JLAuDmKoXXBUDnw0U/s1920/IMG_2917.JPG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsEGRq22bssLOInzf26X25DuWI9G4IEwLu6mai8TmQh8cmQ649hU1H9h1dL6EaGOtyGQBEXzBPXmu7-JBpZm4k7GxSJ-Av0lzAM4ajK_Oh_hmpK5pby5VA58tK3KthT_apS3NiWS4zuUtKuQhrAEspzM7gLGti25r8VJ8B2x0JG6JLAuDmKoXXBUDnw0U/w640-h244/IMG_2917.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">My long journey to Kolkata...Huntsville - Dallas - Doha - KL - Bangkok - Kolkata</span></div></div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcjj-AH1c5g_pBMEV-8W7Os914siUK10wyARwaL-nscU5bCHdMxf73wYbqzxdbsxLVQi2BWpmiMuhZUmD4Vv1QhER0IifjKc7Fdc3Rz1KpzkjV3XeQXovMCUj5ABbvveq07gArBmgNDy8HzqGVqghIF9Zr-OGzQva3H8aB9WAOG_IoETYd7ibIzUDk3Fg/s3840/KBMO7428.JPEG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcjj-AH1c5g_pBMEV-8W7Os914siUK10wyARwaL-nscU5bCHdMxf73wYbqzxdbsxLVQi2BWpmiMuhZUmD4Vv1QhER0IifjKc7Fdc3Rz1KpzkjV3XeQXovMCUj5ABbvveq07gArBmgNDy8HzqGVqghIF9Zr-OGzQva3H8aB9WAOG_IoETYd7ibIzUDk3Fg/w640-h480/KBMO7428.JPEG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">My flight landed in Dallas 30 min early so I went to check out the Capital One lounge. Didn't stay long as my transit was short and the lounge was full.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbXk5b_8pf4IOhRHKDs1Tle93Ln7ZWfqBN3LaAS3sQj1OcqoO614kCU7wiwUClpSBW4YVksN2I6iGXhoPnbcxe7qfMxp7632s2_rBnyoH1bIpVcXFjc7K3gx0LuoK_aOB6wYIQ7GIIk-DJGcByLpADLe4SWx-MwP5l5sK60bI-eg6em5426o8UBYIRWuw/s1920/IMG_2900.JPG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbXk5b_8pf4IOhRHKDs1Tle93Ln7ZWfqBN3LaAS3sQj1OcqoO614kCU7wiwUClpSBW4YVksN2I6iGXhoPnbcxe7qfMxp7632s2_rBnyoH1bIpVcXFjc7K3gx0LuoK_aOB6wYIQ7GIIk-DJGcByLpADLe4SWx-MwP5l5sK60bI-eg6em5426o8UBYIRWuw/w640-h640/IMG_2900.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">2nd & 3rd flights (Dallas - Doha - KL) on Qatar Airways</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidMoQLxZGuddL4Ta0DJ-H_-uidnHA1sNmPLsViufZdC0IBgZ7DT1ik-RZetVFwJHKddq1Km9VPY6N4aMnfwIn__xM4TMSmHb3tAceveWifCXUVWr7nClksSZTz5ym9G0cioARYdZyYFN6iORkzMDhNALvUXV1zJqa4Id4_xic0hVhdCACklnRuvTdQNz4/w640-h640/WVKT4498.JPEG" width="640" /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">So glad to travel on Qatar Qsuites for this 14.5 hours flight! Anti-social mode on!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFvCiDUQZTcQIixdPTtuDcOS-2KJFtVbDwkFNxUBcL-zo76ERy_FuwBL4MT_c6_tKpdGxt4oC0RQmyKzP_o9hOGldaqYCh2Ntxqfe8IyY5VDvdnCwMRMbZzKidNEzQl4Bi_UMsFiwMgW-tG4dUKEJFZ2HWwk1UKqP2iLZ0XUwt7ITUijAsDK9L1-b4dOY/s3840/DAYE1759.JPEG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFvCiDUQZTcQIixdPTtuDcOS-2KJFtVbDwkFNxUBcL-zo76ERy_FuwBL4MT_c6_tKpdGxt4oC0RQmyKzP_o9hOGldaqYCh2Ntxqfe8IyY5VDvdnCwMRMbZzKidNEzQl4Bi_UMsFiwMgW-tG4dUKEJFZ2HWwk1UKqP2iLZ0XUwt7ITUijAsDK9L1-b4dOY/w640-h640/DAYE1759.JPEG" width="640" /></span></a></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">I didn't even wait till take off to change into the pyjamas...getting myself comfortable for this long flight.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRR015HYGxiBbZCAIKjDMSPPzcZmunzmWzT4U1-mG_bKVn5bp-3KfAka6s5oMwf5dA-fMU_ajfCNEz4XB3RN3iC2hyJreWoPDZy80qAq3nxGWB9voOr_s87xd0sGwIHtaTlD7QoGaM8InYlt4tGv_0-VZWO6TXaO86z7o2X2vdOMu51-iYSaSNkTizJbQ/s3840/ALCX9279.JPEG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRR015HYGxiBbZCAIKjDMSPPzcZmunzmWzT4U1-mG_bKVn5bp-3KfAka6s5oMwf5dA-fMU_ajfCNEz4XB3RN3iC2hyJreWoPDZy80qAq3nxGWB9voOr_s87xd0sGwIHtaTlD7QoGaM8InYlt4tGv_0-VZWO6TXaO86z7o2X2vdOMu51-iYSaSNkTizJbQ/w640-h480/ALCX9279.JPEG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">I didn't even wait till take off to change into the pyjamas...getting myself comfortable for this long flight. Ordered the Tandoori prawns with kachumber salad, seared Atlantic salmon, and ice-cream for dinner, and corn flakes, strawberry smooth, and assorted cold cuts for breakfast.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiGMVs33bX4wiTP7EaUGjc9Wsc_tY-sktEXRuowgcARUEjS4o2pksEKm3gpxOOzPMK3Dr_K8n66LXg7TdPaeRorxwHgx4BBNHv3-kGcpUVEqTltkVddmD6_lM70AcIe-wcqzdN-vJa58Egcf_x-tACxhV3sqeCAMWeA3N80oypiFegLJoBuGwduZdndF4/s3840/DYDG4454.JPEG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="944" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiGMVs33bX4wiTP7EaUGjc9Wsc_tY-sktEXRuowgcARUEjS4o2pksEKm3gpxOOzPMK3Dr_K8n66LXg7TdPaeRorxwHgx4BBNHv3-kGcpUVEqTltkVddmD6_lM70AcIe-wcqzdN-vJa58Egcf_x-tACxhV3sqeCAMWeA3N80oypiFegLJoBuGwduZdndF4/w628-h944/DYDG4454.JPEG" width="628" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Got a good 8 hours of sleep on this flight! Thankful for a good and well rested flight. =)</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeKKF6AuxCUvNmViD9LUwJM2SeBqXojF1Acq1CoErDlQBluTEa9e5vNz0bBumerHI0B_t3hdt37HHtl4Q78fxb3vlB7srTNZdE2uAvw7e7Uxsa9fVPRWH1NgkKeXKv746uBnCxIfSLYEWEUZqS3zu5i8CpdwNxH7MbqGlYXYgIZ5lIZHJyvLcCWN4XyEU/s3840/AKET6811.JPEG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeKKF6AuxCUvNmViD9LUwJM2SeBqXojF1Acq1CoErDlQBluTEa9e5vNz0bBumerHI0B_t3hdt37HHtl4Q78fxb3vlB7srTNZdE2uAvw7e7Uxsa9fVPRWH1NgkKeXKv746uBnCxIfSLYEWEUZqS3zu5i8CpdwNxH7MbqGlYXYgIZ5lIZHJyvLcCWN4XyEU/w640-h480/AKET6811.JPEG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">My cute neighbor was so good and did not cry (not made any noise) at all throughout the 15 hours flight! Kudos to this mom for being a pro. She was so calm and chill, and was prepared iwth milk bottles for both take off and landing. Alll while handling 2 kids. She even managed to multitask and enjoyed her chocolate while feeding the baby.Asked the flight attendant if they had any souvenirs for kids and got this lil' soft toy and pencil case.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjXL2Cx3njOOguxJl2HG8onA392BbP-A0weBDg0ZwjiXLnop5BpW0CfGC2YGawXdlRDv9mvm0rCpKdYiRZ5rrfe66lOJQJL8CBh1GXBJXOAYdlSW56iwTEq8LuwI_FxcyGFuQUc7pYL-J_WiQHdOTp9F-jgV-LbfF_JKXI94cwFbNaYQyrX0sgL23Hk0E/s3840/ROFJ3438.JPEG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjXL2Cx3njOOguxJl2HG8onA392BbP-A0weBDg0ZwjiXLnop5BpW0CfGC2YGawXdlRDv9mvm0rCpKdYiRZ5rrfe66lOJQJL8CBh1GXBJXOAYdlSW56iwTEq8LuwI_FxcyGFuQUc7pYL-J_WiQHdOTp9F-jgV-LbfF_JKXI94cwFbNaYQyrX0sgL23Hk0E/w640-h480/ROFJ3438.JPEG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Landed 30 min late in Doha at 6.25pm. I had only about 30 minutes before my next flight boards and was lucky my next gate was close to the lounge. It also helped that I was familiar with the location of the lounge so I was able to go there right away and even got a quick shower with just enough time for some drinks.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi2DVBqqR2gC1HIMC_coAsYOJ40cLIu08ntBrHSFT3FDzFunBrj12yVg7q-conHz0eAbBzWPVRHpYhr2SWZ4NT0llBXlQ6kJgQKCtGeCL3-GIxKjunS-30b6NpVEa0_MwLeufGvlvljiFx60jKdHcHC5taq6_HFC9RV1wGgSxXCu3jFf-6oRzHPS_kRLQ/w640-h640/PGCH7527.JPEG" width="640" /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Time to board my next flight to KL. Boarding was a bit disorganized but it was all good.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic1SnvlFWI9z8n8TvzGj6Zt5zdkuZhZBxFlTUDYy8jmJ0X_OEvns0snFQGFUNx6kN9YLnNxQwJsY-doAqbtW0yAyAqHuCiZX-6qAVmswo41KDn3M-oN4r34jeMd0hZQXxysdAeW-5cEZCyE0rNhJvZRcJsdsTBGs8IqSBBUm1JZYY0xEA9mMu6IfDU2HA/s3840/MSDL2239.JPEG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic1SnvlFWI9z8n8TvzGj6Zt5zdkuZhZBxFlTUDYy8jmJ0X_OEvns0snFQGFUNx6kN9YLnNxQwJsY-doAqbtW0yAyAqHuCiZX-6qAVmswo41KDn3M-oN4r34jeMd0hZQXxysdAeW-5cEZCyE0rNhJvZRcJsdsTBGs8IqSBBUm1JZYY0xEA9mMu6IfDU2HA/w640-h640/MSDL2239.JPEG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Yayy for another Qsuite for this 7.5 hours flight from Doha to KL.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCnehQNxpu1cngFfQ7sliQkDjlIE5ISQ67oVlTtV23AYIHsXHfpr9cAkG2SFBLzKrgILU3k5GJPvE4h2bIV9hyphenhyphenICmKEwIOttX9QpyhTLkpSQ4g6K-OyijTu2UCQnaRlL1fhAelXf5-XqDWHPP1cjW-VhOnAAeFu7vQt9DJO2lb4VG1ENvYMkTyRIU-61I/s3840/XFAP7752.JPEG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCnehQNxpu1cngFfQ7sliQkDjlIE5ISQ67oVlTtV23AYIHsXHfpr9cAkG2SFBLzKrgILU3k5GJPvE4h2bIV9hyphenhyphenICmKEwIOttX9QpyhTLkpSQ4g6K-OyijTu2UCQnaRlL1fhAelXf5-XqDWHPP1cjW-VhOnAAeFu7vQt9DJO2lb4VG1ENvYMkTyRIU-61I/w640-h640/XFAP7752.JPEG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Got a nice leather pouch amenity kit...and ordered 2 champagnes to start off the flight.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitjLOK_oq4QZdXQR-Wy7kty3dfPXh3Po1-Bc71Lr97N-lpw2PmV64SLQkJdPF7i6fiwb1BditS1qUVjhfYIyRpa2xdkS2E_5gMRvrk1jKBXX8mZshwqaTAtMZ1LxdydIupVLVdbO0sC86ptwMgdFRAmIH2u9Y5wy4ByJg68fOb9UxRMUErg31k4soAVKg/s3840/CFNW5258.JPEG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitjLOK_oq4QZdXQR-Wy7kty3dfPXh3Po1-Bc71Lr97N-lpw2PmV64SLQkJdPF7i6fiwb1BditS1qUVjhfYIyRpa2xdkS2E_5gMRvrk1jKBXX8mZshwqaTAtMZ1LxdydIupVLVdbO0sC86ptwMgdFRAmIH2u9Y5wy4ByJg68fOb9UxRMUErg31k4soAVKg/w640-h640/CFNW5258.JPEG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">I was tired so I requested the flight attendant to wake me up 2 hours before landing for my meal coz I wanted to sleep first.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqekBDALFdvY36ZeUPdV0VDHLxGIfgBww6fgGFw8QChAM1bdUL3fWOJZ2378rieB80rKJwvCkLSlySa28k6D_ogPGinHbfK_LJpsTsiLFSR6H9OWJoYkjaaA5zdZClgHP4qYjYO_iqQqXVNRr4ABpC_gGrJOFhpSe7_bQqCpjDS3YbXr2I8pbxY3VL0wI/s3840/SJQU2806.JPEG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="854" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqekBDALFdvY36ZeUPdV0VDHLxGIfgBww6fgGFw8QChAM1bdUL3fWOJZ2378rieB80rKJwvCkLSlySa28k6D_ogPGinHbfK_LJpsTsiLFSR6H9OWJoYkjaaA5zdZClgHP4qYjYO_iqQqXVNRr4ABpC_gGrJOFhpSe7_bQqCpjDS3YbXr2I8pbxY3VL0wI/w641-h854/SJQU2806.JPEG" width="641" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">After about 4 hours of sleep, it was time for food. Almost everything I ordered had prawn.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9w6sADYxWc3NBcLHP-6iYN7JvAU8lbRECiHNM6HWro06-V4aVUzjwUYG6Ssm3k7ZL8TA_dqm6umKC0V4w6eCsB047mn0JeL-s5IME8mt01Gnbvg1uE-q3w3xX8Wus8iiPGDQelBD7NbyDfrL7mRcjkdwT21Q41cTu4d1EFrrV3BxpemhnaXsyJXRdKQQ/s3840/JNMY7972.JPEG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9w6sADYxWc3NBcLHP-6iYN7JvAU8lbRECiHNM6HWro06-V4aVUzjwUYG6Ssm3k7ZL8TA_dqm6umKC0V4w6eCsB047mn0JeL-s5IME8mt01Gnbvg1uE-q3w3xX8Wus8iiPGDQelBD7NbyDfrL7mRcjkdwT21Q41cTu4d1EFrrV3BxpemhnaXsyJXRdKQQ/w640-h640/JNMY7972.JPEG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">All good things must come to an end. Landed in KL at 8.10am on 3 June 2023. I asked for a cappuccino prior to landing and the flight attendant kindly put it in a paper cup and gave a cookie as we were landing soon.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpteec3esZlH8CxO8wMuVZjPybyJxYOORSZexV1iMfep8gEETYAh5zwt2y7c4SNqpK-m63Ly_cLslaD5Njcmh3zAOvfWt8tGwnDkSZILOt1LQlzHR0PmjAKg-_fo1GDpsMwYI2YmgavJXaUUDnKwh4PrxCpb4TjqH1u2fpGN5TLxA5kjgYoC_ST6lvgF4/s1920/IMG_2931.JPG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpteec3esZlH8CxO8wMuVZjPybyJxYOORSZexV1iMfep8gEETYAh5zwt2y7c4SNqpK-m63Ly_cLslaD5Njcmh3zAOvfWt8tGwnDkSZILOt1LQlzHR0PmjAKg-_fo1GDpsMwYI2YmgavJXaUUDnKwh4PrxCpb4TjqH1u2fpGN5TLxA5kjgYoC_ST6lvgF4/w640-h640/IMG_2931.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Back in Malaysia for 5 hours before continuing my journey with Thai Airways in Economy. I had to check-in for this flight again so I kiasu and went to the check in counter before they were opened to make sure I get to check in as soon as they opened. I had Star Alliance Gold status so I was able to use the Thai Royal Silk counter for check-in.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZMQl2l3D24APMPuF8ZbDhvZFEx6SS0g3DRFwclC8iKm6NGeBUvOX-sZ2OoLei29USiOa03EBYWo28hR2CEkP9mWzItYCphRyWH9rJzEyuPSyxmw26j0aMhuvIcHIjlx4LlgQwq0R6mypvuEJEM1_UeuKTQsP1JEm1T3EzK1thJh0-B6GeEMoo9x0Y5FY/s3840/YAVU8435.JPEG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZMQl2l3D24APMPuF8ZbDhvZFEx6SS0g3DRFwclC8iKm6NGeBUvOX-sZ2OoLei29USiOa03EBYWo28hR2CEkP9mWzItYCphRyWH9rJzEyuPSyxmw26j0aMhuvIcHIjlx4LlgQwq0R6mypvuEJEM1_UeuKTQsP1JEm1T3EzK1thJh0-B6GeEMoo9x0Y5FY/w640-h480/YAVU8435.JPEG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">4th & 5th flights on Thai Airways. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDDF0yrw0DdO4uY2a4Q-4FK_E8kfr6xKTMj2PR9rPXtNOr-IcOmo5DMKb2o6rnU_y9nL7AAaR2vWfNj0ukBS590AvkSoWujCJjv_EW0wEMPzogbD7E9wcr4WrZpakLhQjBdfG7flQh5q47NnAKg_OpTBFy7zbA8QLMK1N1SO-ukG8w-BNKjz74433exAM/s3840/QYWR9778.JPEG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDDF0yrw0DdO4uY2a4Q-4FK_E8kfr6xKTMj2PR9rPXtNOr-IcOmo5DMKb2o6rnU_y9nL7AAaR2vWfNj0ukBS590AvkSoWujCJjv_EW0wEMPzogbD7E9wcr4WrZpakLhQjBdfG7flQh5q47NnAKg_OpTBFy7zbA8QLMK1N1SO-ukG8w-BNKjz74433exAM/w640-h480/QYWR9778.JPEG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3pXtAXp7Lf-zihcf5UHLf-U20ciTlmOsBj11H6bDt4dTSaz8TdQ4HtMvi8Sfc3HkwboIKBFBAoG4e_ElUeqKKanJX5zjaeA0lIkFcnRWdYmUSLwLNlghHTvp7Tcap70seLWSZS-Z3BPRZhj8OdM2ZzIwTI1fF_HE9NRVUTdLhNMwUewYdQPVjXVYgm2Y/s3840/ABXW1058.JPEG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3pXtAXp7Lf-zihcf5UHLf-U20ciTlmOsBj11H6bDt4dTSaz8TdQ4HtMvi8Sfc3HkwboIKBFBAoG4e_ElUeqKKanJX5zjaeA0lIkFcnRWdYmUSLwLNlghHTvp7Tcap70seLWSZS-Z3BPRZhj8OdM2ZzIwTI1fF_HE9NRVUTdLhNMwUewYdQPVjXVYgm2Y/w640-h640/ABXW1058.JPEG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Even though I was traveling in economy, I was able to access the Plaza Premium First lounge with my Capital One Venture X credit card. Apparently, Star Alliance Gold only gets access to Plaza Premium Lounge. I ordered Kai Si Hor Fun, herbal soup noodle, and cappucinno for breakfast via the app.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKJzgCt-wAEOleuzjePLc4ow4X7Y9YKQxtaBzpV4zJTMKp85WZgcod_6E88P56FKLU_F3MPoeQXcVar05G0FnESP58bD1Jh4y2sdCKQ2Kzakg2TbqXXlmaTUB3e9ZYY7bfNO7OCe2dIBd7WFXQoS5-OjLQrLRR32_mLTj22POVu3NPRkGMWoxslIOvKug/s3840/XOMU1303.JPEG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKJzgCt-wAEOleuzjePLc4ow4X7Y9YKQxtaBzpV4zJTMKp85WZgcod_6E88P56FKLU_F3MPoeQXcVar05G0FnESP58bD1Jh4y2sdCKQ2Kzakg2TbqXXlmaTUB3e9ZYY7bfNO7OCe2dIBd7WFXQoS5-OjLQrLRR32_mLTj22POVu3NPRkGMWoxslIOvKug/w640-h480/XOMU1303.JPEG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Full filght for this 2 hour flight from KL to Bangkok.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4S2EWLJ_pFpy7qUs2NwOxghjEWSXO7SRG_EXEqZwP9Tfxchftwp-vgOgOuM7gnkQV6RUyAqy2ce3IJiaNO3kBQCpn7N49wWv3M84vRwq6HDFtZWaxC9TT_X3mQ6SqVTWghqWL_YSjtRS0kIKfQBsagmdp1Vc5a8G2tt-ioEL3B1tYwYkfl880U8MCRiI/s3840/UFCM1105.JPEG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4S2EWLJ_pFpy7qUs2NwOxghjEWSXO7SRG_EXEqZwP9Tfxchftwp-vgOgOuM7gnkQV6RUyAqy2ce3IJiaNO3kBQCpn7N49wWv3M84vRwq6HDFtZWaxC9TT_X3mQ6SqVTWghqWL_YSjtRS0kIKfQBsagmdp1Vc5a8G2tt-ioEL3B1tYwYkfl880U8MCRiI/w640-h480/UFCM1105.JPEG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">I had a 9-hour transit in Bangkok airport so it's time for Priority Pass lounging. There are so many lounges in Bangkok that I could access to with Priority Pass and Star Alliance Gold status. I wasn't planning to come to this lounge initially but saw someone getting a massage as I was walking by and quickly checked my Priority Passs app and indeed! Yes I went in just for the 15 minutes neck and shoulder massage.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU4-Q39YTmJvto4hAMcWeLLTHKQWzMuRYvJ3AfkHxp-fDL6ZlnMaabZQAUAyxiWgph9Lm2G221JoLzOfXftrO5DhjQG_9QPW286HW76rkzt7g91ftJMT2E4icThiZjSLbCPutzGcsDuuvTIUDMG_BXHtSa4LFa5LxS3F6OH9QhMdXsUnNJtB120DS4aAQ/s3840/QKEX9773.JPEG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU4-Q39YTmJvto4hAMcWeLLTHKQWzMuRYvJ3AfkHxp-fDL6ZlnMaabZQAUAyxiWgph9Lm2G221JoLzOfXftrO5DhjQG_9QPW286HW76rkzt7g91ftJMT2E4icThiZjSLbCPutzGcsDuuvTIUDMG_BXHtSa4LFa5LxS3F6OH9QhMdXsUnNJtB120DS4aAQ/w640-h480/QKEX9773.JPEG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">I was too lazy to lounge-hop so I hung out at the Turkish Airlines lounge till my next flight. The lounge was pretty empty when I got there in the afternoon.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2e9y6pZfS7gyg6WoT7cYgbf46gSfVro7RA7D4moYR88msnn1WH4new1KsEu1Kk_O_lKyu6_vbh963mR7obK4gDu8uPMsnrksy0HaqeA-rnKESHXy8F9Q7-HX7ylAAa5QBk_CSCwy_AIuz0NdmDH6OhzWfTAwIKugJm99bDopbMI5XeDvsHfa8jdWjvBY/s3840/LGJL5684.JPEG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2e9y6pZfS7gyg6WoT7cYgbf46gSfVro7RA7D4moYR88msnn1WH4new1KsEu1Kk_O_lKyu6_vbh963mR7obK4gDu8uPMsnrksy0HaqeA-rnKESHXy8F9Q7-HX7ylAAa5QBk_CSCwy_AIuz0NdmDH6OhzWfTAwIKugJm99bDopbMI5XeDvsHfa8jdWjvBY/w640-h640/LGJL5684.JPEG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">The reason I chose the Turkish Airlines lounge....this 15 minutes complimentary head and shoulder massage which was available between 3pm to 11pm. Glad I got my massage first coz people started coming and it was back to back reservations after I got mine.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE797bgHP-mylcZYwFiE5gSLy3lHAp_ZMRPvTeUTxE7FeuITPaXRnTQSO0DAxZZYn7JA7dVcBLgmuWp6a76EtDZZ4ev-DNedCQ8nFv-NDSAe3QfC81pfw8nrq8E_2aMSYMDU5eUc9_8e25Dzw1Qjd3gQ9lnoOGGSjKaZ2GNzY-KWGeJelgSwr368E0Q7Q/s3840/QRMO9046.JPEG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE797bgHP-mylcZYwFiE5gSLy3lHAp_ZMRPvTeUTxE7FeuITPaXRnTQSO0DAxZZYn7JA7dVcBLgmuWp6a76EtDZZ4ev-DNedCQ8nFv-NDSAe3QfC81pfw8nrq8E_2aMSYMDU5eUc9_8e25Dzw1Qjd3gQ9lnoOGGSjKaZ2GNzY-KWGeJelgSwr368E0Q7Q/w640-h640/QRMO9046.JPEG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Took a shower to freshen up.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAxiyisRVd2w0sazLP6ZnsEhnqcaHVVDxBiNA9rI0ErE_3-AETnbz3Wy1Acyg4PHSXvk_U9UYVf57DVVhS684I6Mu00GP_4hEx1WVfVVwNfbVGDeGResa_4WxsVzEvfieoiY3c4KARl1aMYAhq8NJLyg7uykK5-_dp9kgGUrR3hYoXIR7RZBQ3lQd8cDA/s3840/TFVM7327.JPEG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAxiyisRVd2w0sazLP6ZnsEhnqcaHVVDxBiNA9rI0ErE_3-AETnbz3Wy1Acyg4PHSXvk_U9UYVf57DVVhS684I6Mu00GP_4hEx1WVfVVwNfbVGDeGResa_4WxsVzEvfieoiY3c4KARl1aMYAhq8NJLyg7uykK5-_dp9kgGUrR3hYoXIR7RZBQ3lQd8cDA/w640-h640/TFVM7327.JPEG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Had tom yum with rice, some Thai beer and snacks. Was nice that this lounge didn't have a time limit so I was able to stay and chill for 8 hours while working on 'content creation'.</span></div> <div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe8gmwB8SVdJx5Y_BrpADaETHZoyQpt1TZHTl5spP6AK0AlGWIsekb12nQS6zmgXTtaA6VHEWd-IXQ0Ua-ErmPE4UsnI_P0rf6Td88m4qdXqbjoPajR2k0nq5hGwMRu10DEJWG4AkPAbCOHI2rR0ScdN_uwbYXxd1ZAQAt_bDyDaYGS6aOERsE1n-xxZg/s3840/JCLZ7849.JPEG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe8gmwB8SVdJx5Y_BrpADaETHZoyQpt1TZHTl5spP6AK0AlGWIsekb12nQS6zmgXTtaA6VHEWd-IXQ0Ua-ErmPE4UsnI_P0rf6Td88m4qdXqbjoPajR2k0nq5hGwMRu10DEJWG4AkPAbCOHI2rR0ScdN_uwbYXxd1ZAQAt_bDyDaYGS6aOERsE1n-xxZg/w640-h480/JCLZ7849.JPEG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Final leg of my long journey to Kolkata. This was another full flight but a short 2-hour one.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLGLpr79ZB-anFHBUY88CdeNk2_2CuSggBNw-U-9aQi44iE6o263cY18y5LlDt1akZKlJEY_fchM6hAcypLgei5wBff8KIMHt6TBtj4d-oq36BWaf2thdw-Uv01DC4iDkPg4hYgZheEwfeiWblEPg-BKUqMT7K1jcIY7DuCTxN8lVDlwqlvMONqvU9kWw/s3840/SCKI4875.JPEG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLGLpr79ZB-anFHBUY88CdeNk2_2CuSggBNw-U-9aQi44iE6o263cY18y5LlDt1akZKlJEY_fchM6hAcypLgei5wBff8KIMHt6TBtj4d-oq36BWaf2thdw-Uv01DC4iDkPg4hYgZheEwfeiWblEPg-BKUqMT7K1jcIY7DuCTxN8lVDlwqlvMONqvU9kWw/w640-h480/SCKI4875.JPEG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Finally landed in Kolkata at 12.45am after traveling for 48 hours....lol! Glad to be back again after 6 months. Got through immigration pretty quickly and the airport was empty at midnight. Tapas, the hotel driver was already waiting for me at the arrival area.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPpJ78zCN1b42VV2a0Xexs3TQBL55iDbtmnQWfzt5xvBseFcagFJI-_NcwnoO6Ugr5SWGQ16PFB8EGPXDurwO11cy1h-RAKpl5xfkQKJFEYp2aUmgu1e05lkkjI53KesZ62AVBx34NLTkB2aiopw-Xfr8NXqI_5l-AEzUQDOU488hRKb8nM82_ZljSbOk/s3840/XXRE2736.JPEG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPpJ78zCN1b42VV2a0Xexs3TQBL55iDbtmnQWfzt5xvBseFcagFJI-_NcwnoO6Ugr5SWGQ16PFB8EGPXDurwO11cy1h-RAKpl5xfkQKJFEYp2aUmgu1e05lkkjI53KesZ62AVBx34NLTkB2aiopw-Xfr8NXqI_5l-AEzUQDOU488hRKb8nM82_ZljSbOk/w640-h480/XXRE2736.JPEG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">I tred to lay low and didn't tell any of the JW Marriott staff I knew from the last trip that I would be back but I was immediately recogized by some familiar faces from the conceirge and reception as soon as I got off the car with 'Welcome Back'! Glad to be back at this 'home' in Kolkata. I was assigned room 2023....perfect...haha!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjPf-NDOQIL7ul6FC0hdLVHVU5vRR66-_b5_Uz1ktw188sxPDDZSXyzietpjhHU2l0OFXW15A_ls1y2ugqCERL1ZLqY_YMaCZT2SXanHLiFHul4cGdaZybvTnZRzI3Fvvk8BPAzieJfQCemApnu6KXpXdwOc0Xe8f1vWCwinx098k5WPehIg9n5fEKqGc/s3840/KEOR8493.JPEG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjPf-NDOQIL7ul6FC0hdLVHVU5vRR66-_b5_Uz1ktw188sxPDDZSXyzietpjhHU2l0OFXW15A_ls1y2ugqCERL1ZLqY_YMaCZT2SXanHLiFHul4cGdaZybvTnZRzI3Fvvk8BPAzieJfQCemApnu6KXpXdwOc0Xe8f1vWCwinx098k5WPehIg9n5fEKqGc/w640-h480/KEOR8493.JPEG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Home and view for the next 6 weeks.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF9dapgqqXREhFBxloPHosJFlAbjF7ss8Ygz78nigLs29lv6dSYbk4667V6bfyiJl6ecjZP4mDJ0YnfJJ36im0Qr6j2GOrnfei4B6wUk8P9V7Bn-kPxxSCIjAztzjePS5Fzg27jFCkrtx1t5vGwHNWAtsASTZbKYBwOzeVUHGq_jDz1lg-nXDIvcWMVgI/s3840/HMYQ4240.JPEG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF9dapgqqXREhFBxloPHosJFlAbjF7ss8Ygz78nigLs29lv6dSYbk4667V6bfyiJl6ecjZP4mDJ0YnfJJ36im0Qr6j2GOrnfei4B6wUk8P9V7Bn-kPxxSCIjAztzjePS5Fzg27jFCkrtx1t5vGwHNWAtsASTZbKYBwOzeVUHGq_jDz1lg-nXDIvcWMVgI/w640-h640/HMYQ4240.JPEG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Turned the hotel into my 'home office' when I wasn't in the office.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGX8FCDbJp50BUyLuqM155dw-DXla3yrdLMPiJ1o6fFRpYFFMKrD20Qw00jNWvxrnMV2KQ4e3WX7yXRTBrybRqDh0yoNuIRJnP2TyncnFKUM9fdodP8iV3qqCeBgWbr0no73a28mk74BraIvRTiLVl3_hWLRO9VetGzHBDZsDO4oH6K4cNfMNUCxcJrxc/s3840/QQOK5693.JPEG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGX8FCDbJp50BUyLuqM155dw-DXla3yrdLMPiJ1o6fFRpYFFMKrD20Qw00jNWvxrnMV2KQ4e3WX7yXRTBrybRqDh0yoNuIRJnP2TyncnFKUM9fdodP8iV3qqCeBgWbr0no73a28mk74BraIvRTiLVl3_hWLRO9VetGzHBDZsDO4oH6K4cNfMNUCxcJrxc/w640-h480/QQOK5693.JPEG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">One of the main reasons I preferred this hotel is because of the weekly complimentary spa for an hour, which I definitely fully utilized. Didn't go to the gym as diligently even though all I had to do was to take the elevator to 2nd floor...lol. :P</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipK9No9PVQAP5Wzagde7Ex43LnyxZn3c-h5J4KsrRK76M5omyD4W5H5RQpSCEd0z6tStQuWWuSrc4rW2AhPwyWCSbOKSGHZfaCnIJJpDBu2crPMAousCte8pwD9CqQCvs775BIkYlL_TTutuKHSnEjhbry5q6EswSQ8mBl8tfbEIQCgk4bqCjhJNlMqaE/s3840/MBLC4441.JPEG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipK9No9PVQAP5Wzagde7Ex43LnyxZn3c-h5J4KsrRK76M5omyD4W5H5RQpSCEd0z6tStQuWWuSrc4rW2AhPwyWCSbOKSGHZfaCnIJJpDBu2crPMAousCte8pwD9CqQCvs775BIkYlL_TTutuKHSnEjhbry5q6EswSQ8mBl8tfbEIQCgk4bqCjhJNlMqaE/w640-h640/MBLC4441.JPEG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Another perk for our corporate rate....complimentary laundry service of 4 pieces daily.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheCCb7mR3LxthdkRxC5_bv9DodOgyxeXrgarJ6bgx5LstLajXRAqkcdTplg3D2h1B7dng0hnmpmnw_RWANHcqMnACuyGzqELN4A0lBRRhpefkGZGNQuok7M5bfuOuVKy2ThcY8ZwMXnWBuBCt6iDqgChYkzULpsTwdD0O9-zqKgbWzg53kQnW2okQgHMg/s3840/TSDB1655.JPEG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheCCb7mR3LxthdkRxC5_bv9DodOgyxeXrgarJ6bgx5LstLajXRAqkcdTplg3D2h1B7dng0hnmpmnw_RWANHcqMnACuyGzqELN4A0lBRRhpefkGZGNQuok7M5bfuOuVKy2ThcY8ZwMXnWBuBCt6iDqgChYkzULpsTwdD0O9-zqKgbWzg53kQnW2okQgHMg/w640-h640/TSDB1655.JPEG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXzZyZ5r_uUd9EZNlsqYkbsLxJO4S7PeJH1kXUXq1BgDl4f3wfrHfqS0Z5EEzSxz0dtbbFE_qU0DRV4npfw0vY8QYpbhlhWs_hI7Z3ScRRBycKQ5bDDCAVeP60o6cA77We5g_uX918H6HmHwl7-ZuF-7E3nIXmvaaz5C7m7Q4_Ub6METLA0LJpZdNanME/s3840/PWMW9661.JPEG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXzZyZ5r_uUd9EZNlsqYkbsLxJO4S7PeJH1kXUXq1BgDl4f3wfrHfqS0Z5EEzSxz0dtbbFE_qU0DRV4npfw0vY8QYpbhlhWs_hI7Z3ScRRBycKQ5bDDCAVeP60o6cA77We5g_uX918H6HmHwl7-ZuF-7E3nIXmvaaz5C7m7Q4_Ub6METLA0LJpZdNanME/w640-h480/PWMW9661.JPEG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Thanks to the housekeepng staffs for all these </span><span style="font-family: "Open Sans";">towel animals, plants, and flowers throughout my stay</span><span style="font-family: "Open Sans";">. Yes I am spoilt. :P</span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieESsbwSYTzHK4-CXhAsM8SdGt0WRUQYzJRsjcp1GUd_WO-ORhEdWxUGLdalObGnq4IUo23XCnhubMAaBxdjE3h9Gg4r7mQNj7gMIcg6phGRkLNuMqcsdP1q2PDvUr1JwPp6wTnMvircp1x0_fQX6LWHICq2rJxqU3xpe5jfEqvzZ44Dzoa4U9oK5klSg/s3840/TBRQ3607.JPEG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieESsbwSYTzHK4-CXhAsM8SdGt0WRUQYzJRsjcp1GUd_WO-ORhEdWxUGLdalObGnq4IUo23XCnhubMAaBxdjE3h9Gg4r7mQNj7gMIcg6phGRkLNuMqcsdP1q2PDvUr1JwPp6wTnMvircp1x0_fQX6LWHICq2rJxqU3xpe5jfEqvzZ44Dzoa4U9oK5klSg/w640-h640/TBRQ3607.JPEG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Hotel-hopped over to the Westin on the weekend and my lay-low attempt failed again. Intentionally made my reservation only 30 minutes before arriving and tried to blend into the crowd in the lobby for check-in but got recognized by the sales guy and guest relations manager. I appreciate the fact that they still remember me after 6 months and gave me a suite upgrade again, but I guess there is no such thing as lay-low here....lol!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqn9vPXDju0fjsz3RpEXoTu2rVL5-ZwRXTDowc_6lo_lMCiAS2jck0g2-OPjGdNaZ3e9aI_U9zgGIsJjcefVy6HHpFvNPi1sk45b34jwH38inVih-KmbTbyj-E5CDJREfzAjBy9C54ac__7POqCm6ZugNF87-xItw3Yu1Hp4yBZmLlQmNda4vckuNeYfI/s3840/XUPF8289.JPEG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqn9vPXDju0fjsz3RpEXoTu2rVL5-ZwRXTDowc_6lo_lMCiAS2jck0g2-OPjGdNaZ3e9aI_U9zgGIsJjcefVy6HHpFvNPi1sk45b34jwH38inVih-KmbTbyj-E5CDJREfzAjBy9C54ac__7POqCm6ZugNF87-xItw3Yu1Hp4yBZmLlQmNda4vckuNeYfI/w640-h480/XUPF8289.JPEG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Thanks to the hotel drivers for the daily office drop-offs and pick-ups. I made it a point to remember the drivers' names this time around so that I could thank them later.</span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN1gpuAByq7pSz21Sip4fvOU0AYy7RmYTJbT4voL37IU_-1ZIDG-HbPazvuNeZ2cmkvN5vopFlgcItIPvzUtsx9r80AIMp7U1WpCc5GhzbWTMUMxi7TZajk8UtnXX-mSaZGDJJ33l_UvW8DqCPDmqstLz2IM1ASVdA4MUT6oAllp6KIOS_XU2c0dW9BiY/s3840/AKAL9263.JPEG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN1gpuAByq7pSz21Sip4fvOU0AYy7RmYTJbT4voL37IU_-1ZIDG-HbPazvuNeZ2cmkvN5vopFlgcItIPvzUtsx9r80AIMp7U1WpCc5GhzbWTMUMxi7TZajk8UtnXX-mSaZGDJJ33l_UvW8DqCPDmqstLz2IM1ASVdA4MUT6oAllp6KIOS_XU2c0dW9BiY/w640-h640/AKAL9263.JPEG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Our Kolkata office with my team members. The team booked a room for me but I don't mind sitting out in the open areas. I hardly get any work done in the office any way coz I end up socializing the whole day.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTa04W75_vF3aPlmSyZI3Hu2UQfeqo6RjulGcuD5n6AIZE-p5vYy81IMG0jFnx4lLjgV8UfJ7ZrH7OJk1C4vmqwdiIuujXKTqnsAnIqHjgnNzK5EyILAcynbGE8CvUwQ50z3_OtqK4aGHCX6WLdNbD3AiJ0F7Cv94BAGGSY7A3HcTaSjM9y0ThzEMCSJk/s3840/VZWC6563.JPEG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTa04W75_vF3aPlmSyZI3Hu2UQfeqo6RjulGcuD5n6AIZE-p5vYy81IMG0jFnx4lLjgV8UfJ7ZrH7OJk1C4vmqwdiIuujXKTqnsAnIqHjgnNzK5EyILAcynbGE8CvUwQ50z3_OtqK4aGHCX6WLdNbD3AiJ0F7Cv94BAGGSY7A3HcTaSjM9y0ThzEMCSJk/w640-h640/VZWC6563.JPEG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Our Kolkata office with my team members. The team booked a room for me but I don't mind sitting out in the open areas. I hardly get any work done in the office coz I end up socializing the whole day any way.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi48ygywAreULA7o4prsIvApTbTNU8kKO1B3sOMPJV8GS9AFNgf3qNTKs8tdVkj896afxZipEcFVaK2LVQye9uH7ivzBEmPKylmYA-aWb0GSElYGNy_psvo-xBXgPKTTfQBt6YP_XYPHX1F6H33nLD-zZSECynMo6XzO6AskivlPZrwhRbgqVx2pGt8Vh0/s3840/QAOD2860.JPEG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi48ygywAreULA7o4prsIvApTbTNU8kKO1B3sOMPJV8GS9AFNgf3qNTKs8tdVkj896afxZipEcFVaK2LVQye9uH7ivzBEmPKylmYA-aWb0GSElYGNy_psvo-xBXgPKTTfQBt6YP_XYPHX1F6H33nLD-zZSECynMo6XzO6AskivlPZrwhRbgqVx2pGt8Vh0/w640-h480/QAOD2860.JPEG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Received the news about my promotion from my Partner while I was in India, and was thankful that mom was there to celebrate together with me at that time. Incredibly thankful for all the people who have helped and supported me along the way to get to this milestone, especially my Partner in the COE since 2020.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlbnC4HTak66K_yomi2oGHpgnv3NkC8hVr9Ct4QYNbtY6b439jVDW8PAWhl_l46cVV20WMbFACsi8hINNft0_1QDY9-7fujvHNFUWiItzcwYEYMbKcVXznv_QXijchQcMxA71ivpmdMAoXCqRJHAr6pnO9Vk5XfyuI9Jj6oHlHrwuRTFxuZTsnJ8k1Oc4/s3840/HPAO2322.JPEG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlbnC4HTak66K_yomi2oGHpgnv3NkC8hVr9Ct4QYNbtY6b439jVDW8PAWhl_l46cVV20WMbFACsi8hINNft0_1QDY9-7fujvHNFUWiItzcwYEYMbKcVXznv_QXijchQcMxA71ivpmdMAoXCqRJHAr6pnO9Vk5XfyuI9Jj6oHlHrwuRTFxuZTsnJ8k1Oc4/w640-h480/HPAO2322.JPEG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzQyeXq-FBe3tqW8r6gtjEEiN7zX_wetLTx4ybM68BwBYeX_Cmj00w0RsANQj1dbBWODdLdREd_6iSqTwWmfoAF6c9q5Y9dMlYoMQdSTEk2MKD6r7uze8eYLVEHjYmX3FUtL1jX_ozSwbKRbr4DAkIAoWpSayzd4RTcf83FwcwduOc5f1KmjB9W8JrBBg/s3840/HQYK2032.JPEG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzQyeXq-FBe3tqW8r6gtjEEiN7zX_wetLTx4ybM68BwBYeX_Cmj00w0RsANQj1dbBWODdLdREd_6iSqTwWmfoAF6c9q5Y9dMlYoMQdSTEk2MKD6r7uze8eYLVEHjYmX3FUtL1jX_ozSwbKRbr4DAkIAoWpSayzd4RTcf83FwcwduOc5f1KmjB9W8JrBBg/w640-h480/HQYK2032.JPEG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCpEtlHhICbYI-a0A1Wum5va3WtKsVrkb_JBfspHjiaLHTzC_LohzzHFj9iJimudCQoRDzGAE7vrjpmxiQzZ9PpGyoBEz2L2DXT9SyuCsIxawoLkWB00ROzBI1oiaBRx6o5Il-RyV7LNN7cA_wnXOqm4hkbPu1Qxw5F5gt7XK1D_UfYRzNiNsglOoi9Ug/s3840/OUUO1713.JPEG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCpEtlHhICbYI-a0A1Wum5va3WtKsVrkb_JBfspHjiaLHTzC_LohzzHFj9iJimudCQoRDzGAE7vrjpmxiQzZ9PpGyoBEz2L2DXT9SyuCsIxawoLkWB00ROzBI1oiaBRx6o5Il-RyV7LNN7cA_wnXOqm4hkbPu1Qxw5F5gt7XK1D_UfYRzNiNsglOoi9Ug/w640-h480/OUUO1713.JPEG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">As for food, I was very consistent for all 3 meals. For breakfast, I usually request for a to-go box at the JW Kitchen to pack some pastries and cappucino to take to the office. For days when I don't go to the office, I went up to the 23rd floor Executive Lounge for breakfast. There are usually not many people in the lounge so it's much more peaceful.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM_dDiUrWDIQEdPlFUNem45TglDEhFfENcxuGF5YSNoWFjCLsJZpzkvFlZR4j3IioeJ6EZnRFLu8YYCvD60y8Infk4mD7146GxZ9APpxNevUgkHa76YWT_0jSOvNf045l2VYZjEnoOkGwBDo6qgkg3qEXNNRX1coFOaU81u0lKRxR4i_TIQekUyRx3cMA/s3840/VVNF4171.JPEG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM_dDiUrWDIQEdPlFUNem45TglDEhFfENcxuGF5YSNoWFjCLsJZpzkvFlZR4j3IioeJ6EZnRFLu8YYCvD60y8Infk4mD7146GxZ9APpxNevUgkHa76YWT_0jSOvNf045l2VYZjEnoOkGwBDo6qgkg3qEXNNRX1coFOaU81u0lKRxR4i_TIQekUyRx3cMA/w640-h640/VVNF4171.JPEG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSOgP_Dj3ddMzidGqxV2dMXTLBXEwf1Bh1UimONyPevPFF41g34Kk0qpGCUBH3sbRHNujXmAIEv7CoBiMma8vhWmL0i4dnDNx4TkqM-jmCnKd6gfzFu5GsmptOtI7OudXAigGcOllIIOPSBEWWL6aIK7WqP6j3tPhyphenhyphenxRVUm771aZ-AXSg5Id9w3xjLLWw/s3840/KTRS9282.JPEG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSOgP_Dj3ddMzidGqxV2dMXTLBXEwf1Bh1UimONyPevPFF41g34Kk0qpGCUBH3sbRHNujXmAIEv7CoBiMma8vhWmL0i4dnDNx4TkqM-jmCnKd6gfzFu5GsmptOtI7OudXAigGcOllIIOPSBEWWL6aIK7WqP6j3tPhyphenhyphenxRVUm771aZ-AXSg5Id9w3xjLLWw/w640-h640/KTRS9282.JPEG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbtBclhWvzpeD6uX_3YE4rwvJS7WrH3qqyFn_Qa6xGmVpGVh7z9fydEIScDKAGI-YlK24Wkqv7DcX57iEM3CdGS5EtIiP9oKLvEQIwYIBzSvc5Fsdi93KwWXIpN5RMs4SbSKrtbDxKQM6gRKTYf8NfDhGI743NR4_n5XpliKyJwF3QdQ7nyXqOYaufR0k/s3840/BQTA3874.JPEG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbtBclhWvzpeD6uX_3YE4rwvJS7WrH3qqyFn_Qa6xGmVpGVh7z9fydEIScDKAGI-YlK24Wkqv7DcX57iEM3CdGS5EtIiP9oKLvEQIwYIBzSvc5Fsdi93KwWXIpN5RMs4SbSKrtbDxKQM6gRKTYf8NfDhGI743NR4_n5XpliKyJwF3QdQ7nyXqOYaufR0k/w640-h480/BQTA3874.JPEG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">As for lunches, I'd usually order delivery to the office and eat in the pantry with my co-workers. There were few occassions where I ate out with other co-workers at restaurants that were within walking distance from the office...like Fenicia and Slyfox. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIZUg3uhZ1nluXdOAnlbumJNi8O5tv0AK3tGSFI1F-oyAjZJ62TGKlscjZD8kfsrFoZmDH5BvcJCv1O3rAvR8Y784wQTtTtH_Q5O_NDPi8hq_p4JBteENezSsQ-hNKPGx7wZqsC3ipPtTyPH532gQcozZdMcsZeHg2jDSA625CVtpAPhGyaI8QLouoX1Y/s3840/TLYA3358.JPEG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIZUg3uhZ1nluXdOAnlbumJNi8O5tv0AK3tGSFI1F-oyAjZJ62TGKlscjZD8kfsrFoZmDH5BvcJCv1O3rAvR8Y784wQTtTtH_Q5O_NDPi8hq_p4JBteENezSsQ-hNKPGx7wZqsC3ipPtTyPH532gQcozZdMcsZeHg2jDSA625CVtpAPhGyaI8QLouoX1Y/w640-h640/TLYA3358.JPEG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">As for dinners, I usually go down to the Vintage Asia restaurant on the 1st floor... and the staff knows my usual orders...salmon nigiri, stir-fried veggies, kingfisher. :P </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiqEB5Vp0lUmYz8STdO__8-_9PlpHhzyZq5ZJAZiLc4FTrZfhod6gCM33AYZRkw8NaY-Jqbm-8xzsoLieoZOT9WJsDgS1vCIRqV6OsHPmdM5AImXQOxSKJ4B43HEV-uFJWEep8dee4HwRm9IDVNu9DwvWUrmbNq2mGHwD_XNwJMAX4rJgOASQiv0fIzWs/s3840/OIRW9127.JPEG" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiqEB5Vp0lUmYz8STdO__8-_9PlpHhzyZq5ZJAZiLc4FTrZfhod6gCM33AYZRkw8NaY-Jqbm-8xzsoLieoZOT9WJsDgS1vCIRqV6OsHPmdM5AImXQOxSKJ4B43HEV-uFJWEep8dee4HwRm9IDVNu9DwvWUrmbNq2mGHwD_XNwJMAX4rJgOASQiv0fIzWs/w640-h640/OIRW9127.JPEG" width="640" /></span></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0lZ4l9NMnZX1W_l1m_b7rmPL_5HSehcSJ_KID3F6hho7dSCRwOWzLouCIhxgvT9HtCq8_ZOWQ3BHfGZ3ly_kiwEuqWnbYjx04ZvngnrhgmbyqHaMC48cqLR00WlSDt5Dmr9P8zgEXMlhInEW1Urv4ZRAUetqkIrSdRd7xYtj0scUbKWMXCyaFrxgZJ5A/s3840/LRNF0346.JPEG" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0lZ4l9NMnZX1W_l1m_b7rmPL_5HSehcSJ_KID3F6hho7dSCRwOWzLouCIhxgvT9HtCq8_ZOWQ3BHfGZ3ly_kiwEuqWnbYjx04ZvngnrhgmbyqHaMC48cqLR00WlSDt5Dmr9P8zgEXMlhInEW1Urv4ZRAUetqkIrSdRd7xYtj0scUbKWMXCyaFrxgZJ5A/w640-h640/LRNF0346.JPEG" width="640" /></span></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">I was pretty consistent with my orders and but switched things up few times...like the dishes above when they had the Bombay pop-up event. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL4Xr3Yy6Qziq6IbB7nIWvnq68RD_Qsvv_UknqO6bVRT6PFWU3vc2lDNmBVkF5ACWecv2HnKcVXQnwoV3CRHJaDmxoHDSmsmS94fj8cEejD24m73vNs5fFr_dVp-y1FsQvNVPtAveBhTfIGpbT_XpZyl7TRQhDMszILtHuD-AhN-xyppynIozxtjTMKDw/s3840/KAGQ5422.JPEG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL4Xr3Yy6Qziq6IbB7nIWvnq68RD_Qsvv_UknqO6bVRT6PFWU3vc2lDNmBVkF5ACWecv2HnKcVXQnwoV3CRHJaDmxoHDSmsmS94fj8cEejD24m73vNs5fFr_dVp-y1FsQvNVPtAveBhTfIGpbT_XpZyl7TRQhDMszILtHuD-AhN-xyppynIozxtjTMKDw/w640-h640/KAGQ5422.JPEG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Or when I ate with co-workers. :P Yes I prefer to eat here coz I was lazy to go elsewhere.</span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9RAcX33LC6z_yO2upVgaETD4w4VvHmaSVcIaxmSX4u31_k-Msm_b1JK_fjh2_gzAX5GEdnwej6mh1oHTIcrOT5MUo5P5a55CH-kqM_Goa4x46n9gvPf4YwplUFyza-_tDbWSnFpw60ia3OQFuyoqOGGAmW0xEhEA0CLltG4CTRS-rQtJUXAKWorcwOBs/s3840/NIND7615.JPEG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9RAcX33LC6z_yO2upVgaETD4w4VvHmaSVcIaxmSX4u31_k-Msm_b1JK_fjh2_gzAX5GEdnwej6mh1oHTIcrOT5MUo5P5a55CH-kqM_Goa4x46n9gvPf4YwplUFyza-_tDbWSnFpw60ia3OQFuyoqOGGAmW0xEhEA0CLltG4CTRS-rQtJUXAKWorcwOBs/w640-h640/NIND7615.JPEG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div><div>When the evening schedules got busy (my 'night' shift started at 7pm), I'd take my laptop up to the lounge and eat there...while enjoying some drinks. =)</div></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM3AcOX533OkTDUYkOPRAVLGhVacvrpJaejqfzt-gHJEisn68ATKVpxjRAXZ5E-NZbuWfysaEii03b-6b9XhyGWzJYlN5gH9lTJQMikVSYkTluWkgb74jLPQJ3n5ezkIakozhxAZYSaw55m5xpUJ081-4bT2nJAjOykb-udUucFRwKkdzUn4vEXm7hMNk/s3840/BFYV3925.JPEG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM3AcOX533OkTDUYkOPRAVLGhVacvrpJaejqfzt-gHJEisn68ATKVpxjRAXZ5E-NZbuWfysaEii03b-6b9XhyGWzJYlN5gH9lTJQMikVSYkTluWkgb74jLPQJ3n5ezkIakozhxAZYSaw55m5xpUJ081-4bT2nJAjOykb-udUucFRwKkdzUn4vEXm7hMNk/w640-h480/BFYV3925.JPEG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div><div>When things got too hectic with back-to-back calls, I just ordered room service for dinner.</div></div></span></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkOTXQm_I4dAlnF_MjEzhLfrgQ-ts9DCTEKyAEpo1gULu4-wJXXEi7KUhs1G6hm1LYjVgdWWNZxidw1iqTnAlvU1eXZCEBaMdvqSEa3ixDgwR71gD-2PYRvPlMnErfFFYDju-8s-MUUczKqCwVX8y7PwUXa7T7-FcOPLNkl9lA9b5HfD-w7rNdGvYXqbg/s3840/KDTH0518.JPEG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkOTXQm_I4dAlnF_MjEzhLfrgQ-ts9DCTEKyAEpo1gULu4-wJXXEi7KUhs1G6hm1LYjVgdWWNZxidw1iqTnAlvU1eXZCEBaMdvqSEa3ixDgwR71gD-2PYRvPlMnErfFFYDju-8s-MUUczKqCwVX8y7PwUXa7T7-FcOPLNkl9lA9b5HfD-w7rNdGvYXqbg/w640-h640/KDTH0518.JPEG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div><div>The one time I went out for dinner was to Peshwari at the ITC Royal Bengal next door for the farewell of another secondee.</div></div></span></div></span></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglA-zpSmlXnE49QFhC_CMiYkym_MQtQaH0q9nnekS1U6m0YdzcR8kuqFCD5_DPpN9bM9bbgjKC_wckiFqzJP3mWhYVNwm_VGavDN2iV6k__eRBKjLqzOuB8YUi2EoGipUG6use2gB8joWy2H2zLWu7M7xnknrQ3dTXCGjQ_WU1EDNNS3lTNMMlLlPRkrI/s3840/QAQO6519.JPEG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglA-zpSmlXnE49QFhC_CMiYkym_MQtQaH0q9nnekS1U6m0YdzcR8kuqFCD5_DPpN9bM9bbgjKC_wckiFqzJP3mWhYVNwm_VGavDN2iV6k__eRBKjLqzOuB8YUi2EoGipUG6use2gB8joWy2H2zLWu7M7xnknrQ3dTXCGjQ_WU1EDNNS3lTNMMlLlPRkrI/w640-h640/QAQO6519.JPEG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj61US6yq4-weHI2iJ_I8oMiFy1XLnbpbkJEbazdWCRBQDl5PdMdtBP0KZykulAYiVu-1ANd8wkSSg9qD2qxvuVCAFvth9JNOFTl8vN6ZXdJ-RJRUNYOj11my1TZajIM7YyFNnw00DDWcFaEuoAmCC6e2pp6Xb_lDc7F37Q2XEZLYYpOgUqCmzRalhkyTw/s3840/XUYQ1327.JPEG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj61US6yq4-weHI2iJ_I8oMiFy1XLnbpbkJEbazdWCRBQDl5PdMdtBP0KZykulAYiVu-1ANd8wkSSg9qD2qxvuVCAFvth9JNOFTl8vN6ZXdJ-RJRUNYOj11my1TZajIM7YyFNnw00DDWcFaEuoAmCC6e2pp6Xb_lDc7F37Q2XEZLYYpOgUqCmzRalhkyTw/w640-h480/XUYQ1327.JPEG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div><div>Apart from work, I also visited a local orphanage with my team members, and we brought snacks, goodies, stationeries, and hygiene supplies for the kids. Thank you to the many staffs at JW Marriott Kolkata, especially the concierge guys for helping to move the many things I had and providing the nice paper bags for our gifts.</div></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzjkl8QFGybujzX7QJdNZ-9vCEniDfQkkQ-ogujtp24TJZMXg_f-rJ2Rxv8kI9OJG2x57AIZe98vzDcaLdqUFPhYQAM6Of2SwxlC_UljcwKobN5q4dg7J0v4PbaahWOuXMjuejdwQaVrJKUVdm_RuHLWH39W4AVpgxhv4D4UQp9j7EuHNoar0RJ3_60ik/s3840/GFBQ1203.JPEG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzjkl8QFGybujzX7QJdNZ-9vCEniDfQkkQ-ogujtp24TJZMXg_f-rJ2Rxv8kI9OJG2x57AIZe98vzDcaLdqUFPhYQAM6Of2SwxlC_UljcwKobN5q4dg7J0v4PbaahWOuXMjuejdwQaVrJKUVdm_RuHLWH39W4AVpgxhv4D4UQp9j7EuHNoar0RJ3_60ik/w640-h640/GFBQ1203.JPEG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Farewell with the team on my last day at work. Thank you for the cake and book! :)</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvmt4chNFmZbSN6G2F5YjV_YYEa9Y3kgA8l9dDzaHku1fYBHD4ygHkiK0IxRBiHpd2si2ZDrZxbztv5NgGc_Y1GMKEUG0ZSC1uZhJL0Tpmbpt9DbAAf0iek4Wcz0vMzF2WWw71Fw07AvKSm-QCLJCaiUxCXgVUaTkQMkHPd6u5xy8a8fSVwo88ACD8-qk/s3840/ESVO9529.JPEG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvmt4chNFmZbSN6G2F5YjV_YYEa9Y3kgA8l9dDzaHku1fYBHD4ygHkiK0IxRBiHpd2si2ZDrZxbztv5NgGc_Y1GMKEUG0ZSC1uZhJL0Tpmbpt9DbAAf0iek4Wcz0vMzF2WWw71Fw07AvKSm-QCLJCaiUxCXgVUaTkQMkHPd6u5xy8a8fSVwo88ACD8-qk/w640-h640/ESVO9529.JPEG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Also prepared some gifts for the hotel staff for the warm hospitality during my stay.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4cht9pi_7CXDXb5menqGbgcaRiCYsaIgskC9uKURVeJOFRPuHqrJcn-Fkv_GlhkCCGp6p5DExB6J0Al9qbQ9FmROyo8_36ET0aj-Y9h5aIIGvD16vh-akdcZyx5HaIlZ4olAYdq67roQATIe2i94puYaYcDYiiSt1rvXAd1qkkOjAQ8q0VsnNqskDWL4/s3840/EUOP8617.JPEG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="850" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4cht9pi_7CXDXb5menqGbgcaRiCYsaIgskC9uKURVeJOFRPuHqrJcn-Fkv_GlhkCCGp6p5DExB6J0Al9qbQ9FmROyo8_36ET0aj-Y9h5aIIGvD16vh-akdcZyx5HaIlZ4olAYdq67roQATIe2i94puYaYcDYiiSt1rvXAd1qkkOjAQ8q0VsnNqskDWL4/w637-h850/EUOP8617.JPEG" width="637" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">6 weeks flew by and it's a wrap for round 2 in Kolkata! Thankful for the opportunity to return to this city again and see so many familiar faces who made this place feel like home. I am incredibly grateful to my co-workers and all the JW Marriott Kolkata staff for the warm hospitality throughout my stay.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Kolkata can certainly be considered my 3rd home at this 'rate of return', to the extent that everyone was asking when I'm coming back. Honestly, I have no answer tot his question but I sure hope our paths will cross again (in person) someday.</span></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://khaishing.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default</div>khaishing.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05154189313956844355noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3659547063209051949.post-16936886242436625372023-11-13T03:25:00.005-06:002023-11-13T03:27:50.927-06:00Bhutan ✈ Making Memories with Mom 2023<div style="text-align: justify;"><i><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Continuing with my 'Making Memories with Moms' <a href="https://www.khaishing.com/2022/06/making-memories-with-moms-2022-le.html" target="_blank">series</a> in 2022, I am back with another trip with mom in this year. This time, our destination was the Kingdom of Bhutan. Bhutan is one of the countries I wanted to visit while I was in this part of the world. Even though our spontaneous 3D2N journey to Bhutan was short, I am thankful for the opportunity to visit this fascinating and beautiful country with mom</span><span style="font-family: "Open Sans";">. </span><span style="font-family: "Open Sans";">From the challenging hike to the tranquility of the monasteries, our trip was a whirlwind of experiences and adventures. </span></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/rIA61V7EAwQ?si=WbB2Smm72uu5xsPH" title="YouTube video player" width="640"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><b>Trip Planning</b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">The planning for this trip started in March 2023 when I knew that I was going to be in India for work this year. </span><span style="font-family: "Open Sans";">However, we only booked everything for this trip within 10 days of departure.</span><span style="font-family: "Open Sans";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Open Sans";">Unlike many other destinations where I could 'travel hack' to reduce the travel cost, Bhutan is one that was expensive no matter how I 'hacked' it. When I say expensive, I meant approximately $2,000 for 2 person for our 3D2N trip, before even stepping foot in the country, and this did not include any ground costs yet. Scroll to the end for breakdown of our total costs for this 3D2N trip. =)</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><b>11 June 2023 (Sun): Kolkata - Paro - Tiger Nest - Le Meridien Thimphu</b></span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOmHWtzUnUq4QTerNVRT0vgM2va3Pkgs5soTxft60hO7gexuEFC-nnCbmCkrYjhX5qelH6_gHJ9d1x7gO_eaVkLOYUaGZ4W_1KHrBt3jfQmo8WcnESfxvTYrBbRUUG6lhHr3bU0yusP0umIGDjmMX3KKIan1-FoNshECTemt4ML779vxkuZYz5NH6qK9w/s3840/CAEC7648.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOmHWtzUnUq4QTerNVRT0vgM2va3Pkgs5soTxft60hO7gexuEFC-nnCbmCkrYjhX5qelH6_gHJ9d1x7gO_eaVkLOYUaGZ4W_1KHrBt3jfQmo8WcnESfxvTYrBbRUUG6lhHr3bU0yusP0umIGDjmMX3KKIan1-FoNshECTemt4ML779vxkuZYz5NH6qK9w/w640-h480/CAEC7648.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Departed the hotel at 5am. There were no traffic and we arrived Kolkata airport at 5.20am. Our flight was the first international flight to depart that morning so the international flights check-in area was pretty empty. Check-in was quick and easy. The staff only asked to look at our e-visa and return flight booking.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtwtegDBHKlxoxJUs23nZp-wwkPxnvGzhKYu72qeGfLl9SAQ_RfwjyODw52HiXcGT6YjIe63h4UUF5cDFeve3Q5ifRg9bET_RHaJpdpS8gwENAD2sYYS1wKjoXDWOziUVfEQz6GnwugnNbDkFhSD00EnRQpuyeUQ4aQInyucWTRCNtYwxIp9rOcDewydU/s3840/ADTY1724.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtwtegDBHKlxoxJUs23nZp-wwkPxnvGzhKYu72qeGfLl9SAQ_RfwjyODw52HiXcGT6YjIe63h4UUF5cDFeve3Q5ifRg9bET_RHaJpdpS8gwENAD2sYYS1wKjoXDWOziUVfEQz6GnwugnNbDkFhSD00EnRQpuyeUQ4aQInyucWTRCNtYwxIp9rOcDewydU/w640-h640/ADTY1724.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div>We had 3 hours to wait so we visited the Travel Club Lounge with my Priority Pass. This lounge was very small but at least it was quiet and empty when we were there. </div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie19LVmZXo9uzUKEP3ufufJNH3XMB_wadp6nU7KsVV_2st6WJBjTE2H4BcKFZvI9z3rAO3QOsGaFmL15omQf6JNlxIRW1wh8hGXGIQcQg8Bd-Z1J3wl0WU7skLvJ0vKPW7AIUibZp67JPqyWi1lm6DDwpGv7qUvBncp9-iNWaYS63uJZwmNeFE-1m_BUI/s3840/QMHM8917.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie19LVmZXo9uzUKEP3ufufJNH3XMB_wadp6nU7KsVV_2st6WJBjTE2H4BcKFZvI9z3rAO3QOsGaFmL15omQf6JNlxIRW1wh8hGXGIQcQg8Bd-Z1J3wl0WU7skLvJ0vKPW7AIUibZp67JPqyWi1lm6DDwpGv7qUvBncp9-iNWaYS63uJZwmNeFE-1m_BUI/w640-h480/QMHM8917.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div>This Bhutan Airlines flight came from Bangkok with a quick stop to pick up passengers from Kolkata before heading to Paro. There were already some passengers onboard who came from Bangkok when we boarded the flight.</div></span></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiybfrfFjsM0BAshu3ChiUlC7ruYwi94Imo151slp_Dn73I22A4SW8RLVmhhUvsR_gTQH2acX2Da_jKfPreR_VugJrRSHbtQ4d8mT4MRA-d1TUMlyBCgxAwOYDAlTQKVRvk3cmqm4WU5lBigQ_N75YoJ0SmBVfcSO3ejL3oJNLyivgCiP97b3npTzyFPnA/s3840/MVUC1386.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiybfrfFjsM0BAshu3ChiUlC7ruYwi94Imo151slp_Dn73I22A4SW8RLVmhhUvsR_gTQH2acX2Da_jKfPreR_VugJrRSHbtQ4d8mT4MRA-d1TUMlyBCgxAwOYDAlTQKVRvk3cmqm4WU5lBigQ_N75YoJ0SmBVfcSO3ejL3oJNLyivgCiP97b3npTzyFPnA/w640-h480/MVUC1386.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">On time departure at 8.15am for this 1 hour flight from Kolkata to Paro. The flight was quite empty so mom and I each had a row of 3 to ourselves. A snack bag was provided. It was a clear day and the pilot pointed out the Himalayan mountains and Mt. Everest on the left side of the plane.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipyBHJzUMoMQG-mfhmIuwDTM3Vezbgmh7qEKa5SPt1yks8zNSmNGodT6kIn8ccdjY_YysOumBZF9kY0nLM3quTaC4mRvJ-o04Sc9vj4jNT2Pr77oAB33qOY6YhrIx-34QdqdNNz0bswOShkmfBsDF2J0KtrwvQbLSo3dinlOPAgJt4ajzWsEERXBjhGMQ/s3840/WJPL7179.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="846" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipyBHJzUMoMQG-mfhmIuwDTM3Vezbgmh7qEKa5SPt1yks8zNSmNGodT6kIn8ccdjY_YysOumBZF9kY0nLM3quTaC4mRvJ-o04Sc9vj4jNT2Pr77oAB33qOY6YhrIx-34QdqdNNz0bswOShkmfBsDF2J0KtrwvQbLSo3dinlOPAgJt4ajzWsEERXBjhGMQ/w634-h846/WJPL7179.HEIC" width="634" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Bhutan Airlines routes. The flight from Kolkata to Paro doesn't operate every day so we were stuck with traveling on Sunday - Tuesday to fit the timing of our 3D2N stay.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaoHq56DClQw2h7sKKwZ8LPtHAicF8Sc_u_1H7tMJnkB0ZFURtYp1dGXM_goLRU6d7jAoJj-PsTWhaolD1orzwT6vCmO6NdCOJs4lf8redZ_h-774ez1rpLjiJqrNwibUL9clOePXRxoMrdWt1ckqjzKJSaPywhW5dmdq4Lj0VA_94HZPkXLoGzugdvuQ/s3840/BVAG4772.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaoHq56DClQw2h7sKKwZ8LPtHAicF8Sc_u_1H7tMJnkB0ZFURtYp1dGXM_goLRU6d7jAoJj-PsTWhaolD1orzwT6vCmO6NdCOJs4lf8redZ_h-774ez1rpLjiJqrNwibUL9clOePXRxoMrdWt1ckqjzKJSaPywhW5dmdq4Lj0VA_94HZPkXLoGzugdvuQ/w640-h480/BVAG4772.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div>Surrounded by mountains as we were approaching Paro airport. Paro airport is known as one of the world's most challenging airports to land due to the location of the airport, which is in a valley surrounded by towering mountains. Only few pilots are certified to fly into Bhutan's only airport. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbLHah4XUwk" target="_blank">Sam Chui</a> has a good video with cockpit view of this landing.</div><div> </div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBuXIv6VcQOOdfFLmoGEVgGaQVs5Aiqg-4GEi57vcR2jX2vr5DOXEQFKFKnryhf0SHOM0ZsQzQBJOGmqigDm2s0Ub-j8lreEzRwhyphenhyphen9pHWPdiQyyKVeT6_ceNg7iL2RnO-PeoGzPs3wHlKJ2S8lIENWTF75-kFBYZVnLuW61z19wfZEXE2ZN4a7tGDJzRI/s3840/QJVI3343.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBuXIv6VcQOOdfFLmoGEVgGaQVs5Aiqg-4GEi57vcR2jX2vr5DOXEQFKFKnryhf0SHOM0ZsQzQBJOGmqigDm2s0Ub-j8lreEzRwhyphenhyphen9pHWPdiQyyKVeT6_ceNg7iL2RnO-PeoGzPs3wHlKJ2S8lIENWTF75-kFBYZVnLuW61z19wfZEXE2ZN4a7tGDJzRI/w640-h480/QJVI3343.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Landed at Paro airport at 9.50am. </span><span style="font-family: "Open Sans";">Paro Airport is uniquely designed in traditional Bhutan architecture style. </span><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">There were no jetbridge at this airport and everyone gets to walk freely on the tarmac, and took all the photos/videos we wanted...lol! It was a clear day and the temperature was nice at 24c with light breeze...s</span><span style="font-family: "Open Sans";">o happy for such a beautiful weather!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGHQ1KSphxY7QOepKDatLRrQSochnwtxFBF2cLuyWY-rMZoeTzwUlB2iEnJCc8Wlh59uWwLWcgr_MbNU6O8JnVtA0GMAzCJNheqSTfpXECYedjFCYUOTFXbgp3TrOlw8YBn1mOMggQceEN_XyD-t7VsPjuhfFcXFlcuEREP9sr8rKtXWfL0xOHsTNoMGI/s3840/NIDD3597.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="854" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGHQ1KSphxY7QOepKDatLRrQSochnwtxFBF2cLuyWY-rMZoeTzwUlB2iEnJCc8Wlh59uWwLWcgr_MbNU6O8JnVtA0GMAzCJNheqSTfpXECYedjFCYUOTFXbgp3TrOlw8YBn1mOMggQceEN_XyD-t7VsPjuhfFcXFlcuEREP9sr8rKtXWfL0xOHsTNoMGI/w640-h854/NIDD3597.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div>Welcome to the Kingdom of Bhutan! Immigration was super quick and smooth. We got in line at 10am and were through by 10.07am. The only thing the immigration officer looked at was our printed visa and asked when we were leaving. They didn't even ask for our hotel nor tour guide information. The baggage carousel was so pretty.</div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJvV50CXwYOV7lVkyvuvyb83sNF1K31M2rS_7MqrEEkV8YNlNMQxldoFcM_TRhXK_Wr9jzE24CmQuJY3Tiu5bUGrWODq3vWmalcJw-d6v5jxfJ-xl7A2GGJwfcPriqB40mJZYtzjeb4n973yZRr11Jae3Ynmen3_fqJb7u89pxQMMLvjfCAUBd_jeffM4/s3840/EZOB4779.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJvV50CXwYOV7lVkyvuvyb83sNF1K31M2rS_7MqrEEkV8YNlNMQxldoFcM_TRhXK_Wr9jzE24CmQuJY3Tiu5bUGrWODq3vWmalcJw-d6v5jxfJ-xl7A2GGJwfcPriqB40mJZYtzjeb4n973yZRr11Jae3Ynmen3_fqJb7u89pxQMMLvjfCAUBd_jeffM4/w640-h480/EZOB4779.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div>Our tour guide, Mr. Karma, was waiting for us outside of the airport and welcomed us with a khata (white scarf) which symbolizes welcome.</div></span></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm8W0Du5_eb9QWnZIPybYeLYgt1VGuReV9_XgQKRl2WytENw_ke6tIDuekZRD8y422I-toQoVwPS8RdVLw3Ny2Ccw5DGuORhW4UyzLWd7N2VFLWRD788R30JLsIlVRyU3Z_p4XonrFd3YqOQ9VO0vAcqyzw65CbuNAt4e5S9n3fMSKrSSVFWu56DyLFdE/s3840/EZSG4824.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm8W0Du5_eb9QWnZIPybYeLYgt1VGuReV9_XgQKRl2WytENw_ke6tIDuekZRD8y422I-toQoVwPS8RdVLw3Ny2Ccw5DGuORhW4UyzLWd7N2VFLWRD788R30JLsIlVRyU3Z_p4XonrFd3YqOQ9VO0vAcqyzw65CbuNAt4e5S9n3fMSKrSSVFWu56DyLFdE/w640-h480/EZSG4824.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div>Karma led us to our transportation for two days...this big van for just for the 2 of us..lol! </div><div><br /></div></span></div></span></div></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNl08dM3hnm3zf7rZ87Q-libyzujeyTMH71ibjF7qHo9s0zldLmoJ7N0qUzkXR4gfX_XgDSVYtRjjW6ryGVtoknuHb_G7B1lMBwNrezQFWx7PC-wXdTZBFSJNIRkifJTD2HQNjBpCiCDeYxukv86zMhh-tVNV32xPOCs-lyMM4UdQfmzKzitVRRTytBbM/w640-h320/USHU3515.JPEG" width="640" /></span></div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Our original plan was to go to Thimphu for sightseeing then hike Tiger Nest the next day. However, since the weather was so beautiful and it was forecasted to be cloudy the next day, we asked Karma if we could go ahead and hike up Tiger Nest. Tiger Nest was the main reason I came to Bhutan and I didn't want to 'waste' such beautiful weather.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb4SyTv5WPBzSN2PZxMZyQVY3kcPCprJmllawupx1s75erZhuJde7dPte4H_19APINvVR06i6RxzVMZPSuaSDrKT6K_JRkDKke7pb5tlDB59LTo3rAe9aQlyooAgRU7PLXePkGagy3vbWJD5-wMc1Yb_C10GI3JvNc0ayXgVpw4bF7Zzv5wl8wUdOhEYs/s3840/LBPZ1609.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb4SyTv5WPBzSN2PZxMZyQVY3kcPCprJmllawupx1s75erZhuJde7dPte4H_19APINvVR06i6RxzVMZPSuaSDrKT6K_JRkDKke7pb5tlDB59LTo3rAe9aQlyooAgRU7PLXePkGagy3vbWJD5-wMc1Yb_C10GI3JvNc0ayXgVpw4bF7Zzv5wl8wUdOhEYs/w640-h640/LBPZ1609.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">We arrived the entrance of Tiger Nest at 10.55am and Karma helped to buy our tickets for BTN1000 ($12) per person. P.S. Bhutan Ngultrum and Indian Rupee is almost equivalent and INR is accepted everywhere in Bhutan (INR is actually preferred) so I was able to just use my INR for this trip without exchanging any BTN.</span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhypt6X_3EuXws-SOJhGswiSfhl9k838uiWAyArC1punTLA5HXIBUanDI2sd3_7Ng5NZBHwlf1B0xSoVgbXAUCsoHlyaBc_SpL2FVlKlqufinyjrenpSjOmQvu3COac6OUXCuf6g8ycwJ_4_uPNXCZguWI00otFSow42SBdRsTLjZZlCDA1HlhL6PF8LOo/s3840/RIRU9938.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhypt6X_3EuXws-SOJhGswiSfhl9k838uiWAyArC1punTLA5HXIBUanDI2sd3_7Ng5NZBHwlf1B0xSoVgbXAUCsoHlyaBc_SpL2FVlKlqufinyjrenpSjOmQvu3COac6OUXCuf6g8ycwJ_4_uPNXCZguWI00otFSow42SBdRsTLjZZlCDA1HlhL6PF8LOo/w640-h640/RIRU9938.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">There is an option to take a horse for the first half of the hike for BTN/INR 1500 ($18). Since we started our hike late (most people start hiking around 6-7am) and considering it may be physically challenging for mom, we opted for mom to ride the horse while </span><span style="font-family: "Open Sans";">Karma and I hiked together. </span><span style="font-family: "Open Sans";">Btw, it wasn't cold at all, mom wore the jacket just to avoid the sun.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZnzez8UV6XVVKmE7KnO8DwckaYsJnTAFZO4w4C5tMr8wD4T5vZMbvnlGTSW8aCVFsVAZr5TMrM6xl4d6YtES0gIZclwlKYe42yd6eEVShlA8xOMNr1XNauv1Z8ddMCYsFSR77qv_Cf2f7fWWyjZfH9KEbHewBJz_Yg_TgxA-6zchXApNho2JpzN2sEoY/s3840/NLKW0841.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="851" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZnzez8UV6XVVKmE7KnO8DwckaYsJnTAFZO4w4C5tMr8wD4T5vZMbvnlGTSW8aCVFsVAZr5TMrM6xl4d6YtES0gIZclwlKYe42yd6eEVShlA8xOMNr1XNauv1Z8ddMCYsFSR77qv_Cf2f7fWWyjZfH9KEbHewBJz_Yg_TgxA-6zchXApNho2JpzN2sEoY/w638-h851/NLKW0841.HEIC" width="638" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8oY0GXF_2A4UWVKrSrqAaqbJBnPmqistY3_933LF40eTRhiWZsuzzFs_6g13OGIvLHoiLogGInp9ufFGosmLnXPBKbVSacB_pM46YEmesyPI29-6WXBO0mwv7LQdZ4gOMSv8FiScq5r3wU8hNjp8zL4wXmroAhpE4o_yuq170B_MrxyHDpzM1blL7m_A/s3840/SIPT9798.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8oY0GXF_2A4UWVKrSrqAaqbJBnPmqistY3_933LF40eTRhiWZsuzzFs_6g13OGIvLHoiLogGInp9ufFGosmLnXPBKbVSacB_pM46YEmesyPI29-6WXBO0mwv7LQdZ4gOMSv8FiScq5r3wU8hNjp8zL4wXmroAhpE4o_yuq170B_MrxyHDpzM1blL7m_A/w640-h640/SIPT9798.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">The first half of the hike took about an hour. The trail was well-paved and the view was nice but oh boy I was gasping for breath</span><span style="font-family: "Open Sans";"> throughout the hike. Certainly overestimated my fitness level and wished I had taken the horse at many points during the hike. Due to the last minute change in plan, I was also inappropriately dressed wearing jeans in the hot weather. Thank goodness Karma helped to carry my backpack the entire hike and patiently waited as I took many many breaks. He also carried extra bottles of water for us.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcCQecruQrDn0Z5ulz6A3Ez9dHztu3XOOQzFmYjpHM_RTCEM-0bBoreNV5qxiInEmII7qetfX-VMLVvJHKUEvakHDfrOsiqXY41FVU8DsRqt2YhxeKeu_8DeI6GtHLf7BxECX_XwRfKv5uu_BcJ0gsMFrL9Kk-gRCDNuMwjxd9Gr5sNLs-B29t-Ho_qms/s3840/CKKW8916.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcCQecruQrDn0Z5ulz6A3Ez9dHztu3XOOQzFmYjpHM_RTCEM-0bBoreNV5qxiInEmII7qetfX-VMLVvJHKUEvakHDfrOsiqXY41FVU8DsRqt2YhxeKeu_8DeI6GtHLf7BxECX_XwRfKv5uu_BcJ0gsMFrL9Kk-gRCDNuMwjxd9Gr5sNLs-B29t-Ho_qms/w640-h640/CKKW8916.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Finally made it to the mid-point of the hike at 12.10pm and mom was already waiting as she reached way ahead of us. Still a long way to hike to our destination as you can see...</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi58GEJP1cvmJyZWRp63YvoDpc-bbl1Tmqb3HEUXqLb3ChB3Zo9mPgzsteJlIbCiSw2dVjhcfgrasGROxTHoMAjsfxyJD7urnYWT_3ZoQCo8gjlC5JS6v1rlfH03irjBuct9hJQm7m8DJ9Qi8uxalfwFx4eq9LKtnnHTgh28OCoK04abSncoOdch7wx4wI/s3840/HXLK3513.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi58GEJP1cvmJyZWRp63YvoDpc-bbl1Tmqb3HEUXqLb3ChB3Zo9mPgzsteJlIbCiSw2dVjhcfgrasGROxTHoMAjsfxyJD7urnYWT_3ZoQCo8gjlC5JS6v1rlfH03irjBuct9hJQm7m8DJ9Qi8uxalfwFx4eq9LKtnnHTgh28OCoK04abSncoOdch7wx4wI/w640-h640/HXLK3513.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Mom turning the prayer wheel while I took a break for 10 minutes and took some photos.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div> <div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLmT1PvkJS7oi3UMnsC9kYJtH-cBZTPyrdqd7yZZPLreWbSdGKQ5_y_qv4TWGm1PQVLivRnAhOP3dENNU9-sCAmB7TysC2UlTYL7abwTkm14cpi-j2x6fA1b7aAJeuhYQCUTy1moBzSACwU5qdB_WP1C1wTHScKABnwtjq30FEO_S-0h6Kun-RcwHg7_s/s3840/YJDQ6003.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLmT1PvkJS7oi3UMnsC9kYJtH-cBZTPyrdqd7yZZPLreWbSdGKQ5_y_qv4TWGm1PQVLivRnAhOP3dENNU9-sCAmB7TysC2UlTYL7abwTkm14cpi-j2x6fA1b7aAJeuhYQCUTy1moBzSACwU5qdB_WP1C1wTHScKABnwtjq30FEO_S-0h6Kun-RcwHg7_s/w640-h640/YJDQ6003.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8H7H_YdJOpKpzTUjc3dXCeRlPFd6ItgZ8XEYGi0Vbb0_PrxJaGPjXr32dZEZV4zNOC2CQSQYAVORlmqKSyfQzM_qaZ2quF1xUBmlyTYDxg2KmsAlMTZVng5ljTvRGPaNXp_xHD2ZUWGj47dFtRLdoimgnzPIs9LRFxr7Vw_ySTHjnazQMc8rhyphenhyphenrzuhG4/s3840/FHKG3867.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="858" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8H7H_YdJOpKpzTUjc3dXCeRlPFd6ItgZ8XEYGi0Vbb0_PrxJaGPjXr32dZEZV4zNOC2CQSQYAVORlmqKSyfQzM_qaZ2quF1xUBmlyTYDxg2KmsAlMTZVng5ljTvRGPaNXp_xHD2ZUWGj47dFtRLdoimgnzPIs9LRFxr7Vw_ySTHjnazQMc8rhyphenhyphenrzuhG4/w644-h858/FHKG3867.HEIC" width="644" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">We then stopped at Taktsang Cafeteria for 30 minutes for lunch break and more photos. Saw a Singaporean tour group at the cafeteria who are already on their way downhill.</span></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ5kXq6imqX0LaUMZe5GqzvWJG1W7Laau8KM1qHaq_Nv60ohZY5W7aMA9qeFjIhmcPqCDaZb2OltuyFdmtLPl-I26PhG4U_1w6lz5qI174eEw5RGs3u9h92Uf9kbahn2l4GIB69KMpeVAGA0ekn7WRvfoQu4bVEC4EZfe4vSxRK7BGdxznqN7lralv53k/s3840/XUQM6377.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="864" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ5kXq6imqX0LaUMZe5GqzvWJG1W7Laau8KM1qHaq_Nv60ohZY5W7aMA9qeFjIhmcPqCDaZb2OltuyFdmtLPl-I26PhG4U_1w6lz5qI174eEw5RGs3u9h92Uf9kbahn2l4GIB69KMpeVAGA0ekn7WRvfoQu4bVEC4EZfe4vSxRK7BGdxznqN7lralv53k/w647-h864/XUQM6377.HEIC" width="647" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Continued our 2nd half of the uphill hike at 12.50pm. I am so thankful to our tour guide, Karma, for helping and supporting mom the entire hike (on top of carrying my backpack). P.S. Mom is 67 this year so it's pretty good that she is still fit enough to do this hike.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlnUCxrvRL7MHzY_44OrSXm4-lQAMG32UWraXQltoJXorIEnOC43Qp_M3UMvhkKX2xeL86X9JLmRcSMqF70N5PKpI4uVv_z8auFkODDnOHBFSfgsDlnI56DX8dPYOjptWIJIuNTJCBruDrsopKD0OcrMLpVH_jJsPC_N6fhhmScrZcLMoiqfth-WLfc2o/s3840/MARG3779.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="808" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlnUCxrvRL7MHzY_44OrSXm4-lQAMG32UWraXQltoJXorIEnOC43Qp_M3UMvhkKX2xeL86X9JLmRcSMqF70N5PKpI4uVv_z8auFkODDnOHBFSfgsDlnI56DX8dPYOjptWIJIuNTJCBruDrsopKD0OcrMLpVH_jJsPC_N6fhhmScrZcLMoiqfth-WLfc2o/w647-h808/MARG3779.HEIC" width="647" /></span></a></div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">First glimpse of the Tiger Nest at 2.15pm. This is the first viewpoint...not the best one yet.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Tl9bBz07k5F_-d_TLuwExO4umANNpIcEHERu_Nb0lwmM504Rmhpu-Vo5hyphenhyphen-20NwCRR8t8R0dNTXp5E7pqnixAnrtAlTP9qd8FObml-GMK_KCrp6pa3wuOQxEwXFPDzduJwdzkxtbwwwCtDWBBJ63QaRkkGF1M76Urt1sEDziNw1YlFBwfumM07JUxQ0/s3840/TQTR8295.HEIC" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="857" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Tl9bBz07k5F_-d_TLuwExO4umANNpIcEHERu_Nb0lwmM504Rmhpu-Vo5hyphenhyphen-20NwCRR8t8R0dNTXp5E7pqnixAnrtAlTP9qd8FObml-GMK_KCrp6pa3wuOQxEwXFPDzduJwdzkxtbwwwCtDWBBJ63QaRkkGF1M76Urt1sEDziNw1YlFBwfumM07JUxQ0/w642-h857/TQTR8295.HEIC" width="642" /></span></a></span></div><div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Finally made it to the main viewpoint of this iconic landmark of Bhutan at 2.20pm...wow! It's amazing how the temple was built on the side of the cliff. This magnificent view of Tiger Nest was the main reason I wanted to come to Bhutan...mission accomplished!</span></div></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheeRaW1ba2xxdZ3UgJLWF6i7I3fm863ts7vPGsOkmxBNzCNZNa10IhG-oY9ZhcNjFkYAtV6jcNC88oJ_-OL5yP47iY0u2U1PcR4zQr4uuRXh0MNCZwqYC0G32YNY5eOxq6zngboIkymmljFtwap6bTjPjv3xLBg6DeOTs-Lu7hbRh1cPkL7tnlP7asl5c/s3840/EPQW8861.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheeRaW1ba2xxdZ3UgJLWF6i7I3fm863ts7vPGsOkmxBNzCNZNa10IhG-oY9ZhcNjFkYAtV6jcNC88oJ_-OL5yP47iY0u2U1PcR4zQr4uuRXh0MNCZwqYC0G32YNY5eOxq6zngboIkymmljFtwap6bTjPjv3xLBg6DeOTs-Lu7hbRh1cPkL7tnlP7asl5c/w640-h640/EPQW8861.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwHTdvVznYHTivFkjnw1g4cR_m5MSty9ZmCCUD5FUQlgzK3XS5fxTZef7PN-tVhnjxwy2n3TX0vlLyf1xt400duabJnjym_Iav4aZoURySCnd7n5tdkP1MiVMV63MOeRC66vGfJl_EzIFyEsFRnLs744jArukx0mSWRCtRtA7urFf6jpQPMp92022YoLI/s3840/SNSB5883.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwHTdvVznYHTivFkjnw1g4cR_m5MSty9ZmCCUD5FUQlgzK3XS5fxTZef7PN-tVhnjxwy2n3TX0vlLyf1xt400duabJnjym_Iav4aZoURySCnd7n5tdkP1MiVMV63MOeRC66vGfJl_EzIFyEsFRnLs744jArukx0mSWRCtRtA7urFf6jpQPMp92022YoLI/w640-h640/SNSB5883.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisbLw-qjlBmpUH_Ub3nAHcSlD68YVVBOMeoxueUqxTHxr1nBsq5EYJEzN5WdAM50gEGG_s5U4ESmc_IQDMuTePomIRVH7Yp6rHRqZnThNeu27KWfH2Qz0augxBfyE3oHux3ZGccTUNEhCnujMl5B-aVwPwCN08f57JEbY64zyYUKiC7Hc6uGwD9wc2Rzg/s3840/NPLB3208.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisbLw-qjlBmpUH_Ub3nAHcSlD68YVVBOMeoxueUqxTHxr1nBsq5EYJEzN5WdAM50gEGG_s5U4ESmc_IQDMuTePomIRVH7Yp6rHRqZnThNeu27KWfH2Qz0augxBfyE3oHux3ZGccTUNEhCnujMl5B-aVwPwCN08f57JEbY64zyYUKiC7Hc6uGwD9wc2Rzg/w640-h640/NPLB3208.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div>Took too may photos and videos here and I can't choose the best so I decided to just share all these same same but different photos...lol!</div><div><br /></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij6hc3P0dj15sJe9V6cNvdNK1GsEx9zsmA_ATmqSVpycxQLLsLftidxCrHtP08FncyYm2T0u7szkDn2TbGq3onWaCfORuPfA2zGFj1zd5by141U848b_b1T3rz8ykx1R8WDL_BIc-wH6cPFIpCtWfQfbvJqqVKd37X2sDqbtIQHa-aJSGSXJmBuIMMq60/s3840/MUVL1496.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij6hc3P0dj15sJe9V6cNvdNK1GsEx9zsmA_ATmqSVpycxQLLsLftidxCrHtP08FncyYm2T0u7szkDn2TbGq3onWaCfORuPfA2zGFj1zd5by141U848b_b1T3rz8ykx1R8WDL_BIc-wH6cPFIpCtWfQfbvJqqVKd37X2sDqbtIQHa-aJSGSXJmBuIMMq60/w640-h320/MUVL1496.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div>Think we were done with the hike? Not yet! Gotta go downhill then uphill again through all these steps to get to the temple...why???? So near yet so far...the temple was the only thing that was keeping us motivated. I was already thinking about all the steps we'd have to climb back up later. =.=</div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAUBkNRAAkAzsq7EjNak1clXET0natYdsxigbypiB_oLZCuC8GPuApWK-qlpCyv-9wqXzC1Xg9cLC4TUn9XvJpA-SuYXwk9ccvzO7fke5poxOEqlr1M4q-6SxoGNAgWD6S1CiTEF1fzz8RAshDI43g99YXQOdasgfRKzsm35igBksMYJLXdRYL6T8VVCs/s3840/IMHA1309.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="847" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAUBkNRAAkAzsq7EjNak1clXET0natYdsxigbypiB_oLZCuC8GPuApWK-qlpCyv-9wqXzC1Xg9cLC4TUn9XvJpA-SuYXwk9ccvzO7fke5poxOEqlr1M4q-6SxoGNAgWD6S1CiTEF1fzz8RAshDI43g99YXQOdasgfRKzsm35igBksMYJLXdRYL6T8VVCs/w635-h847/IMHA1309.HEIC" width="635" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Quick photo stop at this waterfall before more steps...</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNDuoUegCJk4YG7NpaC45_iMVnlkwC0KRBZCVCaVDAlzwd5SZiKhrNloKUaYyfKysmkQo8KW-ItBQcok14JXOi0to2o2x9q8HfuPoRqaorZ6qDMz362OBqOf_98jazVv-txoEsrUiP6iyFVKij0RI5tx4vLYibFEd1lAjqxZP21Jre0YS_4-GRZ1HkCE8/s3840/NAFJ9537.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="858" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNDuoUegCJk4YG7NpaC45_iMVnlkwC0KRBZCVCaVDAlzwd5SZiKhrNloKUaYyfKysmkQo8KW-ItBQcok14JXOi0to2o2x9q8HfuPoRqaorZ6qDMz362OBqOf_98jazVv-txoEsrUiP6iyFVKij0RI5tx4vLYibFEd1lAjqxZP21Jre0YS_4-GRZ1HkCE8/w644-h858/NAFJ9537.HEIC" width="644" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Made it through the final flight of steps and arrived at the temple 3.15pm after hiking for 4hr 15 min...definitely felt a</span><span style="font-family: "Open Sans";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Open Sans";">sense of accomplishment reaching this sacred site.</span><span style="font-family: "Open Sans";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Open Sans";">No cameras allowed in the temple so we deposited our belongings here before entering.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMZuCy5tBM0n7sHE4c7eW2lby4UYDOfluXFr3DTG0cHTeRzyqHmCvYce539AZeFKFyRoaSWoCHPR3yFuMW0KLvVe7KWVwF7Vh6C845mz9yH3EdlOKrNjyuq65PClMzmm0iTsT2iLRXB-sLkZVbiqsDhkYOTT_k0bdaDvWUtQkj-PvjcjKeeKitpTnmbS4/s2048/VGQU5424.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="849" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMZuCy5tBM0n7sHE4c7eW2lby4UYDOfluXFr3DTG0cHTeRzyqHmCvYce539AZeFKFyRoaSWoCHPR3yFuMW0KLvVe7KWVwF7Vh6C845mz9yH3EdlOKrNjyuq65PClMzmm0iTsT2iLRXB-sLkZVbiqsDhkYOTT_k0bdaDvWUtQkj-PvjcjKeeKitpTnmbS4/w636-h849/VGQU5424.HEIC" width="636" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div><div>Spent 1.5 hours touring the temple and I felt like we were the last tourists for the day. </div></div><div><br /></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcoNMez2XRRyVOUEsLq-_nr4UNbvcpS5mxGAdco1x7yG_J_5U9tiFnuYoAxdnmEn26qlLuJQ4TA4kIFfc4jhehgLeuhO0Y38SBJwRX-W8oMsCFhRAbXpvTrgOhEvNHIySv9MxBdkYN89Np5jw7zCmmbcdkzrMZSoOaZZiADk00usXJv8iS8c7sDiBkzaE/s3840/DDUW7720.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="866" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcoNMez2XRRyVOUEsLq-_nr4UNbvcpS5mxGAdco1x7yG_J_5U9tiFnuYoAxdnmEn26qlLuJQ4TA4kIFfc4jhehgLeuhO0Y38SBJwRX-W8oMsCFhRAbXpvTrgOhEvNHIySv9MxBdkYN89Np5jw7zCmmbcdkzrMZSoOaZZiADk00usXJv8iS8c7sDiBkzaE/w649-h866/DDUW7720.HEIC" width="649" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div><div>We started our hike back at 4.40pm. Remember all the steps we were going down earlier, this was the 'fun' part climbing back up all those steps. =.=</div></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1malaOcJwoeQLZiWHFXhyphenhyphenjRS4R2OtOzLWyRpzQXEdPBmDmY3-PPqADg5_CYgTmfseeBQCBbecgom46GQD4hftPQfonUWsi54EQfhRxw6r9DmmRh1T9tm0p2tkQ_jSIJEC3_BIQ8dI8OxtLIN08T_bC8FTWL2jNxBnjnWtJ5efr-ewOa6cdLdrxkgmJFE/s3840/UVLW6890.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1malaOcJwoeQLZiWHFXhyphenhyphenjRS4R2OtOzLWyRpzQXEdPBmDmY3-PPqADg5_CYgTmfseeBQCBbecgom46GQD4hftPQfonUWsi54EQfhRxw6r9DmmRh1T9tm0p2tkQ_jSIJEC3_BIQ8dI8OxtLIN08T_bC8FTWL2jNxBnjnWtJ5efr-ewOa6cdLdrxkgmJFE/w640-h426/UVLW6890.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC4YtqzGm7HJWWQ2QnU9b2V4RpqSxrEhnzbDD4d8bAuXb3vyxuoxpUIMfTKH8YUpDghtU2aFrYx1S6UJeF0TQgFrFex7ylVLSUx7zzl44Wq3cNVWOXREMIer_88_nk778_-X-gCBsxKSHwe1psyuX-SnkLPgpyYqiw60xFnUla3ogbGkWsh_Zt6JY57pE/s3840/LJFE1092.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC4YtqzGm7HJWWQ2QnU9b2V4RpqSxrEhnzbDD4d8bAuXb3vyxuoxpUIMfTKH8YUpDghtU2aFrYx1S6UJeF0TQgFrFex7ylVLSUx7zzl44Wq3cNVWOXREMIer_88_nk778_-X-gCBsxKSHwe1psyuX-SnkLPgpyYqiw60xFnUla3ogbGkWsh_Zt6JY57pE/w640-h480/LJFE1092.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">We were the last ones to leave the temple and all the tourists were gone so we had the trail all to ourselves and our hike back was tranquil and peaceful. One benefit of starting our hike late, the sun was shining on the temple at 5pm which was perfect for photos.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_ZE3LhYrVbJIjrMvj5Yvq01Tncoq8S0y6L4y8nLmLQgZHODiAmyjh67rM1AekOZlud1ILqVP6p_xPosCZLRuWRMgySiiDRORwTBEJ4espRelZ1Shpj0LQ-MXb5wrCkv76RKvFlEFfPjKPF2QWQuTiCfeEaMe7Ehtvl_Xr7eiTOlm613Zx5Yu_Gjdw78g/s5558/MEOZ5886.HEIC" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_ZE3LhYrVbJIjrMvj5Yvq01Tncoq8S0y6L4y8nLmLQgZHODiAmyjh67rM1AekOZlud1ILqVP6p_xPosCZLRuWRMgySiiDRORwTBEJ4espRelZ1Shpj0LQ-MXb5wrCkv76RKvFlEFfPjKPF2QWQuTiCfeEaMe7Ehtvl_Xr7eiTOlm613Zx5Yu_Gjdw78g/w640-h306/MEOZ5886.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">We were so lucky with this beautiful weather coz monsoon season had started already.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOnHYQdTZK7y_dunvRIlonqUKFEkL6jaJH_TsHTPBpgZfu76Piyp-sRi8ZSpaTNq_q9HufZrKnCl2-R6Vd12abhPg1IFyf0oy6sZroziIP4muFvjEyrLO-CG8U3TWgyReRvkZp5OQjp-EVv4_R_ZCrxqBX9zgBb89ZKui-Ejn1gPE-ILBr6V9rVoehkDY/s3840/UNQV5099.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="869" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOnHYQdTZK7y_dunvRIlonqUKFEkL6jaJH_TsHTPBpgZfu76Piyp-sRi8ZSpaTNq_q9HufZrKnCl2-R6Vd12abhPg1IFyf0oy6sZroziIP4muFvjEyrLO-CG8U3TWgyReRvkZp5OQjp-EVv4_R_ZCrxqBX9zgBb89ZKui-Ejn1gPE-ILBr6V9rVoehkDY/w652-h869/UNQV5099.HEIC" width="652" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Open Sans";">Fun fact...Bhutan is the ONLY carbon negative country in the world </span><span style="font-family: "Open Sans";">and more than 70% of the country is covered in forests. </span><span style="font-family: "Open Sans";">The Kingdom is undoubtedly one of the greenest countries in the world. It absorbs more greenhouse gases than it emits. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-yrNyBKBLwljT7-yUo3KZihf0gUyhIy3fFg_JXd3KyqBfYaVzb325djlqSh1slfH86UsK2TdHLpvk7T38QjnNrVSt5lsNiRgG-S6tnXRlniUqSccYAEj3svouFVnlN_LG7SUPRNi-1-Wo1nns0TKGiGiaPeMIsUwAB_MHQc3t_tP8OrclQOcBTPNpPrk/s3840/BEFU2654.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-yrNyBKBLwljT7-yUo3KZihf0gUyhIy3fFg_JXd3KyqBfYaVzb325djlqSh1slfH86UsK2TdHLpvk7T38QjnNrVSt5lsNiRgG-S6tnXRlniUqSccYAEj3svouFVnlN_LG7SUPRNi-1-Wo1nns0TKGiGiaPeMIsUwAB_MHQc3t_tP8OrclQOcBTPNpPrk/w640-h640/BEFU2654.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Few more photos of this magnificent view before we bid goodbye.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqD4FwH29fyzfs6JZQVyFyEpCrBrBzJ40FBIzsahyphenhyphen5VL3kiS7-RWbrhgyo7JyWSto3ILljwYwALzc9CiMfYOp_46XpyORlhFVr7Kr6zIl6pOjO2NAVF8YKFuylM1L8QtLvyAuZgI35c4q6qQlHLpnsxBKhM67mLvZohOTJ6qZOfVC590J4wgTuDOa5klE/s3840/EJKQ7390.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqD4FwH29fyzfs6JZQVyFyEpCrBrBzJ40FBIzsahyphenhyphen5VL3kiS7-RWbrhgyo7JyWSto3ILljwYwALzc9CiMfYOp_46XpyORlhFVr7Kr6zIl6pOjO2NAVF8YKFuylM1L8QtLvyAuZgI35c4q6qQlHLpnsxBKhM67mLvZohOTJ6qZOfVC590J4wgTuDOa5klE/w640-h640/EJKQ7390.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Prayer flags along the hike.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCWkZTPP2fM0-3Y8mvVEpSVEi9ibw5-2O5lg17V6gFb1PuYhV_vmpxk7cwrEgvAzOGSKDEgCV2lNHSoxaApGyZOZBkOjX5G_C-EFbfLXGzaSpEAK12QlWWkzhR4_YZRBW_SBuiBqbvVfr7y4xCD4_hhiNh5mAgyBODIBbXlGxXS5diXIPe8x_dRusmMbo/s3840/NLIB3643.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCWkZTPP2fM0-3Y8mvVEpSVEi9ibw5-2O5lg17V6gFb1PuYhV_vmpxk7cwrEgvAzOGSKDEgCV2lNHSoxaApGyZOZBkOjX5G_C-EFbfLXGzaSpEAK12QlWWkzhR4_YZRBW_SBuiBqbvVfr7y4xCD4_hhiNh5mAgyBODIBbXlGxXS5diXIPe8x_dRusmMbo/w640-h480/NLIB3643.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Benefit of doing this hike in the summer...longer days as the sun sets only around 6.40pm. Along the way, we saw a monk and horses carrying goods to the temple. The monk was going to the temple for meditation.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFieCklndpPKxHCbSvdVbL1zYYClWgS6OsO1OutFHrE2yauUQz9BU3V1shrV41vy7m0aceQUS4Vww8EZd5U-PlGGVnUisroY3jNBWqU4_RiU88z80ulnmPYWoPG4eNXz_pgNzfjr2fTgO4CU5_YJeBQCll5YKaaLyI9DFDr5ziXwk9lm9_b2onmWrfV_A/s3840/CVRH3149.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFieCklndpPKxHCbSvdVbL1zYYClWgS6OsO1OutFHrE2yauUQz9BU3V1shrV41vy7m0aceQUS4Vww8EZd5U-PlGGVnUisroY3jNBWqU4_RiU88z80ulnmPYWoPG4eNXz_pgNzfjr2fTgO4CU5_YJeBQCll5YKaaLyI9DFDr5ziXwk9lm9_b2onmWrfV_A/w640-h640/CVRH3149.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Open Sans";">Going downhill was certainly much easier and faster. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Open Sans";"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfrTdQ0v73BXYSXaT2asJiLJaLgokMTZAzAG0hXaiW_XnzUhFBcDTk48T3lnfp2MkbGDEvuPjLllGiJ5MkCChGyk9s8XeS8i4eN3JF90bFvpLXuh_OxPnw5yFw7EdRVCdamXQrSgt6LyUu4sHyhA5RxdzrR09L8PQrriGBuYsooHbDHbBToTkDQiqrsX8/s3840/FEUA7969.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="861" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfrTdQ0v73BXYSXaT2asJiLJaLgokMTZAzAG0hXaiW_XnzUhFBcDTk48T3lnfp2MkbGDEvuPjLllGiJ5MkCChGyk9s8XeS8i4eN3JF90bFvpLXuh_OxPnw5yFw7EdRVCdamXQrSgt6LyUu4sHyhA5RxdzrR09L8PQrriGBuYsooHbDHbBToTkDQiqrsX8/w646-h861/FEUA7969.HEIC" width="646" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Finally completed our hike at 6.35pm after 7.5 hours roundtrip hike! Time for a 2-hour drive to Thimphu, the capital city of Bhutan where we were staying for the night. Mom and I napped almost the entire way and it was already dark by the time we arrived Thimphu. Drove by Memorial Choten on our way to the hotel.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvcZvDokhJGXltMzqvfCzPKSHRmg6kCimaV1eSMVQzFZ0RsGyAQBwW5ZDBH4oImC_M7Jr7HDp_lG6vUwOoMNp9rSGLAB1wWbDKDEmI-HLA9NJUtdYxPIgoNnJcUpAmv6gzy80aYdqS1PLleAo2znlnDa_fw6kJqueRLk6ErW4CdCj2QvyUrJT4SKBU12k/s3840/JQRD0893.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvcZvDokhJGXltMzqvfCzPKSHRmg6kCimaV1eSMVQzFZ0RsGyAQBwW5ZDBH4oImC_M7Jr7HDp_lG6vUwOoMNp9rSGLAB1wWbDKDEmI-HLA9NJUtdYxPIgoNnJcUpAmv6gzy80aYdqS1PLleAo2znlnDa_fw6kJqueRLk6ErW4CdCj2QvyUrJT4SKBU12k/w640-h480/JQRD0893.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Finally made it to our hotel at 8.30pm! It had been a loooong day as we were up since 4am, traveled from India to Bhutan, and completed a 7.5 hour hike. The hotel staff welcomed us with khata and asked us to take a seat while they completed our check-in. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6VC9BiBgbWzieV-229Kzvnmu4P4J3f7XjphtDUrq7OouUy0lY4vkLgY2fVXMVUUjWNd4E7rTIdAcEwgotgXS6M2fJRRmy1cVNBvPFLlxts0Zg5UAcpNfv0X_seyk8Y3zLnlzio8VVipSa9dCscJGoyLLPb9kjdwZfbvUxsIJ5U_N7HQ9U9__f8MbrKtY/s3840/GCZR5074.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6VC9BiBgbWzieV-229Kzvnmu4P4J3f7XjphtDUrq7OouUy0lY4vkLgY2fVXMVUUjWNd4E7rTIdAcEwgotgXS6M2fJRRmy1cVNBvPFLlxts0Zg5UAcpNfv0X_seyk8Y3zLnlzio8VVipSa9dCscJGoyLLPb9kjdwZfbvUxsIJ5U_N7HQ9U9__f8MbrKtY/w640-h640/GCZR5074.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Thank you Le Meridien Thimphu for the complimentary upgrade to the Junior Suite (401).</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiko8d095jXLoah3l9i7idMDlALbxaq1rjA892cwI6lk6bQl3Xp7-k_zgmyIFbL6cUhg8BnOJiBRsxXSZAt-gEAwH8tlSWWbhtasljMVbJY2atDhkCYkljD_TAgBSAt4iu7h7TEILCqNIHgyIowc-Wa66y5NxJDpL2xH3bSaWULLkKnVGlqsMS72PO_ifE/s3840/BZZA2288.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiko8d095jXLoah3l9i7idMDlALbxaq1rjA892cwI6lk6bQl3Xp7-k_zgmyIFbL6cUhg8BnOJiBRsxXSZAt-gEAwH8tlSWWbhtasljMVbJY2atDhkCYkljD_TAgBSAt4iu7h7TEILCqNIHgyIowc-Wa66y5NxJDpL2xH3bSaWULLkKnVGlqsMS72PO_ifE/w640-h640/BZZA2288.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">The hotel also gave us some welcome snacks. Ordered room service for dinner at 9.40pm...our first full meal for the day...whoops! </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><b>12 June 2023 (Mon): Le Meridien Thimphu - Buddha Point - Paro Dzong - Le Meridien Paro</b></span></div></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8fISX26xbAzw2asbTdx6dQLwIRXTnwDyI62jjK8BoQ6tJnAL7-MgTlt8hB-AWAmNTjBOeZr1YW1BLnE_hC4sC9mTmu2LypGlkozIM69e42lmnV9vytRbNAVsegdGIYxa2VlUouRp4EKNzYQ8xRXYqdRwoahuIvlVptlV0jCpG345JKLxuzICdeNls0Dw/s3840/XRGP0722.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8fISX26xbAzw2asbTdx6dQLwIRXTnwDyI62jjK8BoQ6tJnAL7-MgTlt8hB-AWAmNTjBOeZr1YW1BLnE_hC4sC9mTmu2LypGlkozIM69e42lmnV9vytRbNAVsegdGIYxa2VlUouRp4EKNzYQ8xRXYqdRwoahuIvlVptlV0jCpG345JKLxuzICdeNls0Dw/w640-h640/XRGP0722.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">We asked Karma to come pick us up later so we had a leisurely morning. If you think I 'tortured' mom with the hike the day before...you're incorrect. She still had energy to go for a swim at the indoor heated pool, while I was still recovering from the hike...lol!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqKdQ5ctmjaSNIdwsDCHN5_NPsGZ4aOsHDhzLCXYWdw79d5cJqcZRjEqsJdzsVNu4xnQOMsQ9XO9KsMXy8RY-qWurzo5ipB2rrrBaiZE4EWc54C5H5ZsxJo4oz3RwUlbkqAIG0SuE7x1m36QA8hcRyZJkwLMthZS2jQpQsBq8FBrk9cXOnH8TDc66Vmmo/s3840/TVDL0270.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqKdQ5ctmjaSNIdwsDCHN5_NPsGZ4aOsHDhzLCXYWdw79d5cJqcZRjEqsJdzsVNu4xnQOMsQ9XO9KsMXy8RY-qWurzo5ipB2rrrBaiZE4EWc54C5H5ZsxJo4oz3RwUlbkqAIG0SuE7x1m36QA8hcRyZJkwLMthZS2jQpQsBq8FBrk9cXOnH8TDc66Vmmo/w640-h480/TVDL0270.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUQ4dgcOYdFcHYrC9mSOOHI4-3Rnfz1lWxwygW7VqHW21s1fDlMuKipIu6CL6_GAhoZXj2dwkvS-4GILszh4Sn6MhjSs35xoZLpqIcloeAmw2yzumJrw0yAU2-hHOTy8KntoEEYWN5mhsiEhOjo9b8QTg792AQZzXrvh_j1yG3uIDsqzfQnLoN8v6FNHQ/s3840/SLQK9217.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUQ4dgcOYdFcHYrC9mSOOHI4-3Rnfz1lWxwygW7VqHW21s1fDlMuKipIu6CL6_GAhoZXj2dwkvS-4GILszh4Sn6MhjSs35xoZLpqIcloeAmw2yzumJrw0yAU2-hHOTy8KntoEEYWN5mhsiEhOjo9b8QTg792AQZzXrvh_j1yG3uIDsqzfQnLoN8v6FNHQ/w640-h320/SLQK9217.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Complimentary buffet breakfast (brunch for us) at the hotel at 9.30am.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJTPyOtPqN3RmIqHpwRQ2q5hUN1Tky2EEjcQ8dvpNbLvl6HHnIj0HKJc-AqMJzKr4cADWsShvZQ61aJP5F_Rrh6sR-K8qOFsVyvhaeVi5Ru2DMl1Vx49fD9uCuqfsltbuhLoUH8K02o1qXZ7PSBtcsrCBUZ9QjAG-F2HFHhUkREeNuW73uJvYDSqXJ8BU/s3840/VRNH0817.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJTPyOtPqN3RmIqHpwRQ2q5hUN1Tky2EEjcQ8dvpNbLvl6HHnIj0HKJc-AqMJzKr4cADWsShvZQ61aJP5F_Rrh6sR-K8qOFsVyvhaeVi5Ru2DMl1Vx49fD9uCuqfsltbuhLoUH8K02o1qXZ7PSBtcsrCBUZ9QjAG-F2HFHhUkREeNuW73uJvYDSqXJ8BU/w640-h640/VRNH0817.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">After a relaxing morning, we checked out and started day 2 of our tour at 11am.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDZO_hMTzFv2NVmjFyR8Tfw6yPGSwu458VoqHbLcrdpag8DzZldrRvjWpvdYlloQxeASA4PZdBWcBWfGcXXwcNiALhB8TYVcIpx7LNZHM4en7tUT_jcrkNHicdTruWJHCygG64j20QjIvJ_ed008D_1_nfpTqszKC_wB1KMRZKwjFGUB3O5VDOShsqdmI/s3840/SFVL9319.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDZO_hMTzFv2NVmjFyR8Tfw6yPGSwu458VoqHbLcrdpag8DzZldrRvjWpvdYlloQxeASA4PZdBWcBWfGcXXwcNiALhB8TYVcIpx7LNZHM4en7tUT_jcrkNHicdTruWJHCygG64j20QjIvJ_ed008D_1_nfpTqszKC_wB1KMRZKwjFGUB3O5VDOShsqdmI/w640-h640/SFVL9319.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5SdaZsbvnicZ2eOc4-re5Xkph4dqLRJnAx3MRx1bYfQZkYPW1mJYCwoOffZSHGTl7xMjv91X2FSKy2pO5Nf1wusQxSa4IAKIDxIbs6vtz9qThknN_EaRTJ4eHqUs-Yca-dC6Bl06w1_Sbn80R0EgBGOeyd2rzn8eCZ1XfIXF1HAfDRCq3kUCAEyrfCAc/s3840/FMAF9907.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5SdaZsbvnicZ2eOc4-re5Xkph4dqLRJnAx3MRx1bYfQZkYPW1mJYCwoOffZSHGTl7xMjv91X2FSKy2pO5Nf1wusQxSa4IAKIDxIbs6vtz9qThknN_EaRTJ4eHqUs-Yca-dC6Bl06w1_Sbn80R0EgBGOeyd2rzn8eCZ1XfIXF1HAfDRCq3kUCAEyrfCAc/w640-h480/FMAF9907.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Our first stop of the day...Buddha Point at 11.30am. This gigantic Buddha statue was built in 2015 to </span><span style="font-family: "Open Sans";">honor the 60th birthday of Jigme Singye Wangchuck, the fourth king of Bhutan. No photos allowed inside the building but there are 125,000 miniature Buddhas encapsulated inside to represent the population in Thimphu at that time.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKsOACiaump5UlSvR-ftzfoquYyn0PaaNdOSUJ7GlM-GYQibRcgiJvyUjUSsDF7dQA8zOqYZClkZKdIrG2MZzX-IoTxGkBD4z_bbFqVam3xjrCBbUWYI4kgueH901guUTE32BvGIuuBrxoVfRfKMNukmPU68hkl3zOU_Tycqo8ZCgch2laLP9vllFXXMw/s3840/BMWD5407.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKsOACiaump5UlSvR-ftzfoquYyn0PaaNdOSUJ7GlM-GYQibRcgiJvyUjUSsDF7dQA8zOqYZClkZKdIrG2MZzX-IoTxGkBD4z_bbFqVam3xjrCBbUWYI4kgueH901guUTE32BvGIuuBrxoVfRfKMNukmPU68hkl3zOU_Tycqo8ZCgch2laLP9vllFXXMw/w640-h480/BMWD5407.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">So glad we decided to do the Tiger Nest hike yesterday as it was cloudy and gloomy on the 2nd day. Another fun fact...there is no traffic light in Bhutan, and the photo on the top right is the busiest street in Bhutan with a traffic police guiding traffic in the roundabout.</span></div><div><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEzKiO03oL2HWtZYRO0f5CBFBG0xquw4IF-P3DiQ0OVFH0sWSiyPkHGS67VhmNqty9ley9GJKKIc-f1v1QBAfNafO_NGlLdQ2CkIN3a7GDypQ9XBAuxUKFKOEVycWKL9yYIVyO2NtoUvz0yDx0hYUzTydgKIPLxDrprI8sK9IjB2gfjl-n2HcpfEPFQzI/s3840/CAPK9163.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2878" data-original-width="3840" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEzKiO03oL2HWtZYRO0f5CBFBG0xquw4IF-P3DiQ0OVFH0sWSiyPkHGS67VhmNqty9ley9GJKKIc-f1v1QBAfNafO_NGlLdQ2CkIN3a7GDypQ9XBAuxUKFKOEVycWKL9yYIVyO2NtoUvz0yDx0hYUzTydgKIPLxDrprI8sK9IjB2gfjl-n2HcpfEPFQzI/w640-h480/CAPK9163.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div>Thimphu Dzong from far. We didn't visit this dzong as we were planning to go to Paro Dzong later. Besides, this dzong has entrance fee while Paro Dzong is free.</div></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4MUcPlcVyvG5R9w_7BqSftrnbgHCOElTlBHlJIIKAWuuS3o7b8N9458hca6OzPUq8ytvghbDseFP36pMWU3-oPwvBELAWSIMTzakz0V7ZWBe2d9HFOxR6BmtEiDARdSUhRjWNWsllO7nDAg5ijARwOdjF3FbZevPgXqmJOZH-jUPaJcCCTinhlTtWkOA/s3840/SVUW7501.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4MUcPlcVyvG5R9w_7BqSftrnbgHCOElTlBHlJIIKAWuuS3o7b8N9458hca6OzPUq8ytvghbDseFP36pMWU3-oPwvBELAWSIMTzakz0V7ZWBe2d9HFOxR6BmtEiDARdSUhRjWNWsllO7nDAg5ijARwOdjF3FbZevPgXqmJOZH-jUPaJcCCTinhlTtWkOA/w640-h480/SVUW7501.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">That's all for our quick tour of Thimphu. Time to drive through the mountains back to Paro. Bhutan is a very mountainous country. Even though the weather was not as pretty as the day before, we were still lucky that it didn't rain.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpR4NoKdQWARnV47X1BX9YAdOuJmlNB-5sU5JE9qhtoarhcDhBe9udTHUX61-eW6FH1Akt1WnoeNJrqX5d6R2ZwKEFsaa0pfKPTiskp-8tlqfsC876Iq5_PPpSxnOCwOxAqpVIzPt0AHGK33OV09lEznYoZvYz65TY5HLd0D2R987xLBOvLbQ8Bj0HZdg/s3840/HUAH6326.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpR4NoKdQWARnV47X1BX9YAdOuJmlNB-5sU5JE9qhtoarhcDhBe9udTHUX61-eW6FH1Akt1WnoeNJrqX5d6R2ZwKEFsaa0pfKPTiskp-8tlqfsC876Iq5_PPpSxnOCwOxAqpVIzPt0AHGK33OV09lEznYoZvYz65TY5HLd0D2R987xLBOvLbQ8Bj0HZdg/w640-h480/HUAH6326.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Drove through Paro town and made a quick stop for Karma to pick up his format outfit before heading to Paro Dzong. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvn3i6oMF4yyeMm-vfHnKuO5WeYaXrVpdKgBbwTRcNplKJ3kb4Osi9N_DoT5ytp7aa2eNGtBU2hPv9kE7asTC-HJVUERIabmL13ykWburWInseRonGBEadQRx61tl2hJhbNHImsVSHBxMrMS4PF11VDMFEJPM2CHoH3lYLdLCYE7jjU3FYQ5qfHgZmNZ0/s3840/EJLK0939.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvn3i6oMF4yyeMm-vfHnKuO5WeYaXrVpdKgBbwTRcNplKJ3kb4Osi9N_DoT5ytp7aa2eNGtBU2hPv9kE7asTC-HJVUERIabmL13ykWburWInseRonGBEadQRx61tl2hJhbNHImsVSHBxMrMS4PF11VDMFEJPM2CHoH3lYLdLCYE7jjU3FYQ5qfHgZmNZ0/w640-h640/EJLK0939.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Our 2nd (and last) stop for the day...Paro Dzong. There weren't any other tourists around when we arrived at 2.30pm. There is no entrance fee for this dzong. The security guard said no short sleeves/shorts so Karma helped us get our jackets from the van.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsGlaia7F0PmKN4BivpoeXVZr-bc6a17UjVd8XR0O_aNbC_Rzac_LSKSeiUY1gYSgFBzzVdVe7xU4viGZ9q-3Z6t2fFoaFWk0fbVEgTsYGoNo3ivahM5g26n391_6v1VJdoSBrwVe9IrxKkKvAoYiuFjzN5xg8mmFRKaIQt7FSfhPuEIyIjZCOgb-r-AQ/s3840/JALW9580.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsGlaia7F0PmKN4BivpoeXVZr-bc6a17UjVd8XR0O_aNbC_Rzac_LSKSeiUY1gYSgFBzzVdVe7xU4viGZ9q-3Z6t2fFoaFWk0fbVEgTsYGoNo3ivahM5g26n391_6v1VJdoSBrwVe9IrxKkKvAoYiuFjzN5xg8mmFRKaIQt7FSfhPuEIyIjZCOgb-r-AQ/w640-h640/JALW9580.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Open Sans";">The dzongs in Bhutan serve two main purposes...administrative (government office) and religious (monastery). </span><span style="font-family: "Open Sans";">Bhutan is the only Buddhist Kingdom in the world and Buddhism is the official religion of Bhutan. It is impressive that e</span><span style="font-family: "Open Sans";">ven with globalization, Bhutan has been able to preserve their Buddhist traditions.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7lpMU1wPZwOtcSf9Nal59LrbMBIRgdqdDlPxYOvMamFNmOM7ba4hhTAn_-hSNWSazD6FH8M1cJJI9MEOTPsoeIM-chMs0Nhb04DHd_w2fXm4nL_luA5UchbIAsJ9uIekj3mrYQ2Gg3E9e0CbKQkmcg3dF6AF294oR-VOKNPlLNrl2A2Utdq9xVC9-g_o/s3840/DDEX2354.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7lpMU1wPZwOtcSf9Nal59LrbMBIRgdqdDlPxYOvMamFNmOM7ba4hhTAn_-hSNWSazD6FH8M1cJJI9MEOTPsoeIM-chMs0Nhb04DHd_w2fXm4nL_luA5UchbIAsJ9uIekj3mrYQ2Gg3E9e0CbKQkmcg3dF6AF294oR-VOKNPlLNrl2A2Utdq9xVC9-g_o/w640-h640/DDEX2354.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Cool architecture in Paro Dzong. </span><span style="font-family: "Open Sans";">The multi-coloured wood, small arched windows and sloped roofs are definitely prominent features of the architectures in Bhutan. </span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6blOGSuzEWD0CU5NsCdBWutG_iggIREvQHTVfuHhoHniYXIGJuyFS4scyC2mfscoPhtSvuSeXAHdlG9yfwA7mV4HiWm2sJFbdbg9BiuPimZjWRnhNGegj2oiCh9yyQ68vlnxMoaje31N5czjo9KnFosvoT3Whj-ZhyNOGzzx7q6Bp_ms59qvPLMrVPZ8/s3840/PAMQ3961.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6blOGSuzEWD0CU5NsCdBWutG_iggIREvQHTVfuHhoHniYXIGJuyFS4scyC2mfscoPhtSvuSeXAHdlG9yfwA7mV4HiWm2sJFbdbg9BiuPimZjWRnhNGegj2oiCh9yyQ68vlnxMoaje31N5czjo9KnFosvoT3Whj-ZhyNOGzzx7q6Bp_ms59qvPLMrVPZ8/w640-h480/PAMQ3961.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div>View of Paro from Paro Dzong.</div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdgsnPBtaWzgu9q9v-2GuhZcN6_cpNxYkYvSAV4V8vxtE_HatuGaxJ57WUDJ-NOpNPDrkCeNP9DMkEmj7fKAOhkoX8rVT714uZoWPN6pLwRP2TeLcV2W8OCXVflRH973RMPvxjkv6TVu1zLO2eX-L9UxKWv1-sDH3PH6XM5q2ovA1fR_RjDIgQXKEPEec/s3840/DWRU4672.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdgsnPBtaWzgu9q9v-2GuhZcN6_cpNxYkYvSAV4V8vxtE_HatuGaxJ57WUDJ-NOpNPDrkCeNP9DMkEmj7fKAOhkoX8rVT714uZoWPN6pLwRP2TeLcV2W8OCXVflRH973RMPvxjkv6TVu1zLO2eX-L9UxKWv1-sDH3PH6XM5q2ovA1fR_RjDIgQXKEPEec/w640-h480/DWRU4672.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div>After spending about an hour in Paro Dzong, we drove through Paro town again to head to our hotel. I was suprised to see Uniqlo here. </div></span></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAZWcWN7kfe4KNqB5Otyo8IlwurwlvvigV7AXq4KWgHX8UbVNswQPsTiNkjnl1HRkyQBMdpX4T6HMyEdp8Na51bFqUSOFvlHJe_ShZjuqH5Bo0nQrPvnMp_JCQGRsni2inpQCQo91IT3JM_xe3pLWKZwkDmiIeP18W08ZSY7ysHVj7P9b_3vWf199SU2c/s3840/HIFR3978.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="850" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAZWcWN7kfe4KNqB5Otyo8IlwurwlvvigV7AXq4KWgHX8UbVNswQPsTiNkjnl1HRkyQBMdpX4T6HMyEdp8Na51bFqUSOFvlHJe_ShZjuqH5Bo0nQrPvnMp_JCQGRsni2inpQCQo91IT3JM_xe3pLWKZwkDmiIeP18W08ZSY7ysHVj7P9b_3vWf199SU2c/w638-h850/HIFR3978.HEIC" width="638" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div>Paro Dzong a different view point.</div></span></div></span></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIX4eQQAWrkPDuRbLQn06XGEO0xgSA4YMiWlyG2AgLHgjWR0pVl8riaklo3FznTPwZIhl_PcnAfToEqwEkWWHd656QFz4-ZGwmIaU3VKNxZa_a4RNsn_PZFmcrrRHm8Sccm88peLNd7TqCtgr3xkUFqACEZgWH39AqNmUXN1N1ZMb5dB92zhdchQ2hH0U/s3840/EFZE1794.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIX4eQQAWrkPDuRbLQn06XGEO0xgSA4YMiWlyG2AgLHgjWR0pVl8riaklo3FznTPwZIhl_PcnAfToEqwEkWWHd656QFz4-ZGwmIaU3VKNxZa_a4RNsn_PZFmcrrRHm8Sccm88peLNd7TqCtgr3xkUFqACEZgWH39AqNmUXN1N1ZMb5dB92zhdchQ2hH0U/w640-h640/EFZE1794.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div>Final photo stop before heading back to the hotel. Took a selfie with our super helpful tour guide, Karma, before we wrapped up our tour. P.S. Bhutanese wear their national dress on a daily basis. Men wear the gho while women wear kira.</div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuRQve5QmsYXB4YUmK7S9A_dggsvX6LzL0ibOoWJFEHj9WgGYdnrEiUa30YXgcZZO5VjkV-fhSdpcXZsZcUDj7ieAWaYeT8sEVuNATVQ6LcFpBTMoW9BW7IgnK50xE-AyJttiwIujU8Pg_xq3MUIJLsAsJgmNYoqW1nrXZ0LNp5cGN1WuecuW2b2x4Fy4/s3840/DJVQ6489.HEIC" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuRQve5QmsYXB4YUmK7S9A_dggsvX6LzL0ibOoWJFEHj9WgGYdnrEiUa30YXgcZZO5VjkV-fhSdpcXZsZcUDj7ieAWaYeT8sEVuNATVQ6LcFpBTMoW9BW7IgnK50xE-AyJttiwIujU8Pg_xq3MUIJLsAsJgmNYoqW1nrXZ0LNp5cGN1WuecuW2b2x4Fy4/w640-h480/DJVQ6489.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div>Arrived Le Meridien Paro Riverfront at 4pm and invited Karma to have late lunch / early dinner with us at the hotel restaurant. Tried some local Bhutanese dishes.</div><div><br /></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjekOYBiwf9cs6oXE-Z7CQivJBnbyKUtj53p1kfA5UvLquNWs11ZPSya8Q9tTjCS0WaTRtuhVRSgS86S2KvhQvjCTWfr-iZu7EDs_Ajs3sOTgqOKcB_X8vTSjDoeQ6vWuJ4kN_hm-Le4kUOn2GLaxH6vJCKxJ94Uby9CABbdYpGG_jJvbCLzSSPu_wjUpo/s3840/SUPK1581.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="856" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjekOYBiwf9cs6oXE-Z7CQivJBnbyKUtj53p1kfA5UvLquNWs11ZPSya8Q9tTjCS0WaTRtuhVRSgS86S2KvhQvjCTWfr-iZu7EDs_Ajs3sOTgqOKcB_X8vTSjDoeQ6vWuJ4kN_hm-Le4kUOn2GLaxH6vJCKxJ94Uby9CABbdYpGG_jJvbCLzSSPu_wjUpo/w641-h856/SUPK1581.HEIC" width="641" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div><div>Thank you Le Meridien Paro for the complimentary upgrade to a Corner Suite (0314), welcome snack, and beautiful deco on the bed to welcome us!</div><div><br /></div></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSwigZK4uXiBILk77XbkEkONzPZmJM17I7c4w6H_8B0R6IH_00K3B9qwuBfpS8B5f1UGFUL52XiEfi6HoItyooxRVr8W8WKjaSvP6UnMTJl72QI76MNBcXD79ZE6rv2TdUgpk4itFxoH7r6hKG80bgylavg62qTMAwBuTlmn34y2S61AlR-hwYJzC2xHA/s3840/ITQR9157.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSwigZK4uXiBILk77XbkEkONzPZmJM17I7c4w6H_8B0R6IH_00K3B9qwuBfpS8B5f1UGFUL52XiEfi6HoItyooxRVr8W8WKjaSvP6UnMTJl72QI76MNBcXD79ZE6rv2TdUgpk4itFxoH7r6hKG80bgylavg62qTMAwBuTlmn34y2S61AlR-hwYJzC2xHA/w640-h480/ITQR9157.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"> View of the river and stupa from our room.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOZtHPN1_dTl3Zs1A3BZugAN50Zltd3zASXbTQ5z2LPgfiITrPF8eMRyELnycW9sloARgyp-NZqpe2lOZnpos0W_B3NPGPhnuPygBEA-NO4E6pXi4FrKMmkCP2If5z83yz5pImOZUPAecmPifHAdBI1YNlW9VYPgsZL4FTWWcCJB7Rj3Hp8XROrUK7mQ4/s3840/QFFU3378.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="861" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOZtHPN1_dTl3Zs1A3BZugAN50Zltd3zASXbTQ5z2LPgfiITrPF8eMRyELnycW9sloARgyp-NZqpe2lOZnpos0W_B3NPGPhnuPygBEA-NO4E6pXi4FrKMmkCP2If5z83yz5pImOZUPAecmPifHAdBI1YNlW9VYPgsZL4FTWWcCJB7Rj3Hp8XROrUK7mQ4/w646-h861/QFFU3378.HEIC" width="646" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div>The hotel doesn't have a lounge so they offered happy hour for Marriott elite members at the bar in the lobby. We were the only ones there for the Happy Hour...lol! We made ourselves comfortable and hung out there enjoying the food and drinks until it got dark. </div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8FGEXgOW9Ea9Fma4wRNCvX2xjPSgCDrG9yxvywQJf_cTTeA8DoqLYF_sO7acf6yfTLOfPV68XLZ9uaat2LRvEba3_l7NgLUMBpLQjk69UDdCo5r8KZMTtCF87HOawSVkEbywtzDNMkUjIJ98iz4Wn65hblnjuCRdLFvr2dicy5V1j1X8aNjP9O_-fbqE/s3840/GBSR5662.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8FGEXgOW9Ea9Fma4wRNCvX2xjPSgCDrG9yxvywQJf_cTTeA8DoqLYF_sO7acf6yfTLOfPV68XLZ9uaat2LRvEba3_l7NgLUMBpLQjk69UDdCo5r8KZMTtCF87HOawSVkEbywtzDNMkUjIJ98iz4Wn65hblnjuCRdLFvr2dicy5V1j1X8aNjP9O_-fbqE/w640-h640/GBSR5662.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Mom had red wine while I had the Druk (not drunk) beer. We ordered each of the vegetarian and non-vegetarian platter from the club lounge menu. This was too much 'food' to be considered 'snack'. It took awhile for the food to be served but we're thankful to have all these for free during happy hour. =)</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><b>13 June 2023 (Tues): Paro - Kolkata</b></span></div></div></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1FHwYSQHgw0M_t0PQUYHKNqM6SHnvAt3VEfSJQE2wXS9Fx83J5qFe2pgGAzTO3dhnwB_VKl2mSk_TJUizAHwyHEz3jg0FIzgVhEzLVm6JqweRIKK2vt2V8il8Fm_A2ALcJsZ0XYJS4FQZq3Bt-hckOs0EsKAx-dkKMM9TseLRzbx9jWn7FlxVXfb6EkE/s3840/OOLT7951.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1FHwYSQHgw0M_t0PQUYHKNqM6SHnvAt3VEfSJQE2wXS9Fx83J5qFe2pgGAzTO3dhnwB_VKl2mSk_TJUizAHwyHEz3jg0FIzgVhEzLVm6JqweRIKK2vt2V8il8Fm_A2ALcJsZ0XYJS4FQZq3Bt-hckOs0EsKAx-dkKMM9TseLRzbx9jWn7FlxVXfb6EkE/w640-h640/OOLT7951.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Complimentary buffet breakfast at the hotel before checking out.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnuZRRhWvX2M2f8zdjOC8NuTdUCOs-JkZ1u7vQwyzBnLChP8FmZMO1s3o1kOdjxAzW-8mlzXEYJ0id4aNUJ7nxOOG0Smb_Ls9yefObHEk-Bl02lOOOZ-Yx5Rfl__t4MYAYXQm1hcAVm6ZVzg6gzEr870i4rySca2dQWOgA71BNGNJCyQD7UZTkXChKJww/s3840/YEGC4930.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnuZRRhWvX2M2f8zdjOC8NuTdUCOs-JkZ1u7vQwyzBnLChP8FmZMO1s3o1kOdjxAzW-8mlzXEYJ0id4aNUJ7nxOOG0Smb_Ls9yefObHEk-Bl02lOOOZ-Yx5Rfl__t4MYAYXQm1hcAVm6ZVzg6gzEr870i4rySca2dQWOgA71BNGNJCyQD7UZTkXChKJww/w640-h640/YEGC4930.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZfufTWuHqaxyXGVlUw5-B90orGBizuKh8So-F0N-z3pZT9rm6jXVwbTVVIbwEZyVsECa-R9giTY3Qtg0B0ky6nIq-whHyF_viOT8yf8V-v09aMKXPpQSJcZ7YorKD8jlaou8n89KONU1LEU1hzBu4oLEZHcosGezD2l5m0Yyc8TWUw0OXUgUeeibPdho/s3840/GUJX2853.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZfufTWuHqaxyXGVlUw5-B90orGBizuKh8So-F0N-z3pZT9rm6jXVwbTVVIbwEZyVsECa-R9giTY3Qtg0B0ky6nIq-whHyF_viOT8yf8V-v09aMKXPpQSJcZ7YorKD8jlaou8n89KONU1LEU1hzBu4oLEZHcosGezD2l5m0Yyc8TWUw0OXUgUeeibPdho/w640-h640/GUJX2853.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Came out to take some photos of the hotel surroundings before checking out at 8.30am.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpXYDFtOqhQkBJkENsorlpKhLYPStrhCanATeEPCtZkebL2d0uzw3Oql4cfcyrinsK3eowOYbrf-6gLABvSl9NUacmn1nyMSu7BORuzRD9eai_WmLFgZ_11_aE9KsVepfKeHHMpGLpLFy-jIyScRtNxX_uJ4lXV0WsYAsI0RVyK4iO9eA2kYDeN1Y9K98/s3840/HNTR8584.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpXYDFtOqhQkBJkENsorlpKhLYPStrhCanATeEPCtZkebL2d0uzw3Oql4cfcyrinsK3eowOYbrf-6gLABvSl9NUacmn1nyMSu7BORuzRD9eai_WmLFgZ_11_aE9KsVepfKeHHMpGLpLFy-jIyScRtNxX_uJ4lXV0WsYAsI0RVyK4iO9eA2kYDeN1Y9K98/w640-h640/HNTR8584.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Goodbye Le Meridien Paro! The airport was only a short 5 minutes drive from hotel.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0BQfEorefRtAu8ZTtj2PH9yIjzicHPJ9Ja3PNT8JdaRomezBogziixYq7CbVWlJV3D_50TC-sN7Gv2zap7QGsVpLRgD3A8P-PAWvuSqNKRTgTQYHAgr6s9jRL-uK7xnoUGuSUhstJKLa2Hh_FCtR_nq3aycY16EyDvSVYoe0tPX4grbkLFLGYvKdliqw/s3840/NMKG5751.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0BQfEorefRtAu8ZTtj2PH9yIjzicHPJ9Ja3PNT8JdaRomezBogziixYq7CbVWlJV3D_50TC-sN7Gv2zap7QGsVpLRgD3A8P-PAWvuSqNKRTgTQYHAgr6s9jRL-uK7xnoUGuSUhstJKLa2Hh_FCtR_nq3aycY16EyDvSVYoe0tPX4grbkLFLGYvKdliqw/w640-h640/NMKG5751.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Arrived the airport at 8.45am for our 10.35am flight. Nice interior at the airport. There was ATM in the airport but I don't think it'd work for our international atm cards.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB-ZMoYq7COkQl6vKrDyD5h9_ow025I9gctkF33ddRw1HrpQ91CvFEHIEqgYZpu-T_bP7BKB-Ha0FzGEus3bMXpkLLxeUfvz6ovbx8qFGia4trQGE6TQIXNKG8oNMYCk5L0-QYPmE0bqw9j1ZIgwvMT7EWUKCKZ_HCiFIW7lsSzOqwms8egIU5WQxxwck/s3840/RYOJ8929.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB-ZMoYq7COkQl6vKrDyD5h9_ow025I9gctkF33ddRw1HrpQ91CvFEHIEqgYZpu-T_bP7BKB-Ha0FzGEus3bMXpkLLxeUfvz6ovbx8qFGia4trQGE6TQIXNKG8oNMYCk5L0-QYPmE0bqw9j1ZIgwvMT7EWUKCKZ_HCiFIW7lsSzOqwms8egIU5WQxxwck/w640-h480/RYOJ8929.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Goodbye Bhutan! Thank you for the spectacular sceneries and wonderful weather!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVrerAOwhOMG6FZvGgbc7aDagTvAIYiZ1xqu1QueV8an_4yl4j4xtZw9hgWdS1yZfkkqxhOdfuUfgFzc-iQu9qgfeQA5kUvBPtHYCz9wA0K0y6RuUmHXDuzpbiVM1EUoRtvdtKDHvVyQOeaxZW-s7VX6jMrQgLHyqrTgfIq5MDnMJXmwI0JVBaHeMJXSw/s3840/UFCC6901.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVrerAOwhOMG6FZvGgbc7aDagTvAIYiZ1xqu1QueV8an_4yl4j4xtZw9hgWdS1yZfkkqxhOdfuUfgFzc-iQu9qgfeQA5kUvBPtHYCz9wA0K0y6RuUmHXDuzpbiVM1EUoRtvdtKDHvVyQOeaxZW-s7VX6jMrQgLHyqrTgfIq5MDnMJXmwI0JVBaHeMJXSw/w640-h640/UFCC6901.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Departed Paro on time at 10.45am and lnded in Kolkata an hour later at 11.15am (there is a 30 min time difference between India and Bhutan). There were a lot of locals on this flight but they were all continuing their journey to Bangkok after a quick stop in Kolkata. </span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzjRlVhc9TPASTXm7ivfUMCuFFMTL0iq8OA_06sa0WCQdm7RJg5f6OKIlBUQTZEpBorp1V7f51TFPH6BaT8s9R4qduK_QZQCD2pbmLQC34oeoBtViGqJVDneU2lG90GQwiZ0yyJaIacqwTte2o7Jhw8sbzQJPBf1C3GsE8RPbdfPjZvywu-ReBkzVC52Q/s3840/VNFQ5656.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzjRlVhc9TPASTXm7ivfUMCuFFMTL0iq8OA_06sa0WCQdm7RJg5f6OKIlBUQTZEpBorp1V7f51TFPH6BaT8s9R4qduK_QZQCD2pbmLQC34oeoBtViGqJVDneU2lG90GQwiZ0yyJaIacqwTte2o7Jhw8sbzQJPBf1C3GsE8RPbdfPjZvywu-ReBkzVC52Q/w640-h640/VNFQ5656.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">That's a wrap for our Bhutan trip! Back to the familiar sights and sounds of Kolkata. I'm glad mom was able to get a double-entry visa for India, which made this trip possible.</span></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Open Sans";">This trip was certainly a good reminder to explore and travel more while I am still able-bodied and have the ability to do so, and to stay healthy so that I can still do crazy things like these for many years to come. Completing the Tiger Nest hike was certainly an accomplishment for mom and I am thankful for the opportunity to continue making crazy memories like this with her.</span></div></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">So...how much did this 3D2N trip cost??? </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Open Sans";"><b>Trip Expenses</b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Open Sans";"><i><br /></i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Open Sans";"><i>SDF and Visa - $912</i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Open Sans";">Bhutan is expensive mainly because of the Sustainable Development Fee (SDF) of $200/night/pax, which was required for all tourists visiting the country (at the time of our travel in June 2023), and does not include anything else. This fee is imposed to promote the country's High Value Low Volume tourism policy but even the local tour guides felt that $200 was too expensive. </span><span style="font-family: "Open Sans";">I applied for our visa <a href="https://visit.doi.gov.bt/" target="_blank">online</a>, uploaded the information required (passport, photo, proof of travel insurance), and paid a total fee of $912 ($800 SDF fees for 2 pax for 2 days, visa application fee of $40/pax, and processing charges of $30). I was able to use my US credit card to make the payment and received our e-visa the next day.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i><span style="font-family: "Open Sans";">P.S. </span><span style="font-family: "Open Sans";">This fee has dropped to $100/night/pax as of September 2023. =.=</span></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv7qBkhJQj0NCd8EZCzE_pfaagOOBU3dsw100TSEBnNh9XtzeXoCci-JRZDEkVcXg1rErGrIQqlTOME_xvpKQjRVL05E9mVXDGE6sgcsrQaQuS0xmJOpcZGWby0RxSTgjA_vDolhIRieTZ4gsR7TwGAChc07CLJW3zmoI4w_tI4hFGBrbkNThaa9xrCnk/s1280/IMG_2699.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="890" data-original-width="1280" height="446" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv7qBkhJQj0NCd8EZCzE_pfaagOOBU3dsw100TSEBnNh9XtzeXoCci-JRZDEkVcXg1rErGrIQqlTOME_xvpKQjRVL05E9mVXDGE6sgcsrQaQuS0xmJOpcZGWby0RxSTgjA_vDolhIRieTZ4gsR7TwGAChc07CLJW3zmoI4w_tI4hFGBrbkNThaa9xrCnk/w640-h446/IMG_2699.JPG" width="640" /></a></i></div><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div><span style="font-family: "Open Sans";"><i>Flights - $850</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">There are cheaper options to travel by land from India to Bhutan but we didn't have much time so we opted to fly roundtrip from Kolkata. There are only 2 airlines that fly to Paro - Bhutan Airlines and Drukair, and we couldn't use airline points to redeem for any of these flights so we booked our tickets on Bhutan Airlines' website for $425/pax. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYFzqwEc1eM5ocRaA-SUJuvD4eZBx1lp1Pco9KegJ2ZczSFhQo6FELRGJwj0l5GcBmb1e9nJWUN04hKqE7HXwDtw5B0Fz3QBsFxzKm8v5GQp0txFzlNt9noqykaqwNzZcExkzaMEv1FGx66uOtTANEUkTD-bXM4iPugraJNmGW1LyTZWqpdK7HarthpUQ/w548-h640/IMG_2701.JPG" width="548" /></div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div><div><span style="font-family: "Open Sans";"><i>Hotel - $0</i></span></div><div><div><div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Fortunately, there are 2 Le Meridien hotels in Bhutan - Le Meridien Thimphu and Le Meridien Paro Riverfront, and I was able to redeem 2 nights for 22,000 and 31,000 Marriott points per night, respectively. We received complimentary upgrade to the suites in both hotels so our redemption 'value' was $1,400 for 2 nights. </span></div></div></div></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix39Iiix7YBX67dVdy22TCftILvyOtBIgwFOlQUoq7DZ_-vSgbvnYN9Q2bOFLUfzq4LHVEsVe5IuIYUoyhmWRWO4AFsjdchYtc9ZmmDhE7_O4_pXfcIh1bCBM71xGjZhKMdCBm9M-UrLkwwaDI-TenGamD8BXJLz4ATy41S7pIdTaEl52Dq9h3qNyIwrA/s1920/IMG_2689.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1920" data-original-width="1920" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix39Iiix7YBX67dVdy22TCftILvyOtBIgwFOlQUoq7DZ_-vSgbvnYN9Q2bOFLUfzq4LHVEsVe5IuIYUoyhmWRWO4AFsjdchYtc9ZmmDhE7_O4_pXfcIh1bCBM71xGjZhKMdCBm9M-UrLkwwaDI-TenGamD8BXJLz4ATy41S7pIdTaEl52Dq9h3qNyIwrA/w640-h640/IMG_2689.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div><br /></div></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div><span style="font-family: "Open Sans";"><i>Tour Guide & Transportation - $270</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">I reached out to both Le Meridien Paro and Le Meridien Thimpu to inquire about tour guide/package for our stay. </span><span style="font-family: "Open Sans";">I probably could have gotten a tour guide/package at a lower cost without going through the hotels but I opted to go with Le Meridien Paro as I made the booking quite late, and the</span><span style="font-family: "Open Sans";"> reservation team was flexible in catering for my requests.</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><img border="0" height="362" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif26Ibt3XI7PrfrIKW19A00ScfAa-7l4g10FfHsCWDs9qNOxe_i-w09syxmUZOpwljJWGzmHJvXJiS7ZaP7dqTyeyftc-pUaZ0vljftXZkJWVUrzBkoCshFLjtsPP9vU983tIXucuo32guOiFtu65NunctSL6W_M5Ru0X2O1xWJZDlGbsH9ecbcgwUfb0/w640-h362/Tour%20Package.jpg" width="640" /></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div><span style="font-family: "Open Sans";"><i>Meals - $114</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">We ate in the hotel for all meals and was able to save some money with the complimentary breakfast and happy hour. Our room service in Le Meridien Thimphu costs BTN 5158 ($64) and lunch in Le Meridien Paro was BTN 4080 ($50). </span></div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">TOTAL COSTS for 2 Pax: $2,146</span></div></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://khaishing.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default</div>khaishing.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05154189313956844355noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3659547063209051949.post-45716291750659873442023-11-03T02:51:00.006-05:002023-11-03T02:53:43.943-05:00Japan 2023 ✈ Sayonara Japan<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><i>We had originally planned to visit Japan in June 2020. Over the last 3 years, we had cancelled and rebooked this trip multiple times as Japan was one of the last few countries to reopen its borders to tourism post-Covid. After waiting for 3 years, we were glad to finally make this trip happen this year! This trip has been 3 years in the making and I must say Japan certainly lived up to our anticipation!</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4SA7AUZSR3A?si=0MHGvoN1HcsZOpAM" title="YouTube video player" width="640"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="font-family: "Open Sans"; text-align: justify;"><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><i><b>7D6N in Japan - Osaka, Kyoto, Kobe, Nara</b></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><a href="https://www.khaishing.com/2023/09/japan-2023-journey-to-japan.html" target="_blank"><i>15-16 April 2023: Journey to Japan</i></a></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><a href="https://www.khaishing.com/2023/09/japan-2023-osaka-cup-noodles-museum.html" target="_blank"><i>17 April 2023: Cup Noodles Museum, Yamazaki Distillery, Umeda Sky Building</i></a></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><i><a href="https://www.khaishing.com/2023/09/japan-2023-oh-deer-nara.html" target="_blank">18 April 2023: Nara</a></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><i><a href="https://www.khaishing.com/2023/09/japan-2023-hanshin-tigers-baseball-game.html" target="_blank">18 April 2023: Hanshin Tigers Baseball Game</a></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><i><a href="https://www.khaishing.com/2023/10/japan-2023-kobe-beef-in-kobe.html" target="_blank">19 April 2023: Kobe Beef in Kobe</a></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><i><a href="https://www.khaishing.com/2023/10/japan-2023-kyoto.html" target="_blank">19-20 April 2023: Kyoto</a></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><i><a href="https://www.khaishing.com/2023/11/japan-2023-osaka.html" target="_blank">21 April 2023: Osaka</a></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><i><a href="https://www.khaishing.com/2023/11/japan-2023-sayonara-japan.html" target="_blank">22 April 2023: Journey Home</a></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><i><br /></i></span></div></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>22 Apr 2023 (Sat): Osaka - Tokyo - US</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">After spending 5 days hopping around 4 cities in the Kansai region (Osaka, Kyoto, Nara, Kobe), it was finally time to begin our journey home...on 2 different routes. Hubby flew back to the US while I flew back to Malaysia to spend time with the family for a month before returning to the US.</div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5x4J-WYUeA1rrokX27NZdu5HplGTSp1LF3rayv80OJQdWnwVSFoguxFrERI9O6qN_vFlSvB9KYNE_IhXfwER_8u3oOOdrCGXE5R-ioal1vePNsuj3VuqHhZ-l5ZQ_1pJoNZuJg3qbjXCHwl7DjxmvrAEFRP9HN_A9R7Gh44afzqVLiqiCTSubzz-i-ZQ/s4096/JHLA8442.HEIC" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5x4J-WYUeA1rrokX27NZdu5HplGTSp1LF3rayv80OJQdWnwVSFoguxFrERI9O6qN_vFlSvB9KYNE_IhXfwER_8u3oOOdrCGXE5R-ioal1vePNsuj3VuqHhZ-l5ZQ_1pJoNZuJg3qbjXCHwl7DjxmvrAEFRP9HN_A9R7Gh44afzqVLiqiCTSubzz-i-ZQ/w640-h480/JHLA8442.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiutD3sNgroFpajO1C4KFi73__aZxx2NUe4nXilqAkTK8wVXJ6u-GB7cFkGfU1yeNGOshK9x0bQqIbaQ9m8ivh7sXzSDvRRLLwPY4qw1TXkX5cfw4CXf2c3I_I3VsHiBI1uUwqAW0qfdu7YNeayvz_YGm-RLbPTv4bwyVLMl3nBr_0ELqqr0H8pl8LENuo/s4096/OALX2444.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="838" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiutD3sNgroFpajO1C4KFi73__aZxx2NUe4nXilqAkTK8wVXJ6u-GB7cFkGfU1yeNGOshK9x0bQqIbaQ9m8ivh7sXzSDvRRLLwPY4qw1TXkX5cfw4CXf2c3I_I3VsHiBI1uUwqAW0qfdu7YNeayvz_YGm-RLbPTv4bwyVLMl3nBr_0ELqqr0H8pl8LENuo/w629-h838/OALX2444.HEIC" width="629" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div>Enjoyed our complimentary buffet breakfast at the hotel before checking out at 9am.</div><div><br /></div></span></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirApvgJ_S8HwKIrP4JR_-Vdn_gpXkpQswQA-RucX1L3BVAigoeupKaJ7C7Z1wNcCSgVLFFTyY1fFqU27CsrFghcyGqW5RWEI_wcriW-CVkjN5PDQ7jcoCLf4nnx0Nv3emuwWm1EV65cIdLCMisdLbz1HVIBqFPzDu7ZTV6HOkJezBVIyXa_ZXL7uSIp5s/s4096/EJAX2816.HEIC" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="843" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirApvgJ_S8HwKIrP4JR_-Vdn_gpXkpQswQA-RucX1L3BVAigoeupKaJ7C7Z1wNcCSgVLFFTyY1fFqU27CsrFghcyGqW5RWEI_wcriW-CVkjN5PDQ7jcoCLf4nnx0Nv3emuwWm1EV65cIdLCMisdLbz1HVIBqFPzDu7ZTV6HOkJezBVIyXa_ZXL7uSIp5s/w632-h843/EJAX2816.HEIC" width="632" /></span></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div>Took the metro from Midosuji station to Namba station at 9.10am. We came with 2 luggages, but left with 3 luggages. 2 of those were mine as one of those luggage was already filled with stuffs that I brought from the US for family and friends. Glad we did our 'trial run' the day before and was able to use the elevator and escalators in both stations, and navigated our way efficeintly to the airport shuttle bus stop in Namba.</div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifhy8oDz1J3RGXETU6-zGcSvuuDS8uD3ZZU7-B4KJUaqWyp1R_EAw1O-dQYx0V8mSaNKJvwCRQAbpdgDBUDKBEYEdkCJh_qDuUrE3jSFs8h0NxfmsTOqmusYLhR2gTDEkuGVkLrofScvIpOVJmXQxOGHGoZCiR8yH2azcZKlYD2JujNTHI1j_jAtQrhE4/s4096/BUDZ6253.HEIC" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifhy8oDz1J3RGXETU6-zGcSvuuDS8uD3ZZU7-B4KJUaqWyp1R_EAw1O-dQYx0V8mSaNKJvwCRQAbpdgDBUDKBEYEdkCJh_qDuUrE3jSFs8h0NxfmsTOqmusYLhR2gTDEkuGVkLrofScvIpOVJmXQxOGHGoZCiR8yH2azcZKlYD2JujNTHI1j_jAtQrhE4/w640-h640/BUDZ6253.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div>Our final leg of navigating public transportations in Japan. We successfully traveled all around the Kansai region with these 3 passes (3-day Kansai Thru Pass, 1-day Osaka Metro Pass, Suica prepaid card). Our total transportation costs for 2 person was ¥6,870 ($142).</div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFoyTcYHMUWbb6ifGyNTgvIh35M9aMUtf9XWlyEYuqYBJ_2JpBCUirmTPhjwPlEAkmw5A_CCCtjyinEUmhG-yWpJVf6Y42rbeNacXYdGjXpsSsU0-uEX6CjnxptoQAvc5QUjuR_F-I-h17m7dPo-i0HaCL7wjqSnZlF29z_vyZnMeaSNr_m46XUz9ZJ4E/s4096/MZFF7443.HEIC" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFoyTcYHMUWbb6ifGyNTgvIh35M9aMUtf9XWlyEYuqYBJ_2JpBCUirmTPhjwPlEAkmw5A_CCCtjyinEUmhG-yWpJVf6Y42rbeNacXYdGjXpsSsU0-uEX6CjnxptoQAvc5QUjuR_F-I-h17m7dPo-i0HaCL7wjqSnZlF29z_vyZnMeaSNr_m46XUz9ZJ4E/w640-h640/MZFF7443.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div>Our flights departed from Osaka Itami Airport, which was closer to the city than Kansai airport. The most convenient and economical way for us to travel to Itami airport was to take the Itami-Airport Limousine Bus from Namba Station to Osaka Itami Airport. The bus leaves every 20 minutes and costs ¥650 ($5) per person. We wanted to use up our change so we used the ticket machine in the Family Mart next to the bus stop to purchase one of our tickets. We also used up our Apple Pay Suica card balance to pay for the other ticket.</div></span></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6SEjWa5oQxB10JYMeYh-uQfcGRCe3paHRHzz-2rBOKSzYBCupWGe3VUDN_E7AO76q9D5dfVB0ENks2QEc5Ce3ss1N1BUBF-0St5WfR_d8JJZYabbPD5h_evum_JPFAu805Z2uY725DIkyEOph26WPyMTiuHHNnZEz_DUoAtUV5eLYAtrhcQwsfTiWRU0/s4096/XJPU3739.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6SEjWa5oQxB10JYMeYh-uQfcGRCe3paHRHzz-2rBOKSzYBCupWGe3VUDN_E7AO76q9D5dfVB0ENks2QEc5Ce3ss1N1BUBF-0St5WfR_d8JJZYabbPD5h_evum_JPFAu805Z2uY725DIkyEOph26WPyMTiuHHNnZEz_DUoAtUV5eLYAtrhcQwsfTiWRU0/w640-h640/XJPU3739.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div>Like everything in Japan, the bus left very punctually at 9.40am...on the dot. We arrived Itami Airport North terminal (for JAL flights) at 10.00am.</div></span></div></span></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNLee4_4zNENXSIhZl4qnjOSslsBvc9K-PWDi2XFEtYKTHpExqokS_m1Mty7M0P3tBVZQQgvtKtBQoH6GB7qPhWPSBicp0NZJBkPU7v8omiccm06l6i_ZfGWbaCmvRPSSslMEgJ4ah32GrsiAZ6x3OLjQ5wL_JWBRwMgJ64aOH8DGQTL9Qfa15Yl9os64/s4096/ABYT7612.HEIC" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNLee4_4zNENXSIhZl4qnjOSslsBvc9K-PWDi2XFEtYKTHpExqokS_m1Mty7M0P3tBVZQQgvtKtBQoH6GB7qPhWPSBicp0NZJBkPU7v8omiccm06l6i_ZfGWbaCmvRPSSslMEgJ4ah32GrsiAZ6x3OLjQ5wL_JWBRwMgJ64aOH8DGQTL9Qfa15Yl9os64/w640-h640/ABYT7612.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div>The first leg of our flights were domestic from Osaka to Tokyo. Even though we were both flying to Tokyo on JAL, we were flying to 2 different airports. My flight was to Narita while hubby's flight was to Haneda. I redeemed 40,000 Alaska miles for my flights from LAX - KIX; ITM - NRT - KUL in Economy. For hubby's return flight, we made a last minute change and redeemed 60,000 Alaska miles for his flights from ITM - HND - SFO in Business. Since we didn't get to experience JAL First Class (thanks Covid), and since I've had the chance to travel in business class for work, we decided to 'splurge' for his first ever international business class flight. =)</div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh12_KT4TiQVbcnpfSAtTWzetkp7YaAaZAs-xWp1HisL_xbIE4HnIbls78_-g6h6jt0N7QPpFeHG1vsYizUczJX63o6NBxKTbjW_tBHjAxzKx2CDvwgalYKEbsdVTaOpbxSphtapJncpnC4tAblCbiO6SP7x4g9_7rUm4KPCm7e_3qHjdwpsWiZIv9sEY/s4096/MQLH5272.HEIC" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="853" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh12_KT4TiQVbcnpfSAtTWzetkp7YaAaZAs-xWp1HisL_xbIE4HnIbls78_-g6h6jt0N7QPpFeHG1vsYizUczJX63o6NBxKTbjW_tBHjAxzKx2CDvwgalYKEbsdVTaOpbxSphtapJncpnC4tAblCbiO6SP7x4g9_7rUm4KPCm7e_3qHjdwpsWiZIv9sEY/w640-h853/MQLH5272.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div>Check-in was quick and easy. Even though I was traveling in Economy, I was also able to use the Business Class check-in counter as I had Oneworld Emerald status.</div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRZnLva7OAjToE13j8Vs4o-5am9vvUCqXf5OzPl9nPsnBmDa1RyjpRwQTUTzzT_Ag4jRHaaOORqUKccHuyOECN883trsfbKYyKMZkqwQDYh7THJ2YAa2ujEKPvft1szfLTtb0wgTMux4T6AprJA1NvOWsq-hWkUzYj6UJdIZB6MQL3ErL4lpoJRik1pMY/s4096/SFAH6284.HEIC" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRZnLva7OAjToE13j8Vs4o-5am9vvUCqXf5OzPl9nPsnBmDa1RyjpRwQTUTzzT_Ag4jRHaaOORqUKccHuyOECN883trsfbKYyKMZkqwQDYh7THJ2YAa2ujEKPvft1szfLTtb0wgTMux4T6AprJA1NvOWsq-hWkUzYj6UJdIZB6MQL3ErL4lpoJRik1pMY/w640-h480/SFAH6284.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div>We had about 2 hours before hubby's flight and 4 hours before my flight, and were able to visit either the JAL Sakura (Business class) or Diamond Premier Lounge (Oneworld Emerald) lounges, which were located next to each other. We opted to go to the Diamond Premier Lounge coz it's more 'exclusive'...haha!</div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivhs2TYBdm5iAx8UUEG6pv5krZtJVyaYF6L8avgLjmD4UHaqxT2776bS8NT75-_i2n8iRUJnrzO0Lhztq_OCFw4XeeZW-bxiX46-BuFn4Iv8mxJxfD6v7hV9r-do0BL0DORU6iZUSSxT-gqXQLGWYJWP6HyaKkBwGeHZrxrEc5MKJ76XeaqoWwjm7vEoU/s4096/GCBA4307.HEIC" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivhs2TYBdm5iAx8UUEG6pv5krZtJVyaYF6L8avgLjmD4UHaqxT2776bS8NT75-_i2n8iRUJnrzO0Lhztq_OCFw4XeeZW-bxiX46-BuFn4Iv8mxJxfD6v7hV9r-do0BL0DORU6iZUSSxT-gqXQLGWYJWP6HyaKkBwGeHZrxrEc5MKJ76XeaqoWwjm7vEoU/w640-h480/GCBA4307.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSinu-9AT_2ZhHu4IZ-9uW6kL9382QMmvWz3-mIY5xYC39roxQuhW_HQmeK_8pHH-D_-kAG8Wq8zLG4VhoyPrvflOK06MF0pNNW40ctD4MT-Dv7suJvoMzgL3rHA4T9O0FWB3vNuasz_OkPnLzXiNc2Mfhfo1oCBdVqZLa7s6k-eZximzhVfKk5oQrm34/s4096/JKAD0471.HEIC" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="856" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSinu-9AT_2ZhHu4IZ-9uW6kL9382QMmvWz3-mIY5xYC39roxQuhW_HQmeK_8pHH-D_-kAG8Wq8zLG4VhoyPrvflOK06MF0pNNW40ctD4MT-Dv7suJvoMzgL3rHA4T9O0FWB3vNuasz_OkPnLzXiNc2Mfhfo1oCBdVqZLa7s6k-eZximzhVfKk5oQrm34/w641-h856/JKAD0471.HEIC" width="641" /></span></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div>Itami airport is not big so the lounge is not huge, but there were plenty of spaces to sit.</div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQWwAaH2gD7FGsX_lrVW6ZBUhql8982wrYn7UPxeWBYJt3TS_NmGEbBcagESwBgMoG0eKOzmNldgNubW9mtM055m5n0hJI2E4ALkBbfJwPDZpzdObB8gF4SQmJHMojEnkIbO_sgz240ZaVWMg10rpvlrgQe-pZhz8Bk7fUlyEIvn24LKJ61ZMNA1Q4vGQ/s4096/EEYU8322.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="854" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQWwAaH2gD7FGsX_lrVW6ZBUhql8982wrYn7UPxeWBYJt3TS_NmGEbBcagESwBgMoG0eKOzmNldgNubW9mtM055m5n0hJI2E4ALkBbfJwPDZpzdObB8gF4SQmJHMojEnkIbO_sgz240ZaVWMg10rpvlrgQe-pZhz8Bk7fUlyEIvn24LKJ61ZMNA1Q4vGQ/w642-h854/EEYU8322.HEIC" width="642" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div>There is also a massage chair.</div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW7X7CXFf9AHLk9tpcfizL303dXkHbGIHY3nJPztDAUONLgEFsGcgAuHblM1GSMBMpn2wfy4pgkfOc3hb1jcifeJQvXD_5VfdOLzDRQdtRCLhTaqaGamqkohwv7QOIltn5TXdYySBAlEzRbk8q0kJu9JZliaxg3I8FzuFr7W83AbkpOHOgUbZ_R_WAOm8/s4096/PYST6928.HEIC" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="854" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW7X7CXFf9AHLk9tpcfizL303dXkHbGIHY3nJPztDAUONLgEFsGcgAuHblM1GSMBMpn2wfy4pgkfOc3hb1jcifeJQvXD_5VfdOLzDRQdtRCLhTaqaGamqkohwv7QOIltn5TXdYySBAlEzRbk8q0kJu9JZliaxg3I8FzuFr7W83AbkpOHOgUbZ_R_WAOm8/w641-h854/PYST6928.HEIC" width="641" /></span></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjent2lSf5r-i8QVBj4n6jYg0r-n_thBL-HINFSH0YMRzS_9MFrSnzLo2v1NvElMuKhqDdZpBdkOYRo79vNBquhTnBmSSm-PGEvC087RWismlSZB1w5na-IMuGOOXCdcv74immrn86YwZhyA2qmY3eb7FQflDUn14aQQG0R_j5P_1iTiEDn14tGc-p3THc/s4096/SQFQ4631.HEIC" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="857" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjent2lSf5r-i8QVBj4n6jYg0r-n_thBL-HINFSH0YMRzS_9MFrSnzLo2v1NvElMuKhqDdZpBdkOYRo79vNBquhTnBmSSm-PGEvC087RWismlSZB1w5na-IMuGOOXCdcv74immrn86YwZhyA2qmY3eb7FQflDUn14aQQG0R_j5P_1iTiEDn14tGc-p3THc/w642-h857/SQFQ4631.HEIC" width="642" /></span></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div><div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div><div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div>Only light refreshment provided in this lounge. There were beer machine, soup machine, and coffee machine.</div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></div></div></span></div></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></div></div></span></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFiktrE4yu0z6OcpDb2hlUIKU-jqHrqf29MspW5dWS7L95piq0zGoFYHzFxC5wocIRQGxzoCt6GEOlkdTYt1kWH5NQ0xOIYnMa5Mr4JaR_MYMAA6u51w4z85JQ9LcR26hCuRsG6lMOGFVgIb4mswH44IZUKYTPyoRq8A1Sm4z40jmhzGo6KyoikVGhB6s/s4096/AXYC2178.HEIC" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFiktrE4yu0z6OcpDb2hlUIKU-jqHrqf29MspW5dWS7L95piq0zGoFYHzFxC5wocIRQGxzoCt6GEOlkdTYt1kWH5NQ0xOIYnMa5Mr4JaR_MYMAA6u51w4z85JQ9LcR26hCuRsG6lMOGFVgIb4mswH44IZUKYTPyoRq8A1Sm4z40jmhzGo6KyoikVGhB6s/w640-h480/AXYC2178.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div><div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div><div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div>Hubby's flight was at 12.30pm and mine was at 2.35pm. See you in 4 weeks!</div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></div></div></span></div></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></div></div></span></div></span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnPYVlukgHT1u3lQ-YgQ44w8B2X_dhJE1E9cYzKwdj3ZrBDg8NTX5Ow4_Rr8XV2TPKEE8FbEj08Z5R-xgx2JxXMAZm8tKw49tAeqF4xz1HZKSNlelBed1FWFvFeKAKFTbCyYDVkQkp9wrrKa1eBXcoV71FJkXMiAvCw63_KmZ3rYvnIFy6JmWdCfhPQBU/s4096/GFTO7782.HEIC" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="854" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnPYVlukgHT1u3lQ-YgQ44w8B2X_dhJE1E9cYzKwdj3ZrBDg8NTX5Ow4_Rr8XV2TPKEE8FbEj08Z5R-xgx2JxXMAZm8tKw49tAeqF4xz1HZKSNlelBed1FWFvFeKAKFTbCyYDVkQkp9wrrKa1eBXcoV71FJkXMiAvCw63_KmZ3rYvnIFy6JmWdCfhPQBU/w640-h854/GFTO7782.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div><div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div><div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div>My flight from ITM-NRT departed on time. Goodbye Osaka!</div><div><br /></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></div></div></span></div></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></div></div></span></div></span></div></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh00IbTFLGg_HKicFWogkNvxz9HrNe9gsj35zSQjAf4zxDpfV3EjaWm89aka2PMJmrptc-dj3STsEvb5tBNvDlWVtBMTk-YlDjN29kenBobPLWAmzggAEeW4bFU9gSyxBzKSAohFt3HwgM9il7Wc9mE92v-3LbQlGuNTDVSH0AIvkfyZuUEmh1nuNwLG1g/s4096/SYJT8891.HEIC" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh00IbTFLGg_HKicFWogkNvxz9HrNe9gsj35zSQjAf4zxDpfV3EjaWm89aka2PMJmrptc-dj3STsEvb5tBNvDlWVtBMTk-YlDjN29kenBobPLWAmzggAEeW4bFU9gSyxBzKSAohFt3HwgM9il7Wc9mE92v-3LbQlGuNTDVSH0AIvkfyZuUEmh1nuNwLG1g/w640-h480/SYJT8891.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div><div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div><div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div>Arrived Narita at 4pm and got both my bags at 4.15pm. It was quite a long walk to the ANA Crowne Plaza hotel shuttle bus stop (#25) as it was located at the other end of the terminal. As I was trying to look if it was the right bus, I saw the staff closing the baggage compartment right in front of me. The bus departed on time at 4.20pm and I had to wait another 30 minutes for the next bus. Guess this is the 'benefit' of Japanese punctuality.</div><div><br /></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></div></div></span></div></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></div></div></span></div></span></div></div></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfuFqKwkAhNxqmKp399xBoCOdd2y4EJtIABB8OvkHxwlQEMf8sDCDf-IN2mnSFJUn1CH6_1CixwQTnGbgd1aL9_8UJFnErRpypGIDvDg5Frd95bvuvk_0-PSd8TvACK1ZK07LwvlDu1fj18cA_98o7QZp2rD0vWZ0sZ6BDybKJevvJ5vW-Ld99Wl7ifiw/s4096/WSVU0646.HEIC" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfuFqKwkAhNxqmKp399xBoCOdd2y4EJtIABB8OvkHxwlQEMf8sDCDf-IN2mnSFJUn1CH6_1CixwQTnGbgd1aL9_8UJFnErRpypGIDvDg5Frd95bvuvk_0-PSd8TvACK1ZK07LwvlDu1fj18cA_98o7QZp2rD0vWZ0sZ6BDybKJevvJ5vW-Ld99Wl7ifiw/w640-h640/WSVU0646.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi744f79R7MFAhFiR2tYM2f9bsncfje2FELECl9vlAwi55V2WyBA3KWtE66k6nWgaPR9gaOxhiZcO_HVTMbDvF6oEWsOhPwiKQMQuaR0qxxsNBen_yWcomxSiZEpAl3R0AyFLJE0yp7Z2yyPjYlu4a6S-0TRyC0ArvrHHBz0gobXSgogJlojtynGPZBX8g/s4096/OIWH7969.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="857" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi744f79R7MFAhFiR2tYM2f9bsncfje2FELECl9vlAwi55V2WyBA3KWtE66k6nWgaPR9gaOxhiZcO_HVTMbDvF6oEWsOhPwiKQMQuaR0qxxsNBen_yWcomxSiZEpAl3R0AyFLJE0yp7Z2yyPjYlu4a6S-0TRyC0ArvrHHBz0gobXSgogJlojtynGPZBX8g/w644-h857/OIWH7969.HEIC" width="644" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div>My next flight was at 11.15am the next day so I booked ANA Crowne Plaza Narita for 14,000 IHG points for my overnight transit in Narita. The hotel provides complimentary shuttle from the airport so it was very convenient. There is a Family Mart conveniently located inside the hotel so I bought some food for dinner there and called it a day.</div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3RPeWMUa5g0cug-ZtEaDkaPBi9JQjJp25xIMxWOENNh9LOi8rGEEzryeNqcxaTPzhdAI79HFDcu6t4V5QcQVIGAR-QbUnFXCLwqSTyyezgapSH1GCOx4aWOguKwQ5CMAB3SN6KXrVMhxSaeXcrMV926iWKUqP4uV_ePW_toZx75KtDfLBTWUip0zbFu8/s4096/JUYI0770.HEIC" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3RPeWMUa5g0cug-ZtEaDkaPBi9JQjJp25xIMxWOENNh9LOi8rGEEzryeNqcxaTPzhdAI79HFDcu6t4V5QcQVIGAR-QbUnFXCLwqSTyyezgapSH1GCOx4aWOguKwQ5CMAB3SN6KXrVMhxSaeXcrMV926iWKUqP4uV_ePW_toZx75KtDfLBTWUip0zbFu8/w640-h480/JUYI0770.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div>While I spent the night in Narita, hubby was enjoying his business class experience... starting with a quick bite at the Haneda Airport JAL Sakura Lounge.</div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1NGlftR5UVTQtBrobTHSf1ztIU56-IjHDn6fmcALgjJ5bcqReCuMBoUG9xI9jtYT8egDijc4_tasAit8zZt4Y-ASMg-gan1plNWrrzFfIH_pcccZw675Vt7bqxgrtnaQ3jwhQ3ABQNCQ1t2QCBykXObsNSFwDGA84kS_Kvh-wfxUhSwPBJl2kczP-KIo/s4096/FHGK5092.HEIC" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1NGlftR5UVTQtBrobTHSf1ztIU56-IjHDn6fmcALgjJ5bcqReCuMBoUG9xI9jtYT8egDijc4_tasAit8zZt4Y-ASMg-gan1plNWrrzFfIH_pcccZw675Vt7bqxgrtnaQ3jwhQ3ABQNCQ1t2QCBykXObsNSFwDGA84kS_Kvh-wfxUhSwPBJl2kczP-KIo/w640-h360/FHGK5092.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWoOdfxoarLw5YDbxO50bWL-tRlpMQU8TdTdV0qYmdOHZ3s51_HX5Md8sg1NyCeaIHgXH24f4qBn7Z8-N5oE2NY5957l-xij7CrrXKYMUl_U9BUFNLmDeWB_kkIqDj2aVdKMK_Z8ekqL0F9S6llSp7K5ufLttrCEdxF_IQu-gEk8Q_XZb05Kaw_jKnHIc/s4096/QJYK8470.HEIC" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWoOdfxoarLw5YDbxO50bWL-tRlpMQU8TdTdV0qYmdOHZ3s51_HX5Md8sg1NyCeaIHgXH24f4qBn7Z8-N5oE2NY5957l-xij7CrrXKYMUl_U9BUFNLmDeWB_kkIqDj2aVdKMK_Z8ekqL0F9S6llSp7K5ufLttrCEdxF_IQu-gEk8Q_XZb05Kaw_jKnHIc/w640-h360/QJYK8470.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVgFnnF6jG6n1GUwnoqhmnRAkG1ZSw8NfKEQhd55Oi_P9cQBt6yb8Zqg2IRW1Iv67nTzDb0eiZiADY4s3vUtstqmf-WS8UGUxxWKRM3-waJrKqfqWhoCBnbIaqDLQ-ZN4-C7-GbaK-VV6J7hxAquxQfudwilytpUNMAeu-DAzVD1Pj0nwqCRp0QhGkQJM/s4096/ORPV0376.HEIC" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVgFnnF6jG6n1GUwnoqhmnRAkG1ZSw8NfKEQhd55Oi_P9cQBt6yb8Zqg2IRW1Iv67nTzDb0eiZiADY4s3vUtstqmf-WS8UGUxxWKRM3-waJrKqfqWhoCBnbIaqDLQ-ZN4-C7-GbaK-VV6J7hxAquxQfudwilytpUNMAeu-DAzVD1Pj0nwqCRp0QhGkQJM/w640-h360/ORPV0376.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">The homework I gave hubby for flying busines class was to take my photos and videos, and the amenity kit is mine. =P JAL business class on this flight is a 2-3-2 seating. The seat layout looks packed but surprisingly each seat was quite private after raising the blind between seats. Since we booked the flight late, there weren't many seat options available (no window seat), so we opted for the aisle seat in the last row of business class section. Even though hubby's seat was an aisle seat, he had a lot of privacy as there weren't any foot traffic of people walking by his seat. It was also a lie-flat seat so he was able to get a good rest on this 7-hour flight.</span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR8TgntDSOZsKCZ9CRQ0DjoVMLSn3JkTrO8QaGFKcQbrdVl5F-1fEH9JUCyF9Qqn60FeG0gqXIlXEWND8ZaR1R_Epw2bTeT3ZCgQkjbaVdbl64TPLxwlV_YX5H7nP4FE-oAAqxtTN0H8J-A_9RwIjY0pJQsuXV3VGU2Jt1lsjGn5z379XZxQ_5E_9AFQo/s4096/POQJ3429.HEIC" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR8TgntDSOZsKCZ9CRQ0DjoVMLSn3JkTrO8QaGFKcQbrdVl5F-1fEH9JUCyF9Qqn60FeG0gqXIlXEWND8ZaR1R_Epw2bTeT3ZCgQkjbaVdbl64TPLxwlV_YX5H7nP4FE-oAAqxtTN0H8J-A_9RwIjY0pJQsuXV3VGU2Jt1lsjGn5z379XZxQ_5E_9AFQo/w640-h640/POQJ3429.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJWDVN_aMOjDtZnicsT6BFuSEgYFDd2IY2HCazzE1tAsN8qeQLTZVP00H1ILlByC9GvhzSYLNs-z90g4DH9H4KyzPC4fta2XnKseRWLQsYTcBbhO0wf-JgM-KY0MABWJCN6htiJPH0JOs8wjAs6Vr1enmik1UDqKtgUKDRlvHzs25WdirzKo2oZTg1tLU/s4096/RBHZ2119.HEIC" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJWDVN_aMOjDtZnicsT6BFuSEgYFDd2IY2HCazzE1tAsN8qeQLTZVP00H1ILlByC9GvhzSYLNs-z90g4DH9H4KyzPC4fta2XnKseRWLQsYTcBbhO0wf-JgM-KY0MABWJCN6htiJPH0JOs8wjAs6Vr1enmik1UDqKtgUKDRlvHzs25WdirzKo2oZTg1tLU/w640-h360/RBHZ2119.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1RrhyphenhyphenZz82tpshxHFGouoTG7Z7kXDIxIDBNufxpwd0RTT2l1IjCYFAZ41xLRgXFVifjjZw6FcG7c9dKWxks63MjkO8jKAag2yVEF5VhsSVliFy2j4Pi-aPxhx_DPBXdc_tZNIGgpI4P01rpCVedR4hePRKhZUl5YAcU8mq1AcFHNNEbFEf9CXQpPxwN94/s4096/NFNR9607.HEIC" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1RrhyphenhyphenZz82tpshxHFGouoTG7Z7kXDIxIDBNufxpwd0RTT2l1IjCYFAZ41xLRgXFVifjjZw6FcG7c9dKWxks63MjkO8jKAag2yVEF5VhsSVliFy2j4Pi-aPxhx_DPBXdc_tZNIGgpI4P01rpCVedR4hePRKhZUl5YAcU8mq1AcFHNNEbFEf9CXQpPxwN94/w640-h360/NFNR9607.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Food & drink options. Hubby went with the Western options.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">As hubby's business class flight was only to SFO, we booked a separate flight from SFO-HSV for 15,500 American Airlines miles. He was also able to meet up and hang out with his best friend in San Francisco for a few hours during the layover.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>23 Apr 2023 (Sun): Tokyo - Malaysia</b></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnFClyNRwn5wbgMgKTkcmhwsXAFrClrFLNaWcguEkANX4qt9olq8PBQv7LyShdBvKtEk527PBogjQweYno72OxkMSpkCqOcAh-wRulc38PY8dG-y5cNy1hnUff-ft6ZjhAtO3O3xml7SCLax-zYJbZq9NnX3xfFUsrZGwouqifSNmtMtI7rfd-aA7gkI0/s4096/GIRS7065.HEIC" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnFClyNRwn5wbgMgKTkcmhwsXAFrClrFLNaWcguEkANX4qt9olq8PBQv7LyShdBvKtEk527PBogjQweYno72OxkMSpkCqOcAh-wRulc38PY8dG-y5cNy1hnUff-ft6ZjhAtO3O3xml7SCLax-zYJbZq9NnX3xfFUsrZGwouqifSNmtMtI7rfd-aA7gkI0/w640-h480/GIRS7065.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">After a good night's rest, I checked out of the hotel early the next morning and took the 6.50am complimentary hotel shuttle back to Narita airport.</span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6AqOa6UnYUf4zwmrRnLH4QbjDDSw8y3PNjKZgc8cTreo_lX18mQ1FZEv9nRsxA_unfOGJ3YUXbDYs7r8zzkl7hPBio3G2fmmBOXV_hHS3mXjZXbGQU5guQ-faJfWRa06upARYIJjWPejwh9KP6VZfRkVJN8LSNdSXzk_1vtZ6TPyxhnTPCI7i81GaBPY/s4096/JUHG3034.HEIC" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6AqOa6UnYUf4zwmrRnLH4QbjDDSw8y3PNjKZgc8cTreo_lX18mQ1FZEv9nRsxA_unfOGJ3YUXbDYs7r8zzkl7hPBio3G2fmmBOXV_hHS3mXjZXbGQU5guQ-faJfWRa06upARYIJjWPejwh9KP6VZfRkVJN8LSNdSXzk_1vtZ6TPyxhnTPCI7i81GaBPY/w640-h480/JUHG3034.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div><div>Arrived the airport at 7am and the airport was quite busy already. </div></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8E-v9kmivEYYoOG8MMNhcBoL25GGv2eD0_nH_-8aFwSwyaACLLhnctMpMh9CVusUE2zGLROSR-e0EmOoYSqN_11CE5_HIUQTa1Lu1WEEBkKfgIbeTHoxo3SczIaKOeF12tSZs2afhHRvOqizHx5quLpaMTMQ0yQLEvKmtkGbvT2oyvpjJ_MdJRQ90Gdk/s4096/BXNT6596.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8E-v9kmivEYYoOG8MMNhcBoL25GGv2eD0_nH_-8aFwSwyaACLLhnctMpMh9CVusUE2zGLROSR-e0EmOoYSqN_11CE5_HIUQTa1Lu1WEEBkKfgIbeTHoxo3SczIaKOeF12tSZs2afhHRvOqizHx5quLpaMTMQ0yQLEvKmtkGbvT2oyvpjJ_MdJRQ90Gdk/w640-h480/BXNT6596.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"> Even though I was flying economy, I was able to skip the long lines by checking-in at the JAL First Class counter and got priority baggage thanks to my Oneworld Emerald status.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb4kuLQ9FziYOHemHF-vdnLGglNL5TXot0XbQPlJiR0D9a9-Odi_5TAjiHk3qr9A3aG2YHklRBCEyjIRIUj_2pMShnh_pOseyK4IP5zYF8695x9rLSAFEu872ViXhrw8AGDC_UJom0QSpfDnFnEUbBMrrJuQ3MDwIMfLKqO_qg1h1GBuPZU-yPNpXCAAI/s4096/KMGW7308.HEIC" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb4kuLQ9FziYOHemHF-vdnLGglNL5TXot0XbQPlJiR0D9a9-Odi_5TAjiHk3qr9A3aG2YHklRBCEyjIRIUj_2pMShnh_pOseyK4IP5zYF8695x9rLSAFEu872ViXhrw8AGDC_UJom0QSpfDnFnEUbBMrrJuQ3MDwIMfLKqO_qg1h1GBuPZU-yPNpXCAAI/w640-h480/KMGW7308.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">The reason I went earlier to the airport was because I wanted to spend more time at the JAL First Class lounge, which I had access to with my status. =D The lounge opened at 7.30am and I was there at 7.40am, giving me 3 hours to enjoy the lounge before boarding.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmiIfg6cX22-g98prNewPrVdaTvfyVlqfTaKj7hW5Ml-GcXbSjcW8sYtYtS9SfQWcOBnvgGv-Bt0HnlHSKBOT99w5TC2HCmR7iQi45jCNu-1TNLj1LokGLcoUwaQ_INywnFR-TLrTFkPFhdVQ77iYBZuidz7zJnxgYc42Ue9drrm3y1av0EfK5U1RI9d4/s4096/DMPM8406.HEIC" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmiIfg6cX22-g98prNewPrVdaTvfyVlqfTaKj7hW5Ml-GcXbSjcW8sYtYtS9SfQWcOBnvgGv-Bt0HnlHSKBOT99w5TC2HCmR7iQi45jCNu-1TNLj1LokGLcoUwaQ_INywnFR-TLrTFkPFhdVQ77iYBZuidz7zJnxgYc42Ue9drrm3y1av0EfK5U1RI9d4/w640-h480/DMPM8406.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD1tSPXpu1B63AAVBh9PoCVzcEZINZGjZDclu11gPznQixCuLmqb0WaBtI1MaAOozThyys37TWBao7MEPZ-g_kFpXbe7latfkH1sduUO6SHFqbaFlW8MYyT9jmdcgHbdDsbmb4CRjIsUy1oXthe9XlN0pzSv9ivWO0npSe4rY56pG0786j-tsurMfzDJ4/s4096/OHPG8468.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD1tSPXpu1B63AAVBh9PoCVzcEZINZGjZDclu11gPznQixCuLmqb0WaBtI1MaAOozThyys37TWBao7MEPZ-g_kFpXbe7latfkH1sduUO6SHFqbaFlW8MYyT9jmdcgHbdDsbmb4CRjIsUy1oXthe9XlN0pzSv9ivWO0npSe4rY56pG0786j-tsurMfzDJ4/w640-h480/OHPG8468.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Plenty of space in this lounge...and of course I've gotta use the massage chair.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxirQJuASqXQ8D2MeJ1d5LxnNEWqYYIhBBB0SzblwicCjdHfbK5ilejP1uVqBJlQQWCrLe78kBEl7X0nuC0Y8lOBqNNYexxK4Yh4FCK7rq1aPpTWt-1Ii9KKBCaU5Sd_onDOt8bS5mhkq-2Qb2qBxxCMSqyysDuQVoewVBH3JoMXzVU0ymZu-7PQcdvEI/s4096/LOBM1716.HEIC" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="860" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxirQJuASqXQ8D2MeJ1d5LxnNEWqYYIhBBB0SzblwicCjdHfbK5ilejP1uVqBJlQQWCrLe78kBEl7X0nuC0Y8lOBqNNYexxK4Yh4FCK7rq1aPpTWt-1Ii9KKBCaU5Sd_onDOt8bS5mhkq-2Qb2qBxxCMSqyysDuQVoewVBH3JoMXzVU0ymZu-7PQcdvEI/w645-h860/LOBM1716.HEIC" width="645" /></span></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Drinks options in this section of the lounge with lounge chairs and massage chairs.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqrdtEwo7ki6PS7AbqNTFG5-LFjngnuWNft-mhRwjSJrC-nk_azb3s-iKJaWrJla6BzTH7_KIP3O0cqwQZ-pCZPy5M8saXGrSTAKubeSZeCdq_bbosoZBLVybmt7felr2xeYLY6jY-BlyOLACPDUbKUzUX-4kJ7ACThBn4rbf6GVwFJdsdrk3GR9KGs_U/s4096/SHLE8917.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqrdtEwo7ki6PS7AbqNTFG5-LFjngnuWNft-mhRwjSJrC-nk_azb3s-iKJaWrJla6BzTH7_KIP3O0cqwQZ-pCZPy5M8saXGrSTAKubeSZeCdq_bbosoZBLVybmt7felr2xeYLY6jY-BlyOLACPDUbKUzUX-4kJ7ACThBn4rbf6GVwFJdsdrk3GR9KGs_U/w640-h480/SHLE8917.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizX-IOFR5VnyEd7pEmQB8_m2ZNyNi8FrqAPqJT6mSEwMT1FOVGZ3xCTPCju2_mSQyALrM4C_ttdMehAMQvsTBE7FuRdno2cZbp7OOLBE0eU9U2Hym9fnOu0SpW6iDjsvYIT0EQHvQk-rrj_WiWljqXvKAxuJCTzkD8KinKK1Nb4dPAa71APSDW0JTzDKA/s4096/IBQY0888.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="853" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizX-IOFR5VnyEd7pEmQB8_m2ZNyNi8FrqAPqJT6mSEwMT1FOVGZ3xCTPCju2_mSQyALrM4C_ttdMehAMQvsTBE7FuRdno2cZbp7OOLBE0eU9U2Hym9fnOu0SpW6iDjsvYIT0EQHvQk-rrj_WiWljqXvKAxuJCTzkD8KinKK1Nb4dPAa71APSDW0JTzDKA/w640-h853/IBQY0888.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">I chose to sit in the dining area with sushi bar.</span></div></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipwXws-SZP4cRCTdglhnnHBQ_nDWa0c4Jv6sOLOe3pEPWVfN6HthvPwZt-0uwMA_ICZGuqC11LAwIDJGti7hIwea1thN61lNxEHPapkCN9om6PidjxOp0rISuwiGlbbSGePmoRIvhN69DdqvmHarmBU2QnBLshrnbEgSDDOxJ0oQV3C0Vz7s-jXxJ-ShY/s4096/MIHF9153.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipwXws-SZP4cRCTdglhnnHBQ_nDWa0c4Jv6sOLOe3pEPWVfN6HthvPwZt-0uwMA_ICZGuqC11LAwIDJGti7hIwea1thN61lNxEHPapkCN9om6PidjxOp0rISuwiGlbbSGePmoRIvhN69DdqvmHarmBU2QnBLshrnbEgSDDOxJ0oQV3C0Vz7s-jXxJ-ShY/w640-h480/MIHF9153.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"> Ala carte food options in the lounge ordered via the app. Ordered the Japanese meal combo, sushi, and champage for breakfast. =) </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">That's a wrap for our 2023 Japan trip! Thankful that everything went smoothly and we were able to see and experience a lot of different things during this short trip! </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">And my journey continued in <a href="https://www.khaishing.com/2023/05/homecoming-trip-2023-malaysia.html" target="_blank">Malaysia</a>...</span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://khaishing.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default</div>khaishing.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05154189313956844355noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3659547063209051949.post-17152778934362246912023-11-02T23:59:00.004-05:002023-11-03T02:53:55.684-05:00Japan 2023 ✈ Osaka<div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><i>We had originally planned to visit Japan in June 2020. Over the last 3 years, we had cancelled and rebooked this trip multiple times as Japan was one of the last few countries to reopen its borders to tourism post-Covid. After waiting for 3 years, we were glad to finally make this trip happen this year! This trip has been 3 years in the making and I must say Japan certainly lived up to our anticipation!</i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/uzUBH4a-Vic?si=N6RgxhPh3xBlGlrv" title="YouTube video player" width="640"></iframe></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><i><b>7D6N in Japan - Osaka, Kyoto, Kobe, Nara</b></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><a href="https://www.khaishing.com/2023/09/japan-2023-journey-to-japan.html" target="_blank"><i>15-16 April 2023: Journey to Japan</i></a></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><a href="https://www.khaishing.com/2023/09/japan-2023-osaka-cup-noodles-museum.html" target="_blank"><i>17 April 2023: Cup Noodles Museum, Yamazaki Distillery, Umeda Sky Building</i></a></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><i><a href="https://www.khaishing.com/2023/09/japan-2023-oh-deer-nara.html" target="_blank">18 April 2023: Nara</a></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><i><a href="https://www.khaishing.com/2023/09/japan-2023-hanshin-tigers-baseball-game.html" target="_blank">18 April 2023: Hanshin Tigers Baseball Game</a></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><i><a href="https://www.khaishing.com/2023/10/japan-2023-kobe-beef-in-kobe.html" target="_blank">19 April 2023: Kobe Beef in Kobe</a></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><i><a href="https://www.khaishing.com/2023/10/japan-2023-kyoto.html" target="_blank">19-20 April 2023: Kyoto</a></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><i><a href="https://www.khaishing.com/2023/11/japan-2023-osaka.html" target="_blank">21 April 2023: Osaka</a></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><i><a href="https://www.khaishing.com/2023/11/japan-2023-sayonara-japan.html" target="_blank">22 April 2023: Journey Home</a></i></span></div></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>20 Apr 2023 (Thurs): Ichiran Ramen Umeda - Namba</b></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg9nd11HB140P7y8RAidar9xAUk8zLa2UZrYSJLPxFYl7_Mhn14X9MUa3iCRTNON-QmiPyDOVmBifcizz46L0rbQN6hItL3NGUOavYnI5fKX6WaNpOL1YfihEVET7kXU47_N1nTAYUrNRpzBracEy9MynCniOSMna9dDaxqX324W0yoDOlQmzirejBPjg/s4096/JPCR9096.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="855" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg9nd11HB140P7y8RAidar9xAUk8zLa2UZrYSJLPxFYl7_Mhn14X9MUa3iCRTNON-QmiPyDOVmBifcizz46L0rbQN6hItL3NGUOavYnI5fKX6WaNpOL1YfihEVET7kXU47_N1nTAYUrNRpzBracEy9MynCniOSMna9dDaxqX324W0yoDOlQmzirejBPjg/w642-h855/JPCR9096.HEIC" width="642" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="text-align: center;">After wrapping up our sightseeing in <a href="https://www.khaishing.com/2023/10/japan-2023-kyoto.html" target="_blank">Kyoto</a>, we headed back to Osaka and decided to have lunch at the same Ichiran where we came on our first day in Japan. Gotta savor another round of Ichiran before we leave Japan. The Disruptive Behavior sign is definitely for the tourists...please do not have bad odors...lol!!</div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKSffwTeSJ1kCvCWxBBSL6qhy2CHJRuGKNXInYbGe6LBVhKuIZJzdTOTa16Eo4KHRUS4IT0ZnDlaqTYzOE5ki1kIsK4ROeN_kHmBUuyEA18RzCCsixxdMw92oEoKvFCi9dCkBFv0Yx1PTuIY2zSTkOU53qxQSdoXQLCQdyoecR75z9RKwN4oU4PugaJTA/s4096/QZTC9578.HEIC" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="850" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKSffwTeSJ1kCvCWxBBSL6qhy2CHJRuGKNXInYbGe6LBVhKuIZJzdTOTa16Eo4KHRUS4IT0ZnDlaqTYzOE5ki1kIsK4ROeN_kHmBUuyEA18RzCCsixxdMw92oEoKvFCi9dCkBFv0Yx1PTuIY2zSTkOU53qxQSdoXQLCQdyoecR75z9RKwN4oU4PugaJTA/w637-h850/QZTC9578.HEIC" width="637" /></span></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div>We waited about 10 minutes to get seated and the staff handed us the piece of paper for us to select our preferences while we waited.</div></span></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit4u-FDnw7B7NwkMu3BGCFYaJHSFRTMrU8Ia8dB77jQfa4gxd5DvYIQvzaekAQszVn9bddgAAsG0a-mc9Ee3e-dN1Lt3m9XZALrmu4ad_nmTncjif-AjJnYjWJhxFBCOQqIxm-65jVa9Tpn5JPmYKEO9Tu9YjYTA2cMWjepk5NXQHFSYK7e4eGn61Gjz0/s4096/OSLL5360.HEIC" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit4u-FDnw7B7NwkMu3BGCFYaJHSFRTMrU8Ia8dB77jQfa4gxd5DvYIQvzaekAQszVn9bddgAAsG0a-mc9Ee3e-dN1Lt3m9XZALrmu4ad_nmTncjif-AjJnYjWJhxFBCOQqIxm-65jVa9Tpn5JPmYKEO9Tu9YjYTA2cMWjepk5NXQHFSYK7e4eGn61Gjz0/w640-h640/OSLL5360.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div>As always, Ichiran ramen did not dissappoint. We each ordered an Asahi to toast for this smooth and enjoyable trip. The total cost for our meal was ¥3,540 ($26.50).</div></span></div></span></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/C8obbvQ9PUQ?si=Y0VPdnhonPyQMlWC" title="YouTube video player" width="640"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div>We enjoyed Ichiran so much that I even made a video just for Ichiran...hahaha!!</div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiak29LMJ13I8AJJSZGnAPU9YSoZiiDrbp3sthOWIeBXfXS_5lxJXQdmngH8LoWrmQqpzjeiZzsXhnJq-dFeW9AIh0V5HY5DYWSOA3c6v5OCpsH9q-Wg0n2EZ8Cbny3oVHTiC2V3YKMk_BUZqyFvHEhUEDTjuw8-HFmEGkk2viQ3vVTEUiz9WAUaCLkYlM/s4096/ACTL1484.jpg" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiak29LMJ13I8AJJSZGnAPU9YSoZiiDrbp3sthOWIeBXfXS_5lxJXQdmngH8LoWrmQqpzjeiZzsXhnJq-dFeW9AIh0V5HY5DYWSOA3c6v5OCpsH9q-Wg0n2EZ8Cbny3oVHTiC2V3YKMk_BUZqyFvHEhUEDTjuw8-HFmEGkk2viQ3vVTEUiz9WAUaCLkYlM/w640-h480/ACTL1484.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></span></div><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div>After a satisfying lunch, we took the subway to Namba station to collect our Osaka Metro 1-Day Pass which we bought on Klook for ¥820 ($4.85) per pax. We would be sightseeing around Osaka the next day so this pass would cover all our transportation within Osaka.</div><div><br /></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOKTvI9zX2Jat8EFkiN7_0i9I0aCbwihJCUcPDII0CfNVQGy8UruAJQNpWdmRj5a84eRuR6p0LfUntcOPAcx60O9VxnVZgnuJkxeNurmGo0zTfLnst8b80qTXSD7ju6ijNoENpAganSXbGangy8y57lwz3sovtYSjHuHXG3n0dyt5XdTLd9Y7v9XVTJnE/s4096/CUDK9636.jpg"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="863" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOKTvI9zX2Jat8EFkiN7_0i9I0aCbwihJCUcPDII0CfNVQGy8UruAJQNpWdmRj5a84eRuR6p0LfUntcOPAcx60O9VxnVZgnuJkxeNurmGo0zTfLnst8b80qTXSD7ju6ijNoENpAganSXbGangy8y57lwz3sovtYSjHuHXG3n0dyt5XdTLd9Y7v9XVTJnE/w647-h863/CUDK9636.jpg" width="647" /></span></a></div><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div>There are ticket machines in each metro station but they are mostly cash-only. It was easier to purchase on Klook since it costs the same and we could use our credit card. By the way, the many many signs on the ground at the metro stations show how Japanese follow instructions strictly.</div></span></div><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjudC9RS_p7i0MA2482yyUtkTOxpDDZDcO3bcxW6ihF9-Scuz8bi6peW0iuhERpdZMRuoKZEZNZwiHaD1_K9v7ztZSf07tyvhGt90cl3LOGWuto2mQNMBkvroVczyLllYc9MfFHArhg4xK8_rwtMO7olpzk0umuijYd49OQmIlsYJtB4psCzfjnUQQrD3g/s4096/RCOL1359.HEIC" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjudC9RS_p7i0MA2482yyUtkTOxpDDZDcO3bcxW6ihF9-Scuz8bi6peW0iuhERpdZMRuoKZEZNZwiHaD1_K9v7ztZSf07tyvhGt90cl3LOGWuto2mQNMBkvroVczyLllYc9MfFHArhg4xK8_rwtMO7olpzk0umuijYd49OQmIlsYJtB4psCzfjnUQQrD3g/w640-h640/RCOL1359.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></span></div><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div>After collecting our metro pass, we walked around Namba and went to Surugaya and Super Potato for game boy's video game shopping. </div></span></div></span></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_UiPAX6SL9-FPu7LBIZapAXq8TTDCF-daY6WacM2be241z0C7tTWoV2oYJw9Pzdpz1BArergxZ3GTj7IW2r9eU17qC1TxX2Kkg7vhVa6oft_AKaCRPkf_fdJs5Hh61SQ8wkFUAszCpaGvU-Ou47G0cCE1-vEpRAueboeHAVR4NSC3t6nPcUqbSRkNcqU/s4096/IELW3885.HEIC" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_UiPAX6SL9-FPu7LBIZapAXq8TTDCF-daY6WacM2be241z0C7tTWoV2oYJw9Pzdpz1BArergxZ3GTj7IW2r9eU17qC1TxX2Kkg7vhVa6oft_AKaCRPkf_fdJs5Hh61SQ8wkFUAszCpaGvU-Ou47G0cCE1-vEpRAueboeHAVR4NSC3t6nPcUqbSRkNcqU/w640-h480/IELW3885.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div>Stopped at Family Mart on our way back to buy their famous Famichiki, sandwich, cup noodles, and drinks for dinner in the hotel.</div><div><br /></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsfxEislHuFevbJtvvsOFbIFLcN0oRPsrMHFMG4Ray2lMzjhDccZ4otF-4IZ_W4vrWLAWBJQVHeaxt7kBovjYit53uJQWyHigBd4d26q1qdTS5OexvDDo0ERTZx5ckOi30bOazaIinD0IDij3K1XokcsNi3Zpw8dzoJPL1zZFW-8kSyXX8dGP-csqYgxU/s4096/TFQD5252.HEIC" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsfxEislHuFevbJtvvsOFbIFLcN0oRPsrMHFMG4Ray2lMzjhDccZ4otF-4IZ_W4vrWLAWBJQVHeaxt7kBovjYit53uJQWyHigBd4d26q1qdTS5OexvDDo0ERTZx5ckOi30bOazaIinD0IDij3K1XokcsNi3Zpw8dzoJPL1zZFW-8kSyXX8dGP-csqYgxU/w640-h480/TFQD5252.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div>Called it a day earlier as we were both tired and had to start packing.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>21 Apr 2023 (Fri): Osaka Castle - Shitennoji - Dotonbori - Ippudo Ramen</b></div></span></div></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8I6mRU3xwkN59bwP4-LQO4NJRPEEd0HvB_CMB9X5g4N9ImNHY3dNmOMgQufaZz-ljP2EL3w382uMTmJrJwC6VBkOm3OMJ8TEn7Iwoc31TXdYE7NtUCNJpM1j7KSDKI7QxjcJn7ROs9raUwq0F5WBQ-zLdImasMkC6ON3wSiBhmST5lpHq9ZBMiq-aPpA/s4096/HYLD8329.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8I6mRU3xwkN59bwP4-LQO4NJRPEEd0HvB_CMB9X5g4N9ImNHY3dNmOMgQufaZz-ljP2EL3w382uMTmJrJwC6VBkOm3OMJ8TEn7Iwoc31TXdYE7NtUCNJpM1j7KSDKI7QxjcJn7ROs9raUwq0F5WBQ-zLdImasMkC6ON3wSiBhmST5lpHq9ZBMiq-aPpA/w640-h640/HYLD8329.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Our final day of sightseeeing started later at 10am so we had more time to enjoy 'brunch' in the hotel. Day 5 of the same food options and I'm still enjoying it...haha!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4XtCgAEIzLODhvH-3Ux8MwsZI4W0po4c0MSKkPnatmEcHhy3FkZYq9HWTNN5yG3R7MljiFQ7fGMau5Lv41H6-Fv1cXmfEeFEndlp6STVEZjgJ1eI_FGmGwMUEx_htUy1xluxK6J6G-0PRYiAxMmTCPJFlA9x-3ItVqnObNVWqaNMWhtkDE-4EKAvo73A/s4096/MTQL0573.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4XtCgAEIzLODhvH-3Ux8MwsZI4W0po4c0MSKkPnatmEcHhy3FkZYq9HWTNN5yG3R7MljiFQ7fGMau5Lv41H6-Fv1cXmfEeFEndlp6STVEZjgJ1eI_FGmGwMUEx_htUy1xluxK6J6G-0PRYiAxMmTCPJFlA9x-3ItVqnObNVWqaNMWhtkDE-4EKAvo73A/w640-h640/MTQL0573.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Love how orderly everything is in Japan...perfect place for people with OCD...lol!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVYEak44yv-gTCguRiP7eFQe7Y80RVqtNGCBu77WhCgwVGwkr52bYbf3xw_6sD6tnMJKAz_QAOX5Z_VMxL7tR_KNl8xlDfOsyTfs-_Pbt8gT_yT7mVo9IPIme2e_3lljdbPwsHrPNhHtvrGZdUzcUeZn6KHEe6t_dpvgUZsGziPLP-ku-dlyCvR8Fw1tw/s4096/HNET2584.HEIC" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVYEak44yv-gTCguRiP7eFQe7Y80RVqtNGCBu77WhCgwVGwkr52bYbf3xw_6sD6tnMJKAz_QAOX5Z_VMxL7tR_KNl8xlDfOsyTfs-_Pbt8gT_yT7mVo9IPIme2e_3lljdbPwsHrPNhHtvrGZdUzcUeZn6KHEe6t_dpvgUZsGziPLP-ku-dlyCvR8Fw1tw/w640-h320/HNET2584.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Our first stop of the day was not a tourist attraction. The game boy wanted to 'visit' Capcom's headquarters and unsurprisingly, visitors are not allowed. Hubby even tried to ask the security guard if he could go in and look around. The security guard couldn't understand English but was nice enough to take out his phone to use the translation app to converse with hubby...poor thing have to entertain this crazy gaijin...hahaha!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7dNHGtmn7_G3cwsGZCKQwcOdRAErec4S4CjOtoBKJk_rEnvrT_PrDXg0CpjyteqaVrSoWzbPqxhTjrgwtwU6D_Msy2ZS_zMvPAHUCxOMeyV6Ak4jWjNwOL6ewyWqSAAmZweAME8mBpKBkE3Fpo2o00yG01QtncXgAHUpo3aM2iwNP71fs39EHZKHsLGY/s4096/JMBV8616.HEIC" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7dNHGtmn7_G3cwsGZCKQwcOdRAErec4S4CjOtoBKJk_rEnvrT_PrDXg0CpjyteqaVrSoWzbPqxhTjrgwtwU6D_Msy2ZS_zMvPAHUCxOMeyV6Ak4jWjNwOL6ewyWqSAAmZweAME8mBpKBkE3Fpo2o00yG01QtncXgAHUpo3aM2iwNP71fs39EHZKHsLGY/w640-h640/JMBV8616.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">After a quick photo stop at Capcom, we went to our 2nd stop for the day...Osaka Castle. This is one of the main tourist attractions in Osaka so there were quite a lot of tourists and another student group when we arrived at 11.30am.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfjw771WDHTJXoQgL4ur2wR5wjMLjo1GTtgHdXIo3xlqaJ1_c-2FsAlvzFJ0C7v9_m1BS_fZBKygIFbZr4SSzuA1-e9RNeJ8FI1HwfIufFsIjbssSpNIjuFF9CEhLkqNXk_UJ0a-cGXoUbQhSrrmBiVvoQcN4-jjx_y1TcTom-XvR0clHCbt0ktNXY1PY/s4096/SXZD8992.HEIC" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfjw771WDHTJXoQgL4ur2wR5wjMLjo1GTtgHdXIo3xlqaJ1_c-2FsAlvzFJ0C7v9_m1BS_fZBKygIFbZr4SSzuA1-e9RNeJ8FI1HwfIufFsIjbssSpNIjuFF9CEhLkqNXk_UJ0a-cGXoUbQhSrrmBiVvoQcN4-jjx_y1TcTom-XvR0clHCbt0ktNXY1PY/w640-h640/SXZD8992.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Luckily the surrounding of the castle was big so it never felt crowded at all, and we were still able to take photos of the castle without too many people in the background.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEishJ8RcKhQtxdVtDaHS2L8t20KJJKLH0tGFJMqe10xmvnYi6mAKdt8NVY8cskZxgiv6GfsWzSz5P3m1rTTVL2R9vBGWWcH9iN-tJGrlHQjGJe81jsq-CW31TNlX5Sv8LyiGgPVQ2kRluZxvSesaIo88hKj-rYKPEEeR9KR_YMCQeCsZjJ0wdzvP4g_qbc/s4096/IFJL0323.HEIC" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEishJ8RcKhQtxdVtDaHS2L8t20KJJKLH0tGFJMqe10xmvnYi6mAKdt8NVY8cskZxgiv6GfsWzSz5P3m1rTTVL2R9vBGWWcH9iN-tJGrlHQjGJe81jsq-CW31TNlX5Sv8LyiGgPVQ2kRluZxvSesaIo88hKj-rYKPEEeR9KR_YMCQeCsZjJ0wdzvP4g_qbc/w640-h480/IFJL0323.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Spring flowers were blooming around the castle.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD9b5eEWpxFriBSIg10mF0C1ttqtP98FMjz_qiUoMpHHxVxmq9WGWnyCVz-UC08iCKVzUeXrVc-4Cvb8fhXErEH6nQ4febcLdM9HiboFTSNO2D6joag_o-cmSu5MYBd_-lYnJqBMsMqVLyLHks7ArMg8-4AjmMjNua3ObWcNeXjH6lto3WTcjcsU1n4gA/s4096/QRCN3410.HEIC" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD9b5eEWpxFriBSIg10mF0C1ttqtP98FMjz_qiUoMpHHxVxmq9WGWnyCVz-UC08iCKVzUeXrVc-4Cvb8fhXErEH6nQ4febcLdM9HiboFTSNO2D6joag_o-cmSu5MYBd_-lYnJqBMsMqVLyLHks7ArMg8-4AjmMjNua3ObWcNeXjH6lto3WTcjcsU1n4gA/w640-h640/QRCN3410.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></span></div> <div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">And we found this perfect photo spot of the castle...with hardly anyone around! :)</span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMtFNJewzKFMmjiPKUZ66fmolkTMvCQLrvlUGDtTNZG1h3snK-Z7I1-mANV1EhMuVQ17Gu3Ya-Ly7n0RIzK4MaCGhURSFYtigrvGLFxSGCWFB3kCE9A2A8e7029wFKWxWN7uOMfDsQ-NQIUDP_eTONUnaptQaCPXZHBxVtrBNyQdeVS-zRlaXOGESdtUE/s4096/CLQZ5862.HEIC" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMtFNJewzKFMmjiPKUZ66fmolkTMvCQLrvlUGDtTNZG1h3snK-Z7I1-mANV1EhMuVQ17Gu3Ya-Ly7n0RIzK4MaCGhURSFYtigrvGLFxSGCWFB3kCE9A2A8e7029wFKWxWN7uOMfDsQ-NQIUDP_eTONUnaptQaCPXZHBxVtrBNyQdeVS-zRlaXOGESdtUE/w640-h480/CLQZ5862.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Another photo spot of the castle and the moat.</span></div></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP4-X1a2VAYYBkOw7LXSspLguW9uy4koKU6PnikBYei2dE9CODXTvzTMBtrott7IiBZ_Ep9mowHgo7EJytdhV_g3J9kom7OxXVkcrfEDFAmHnhn2MpOAYFhQqSRF6B-IpfngAUrGsF0s8YTcMUcQ1TMVEXpWWHm4_dd_uEMwzHYXH5L6REJPKOt4BfD24/s4096/UHPH1567.HEIC" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="853" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP4-X1a2VAYYBkOw7LXSspLguW9uy4koKU6PnikBYei2dE9CODXTvzTMBtrott7IiBZ_Ep9mowHgo7EJytdhV_g3J9kom7OxXVkcrfEDFAmHnhn2MpOAYFhQqSRF6B-IpfngAUrGsF0s8YTcMUcQ1TMVEXpWWHm4_dd_uEMwzHYXH5L6REJPKOt4BfD24/w640-h853/UHPH1567.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">These kiddos on field trip were so cute holding hands walking together. Spotted this stylish Japanese mom cycling with boots and a Prada bag as we were leaving the castle. Apparently it's very common to see bikes with seats at the back and/or front for kids.</span></div></div></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilp1132CxEkzc58ur5TsKA0LIObDDGxuSSBkwlNu8IzSz_olgl1mXhNzGZTSIkDUMI8s4xi9vCjF31nuRYJjI9oEhjaVJxnNhjKHdZ4bw0Og9iqBj05_ODcNdOyFD_G-tooLKDscMmGN1PtymaLWQqpJ3Ce13RAfvSQxOILkbDYC9ame4joood_52Hcfw/s4096/LZSX3999.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilp1132CxEkzc58ur5TsKA0LIObDDGxuSSBkwlNu8IzSz_olgl1mXhNzGZTSIkDUMI8s4xi9vCjF31nuRYJjI9oEhjaVJxnNhjKHdZ4bw0Og9iqBj05_ODcNdOyFD_G-tooLKDscMmGN1PtymaLWQqpJ3Ce13RAfvSQxOILkbDYC9ame4joood_52Hcfw/w640-h426/LZSX3999.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><div><div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Lunch time for the Japanese 'salarymen'...a reminder of how much I enjoy remote work. T</span><span style="font-family: "Open Sans";">he</span><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"> closest metro station, </span><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Open Sans";">Tanimachiyonchome Station,</span><span style="font-family: "Open Sans";"> was a 20 minute walk from Osaka Castle. </span></div></div></div></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCYBXSkNqDsvagGzrBSiK3B0Y33ubaddI7osz-mLu2qn6ruW6VNNFqtc_LLSrWJQYgJ16yiB9-j1S0onZi3ck2VqR1tYmF_2UST0GsxXQ7L9O_8Ypo-Oz3Jj0J-PO1fB3hw3NtQOO50JmddtYOW-T4aOYD7KepGfjLTXdEMnXO02BIS2HJa5k3xyY8b8E/s4096/WYZD4894.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCYBXSkNqDsvagGzrBSiK3B0Y33ubaddI7osz-mLu2qn6ruW6VNNFqtc_LLSrWJQYgJ16yiB9-j1S0onZi3ck2VqR1tYmF_2UST0GsxXQ7L9O_8Ypo-Oz3Jj0J-PO1fB3hw3NtQOO50JmddtYOW-T4aOYD7KepGfjLTXdEMnXO02BIS2HJa5k3xyY8b8E/w640-h480/WYZD4894.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUi6fOU2RQrwjFY-IHLlIg1jp4XCvOCmk4br25tqCVjfXwOhX4YW79sAYG-Ie_YeCYyBTql7BZ2AvP7KRlsVmptD3XvinZdbEsFNgEHgQiTT7ejA9Nb9AYSHgo1WOi-h8qs3usKdQjDn3KUmvV3_zYmNVQAoRp4WOHPT6RMwnciN6_fFHNY0N4xRNUExg/s4096/JTPT8688.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUi6fOU2RQrwjFY-IHLlIg1jp4XCvOCmk4br25tqCVjfXwOhX4YW79sAYG-Ie_YeCYyBTql7BZ2AvP7KRlsVmptD3XvinZdbEsFNgEHgQiTT7ejA9Nb9AYSHgo1WOi-h8qs3usKdQjDn3KUmvV3_zYmNVQAoRp4WOHPT6RMwnciN6_fFHNY0N4xRNUExg/w640-h480/JTPT8688.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">We took the Tanimachi line to Shitennoji-mae station then walked another 7 minutes to Shitennoji Temple. This temple is not as popular so there weren't any other tourists around. We were already templed-out at this point so this was just a quick 10 min stop.</span></div><div><br /></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7Y7NRUjkMUnOW96NvJyK8SEdK0MPAxrt78XkJQlCTk134LWZhCVf2m0cjWR8IxT78YEYcIE_La0ESIIqUd6pYfQtidqGJf5_VNtZaqSjjbH72m2EopEnDwnR-5uJnwckTg5nX7DmHPA7P6W2uKID-RydzWhc4VqUpk1McRtVJHIHXJrK9mU7O0GLmPfI/s4096/LWTL4942.HEIC" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7Y7NRUjkMUnOW96NvJyK8SEdK0MPAxrt78XkJQlCTk134LWZhCVf2m0cjWR8IxT78YEYcIE_La0ESIIqUd6pYfQtidqGJf5_VNtZaqSjjbH72m2EopEnDwnR-5uJnwckTg5nX7DmHPA7P6W2uKID-RydzWhc4VqUpk1McRtVJHIHXJrK9mU7O0GLmPfI/w640-h480/LWTL4942.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div>We then took the metro back to Namba station. While we were in Namba station, we did a 'trial run' to figure out the best route to walk from the metro station to the airport bus stop, focusing on finding the elevator/escalators, as we would have all our luggages with us the next morning, and it wouldn't be fun carrying the luggages up and down the stairs. We were glad we did this 'trial run' first as it made everything much easier the next day.</div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8eEUKKcGMNpUQhQyobFyRbS4cfMS4GGw1vdOEw3ZFMdxHz2JdfsAOhvAedw72I1avWddpIzNSJHOyBakDTUXnl1FhOrseMnMIbqCInbiSgHjPK-nQ0DbeJWaiQxWR_aTeoHE777-t3_UgsDRsKtmF3acWJVfLaaWwCEBdQQTKmzQ2eGGb3yc5MCb3vDo/s4096/TLZF0544.HEIC" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8eEUKKcGMNpUQhQyobFyRbS4cfMS4GGw1vdOEw3ZFMdxHz2JdfsAOhvAedw72I1avWddpIzNSJHOyBakDTUXnl1FhOrseMnMIbqCInbiSgHjPK-nQ0DbeJWaiQxWR_aTeoHE777-t3_UgsDRsKtmF3acWJVfLaaWwCEBdQQTKmzQ2eGGb3yc5MCb3vDo/w640-h480/TLZF0544.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div>We then walked to the famous Dotonbori street which was pretty crowded. This is Osaka's culinary epicenter and all the restaurant signs are huge. </div></span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXLM4yUmOPMbJXmuEXHpYJR7iVocNHuNwVA3xswoBD6x2UnqkOusqzwVizKmd-8uBKAjcbgohw5oZtosfmRdSkTCZxstcClNvIVVoITni49QeSGvIMYOIB7rgxQqoSvrqqmMb1UpsU89E4tJCYhhkrWyCw5hFs8wd0bSJVBcjCwZGS0EM-ODFoRqS4iyw/s4096/KLMZ7273.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXLM4yUmOPMbJXmuEXHpYJR7iVocNHuNwVA3xswoBD6x2UnqkOusqzwVizKmd-8uBKAjcbgohw5oZtosfmRdSkTCZxstcClNvIVVoITni49QeSGvIMYOIB7rgxQqoSvrqqmMb1UpsU89E4tJCYhhkrWyCw5hFs8wd0bSJVBcjCwZGS0EM-ODFoRqS4iyw/w640-h640/KLMZ7273.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div>Saw a store selling everything with this 'guy' whom I had no idea who he is until I googled. Apparently this guy is one of the famous Osakans called Kuidaore Taro. Somehow Japanese is so good with packaging their merchandise and gifts that we were enticed to buy a few nicely packaged souvenirs.</div></span></div></div><div><br style="font-family: "Times New Roman";" /></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVscTK-9svDsqk-kUBcK2IVWeqoFWrwXlt5zMNjeZY7LjP_IXDOYeslVb8mquKH2WcXWlyY-gigI8c4sVaxWpRspTlqRiVs7kMkKrkgkJbg1phVyxsc5Hd3AjT4aV0zyGzMJkiatoJJ30RX6LjVSqrFPa99lsNxPb9Ow9vWFf2nLEEOT_QUxVYceG98G4/s4096/XXEF0916.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVscTK-9svDsqk-kUBcK2IVWeqoFWrwXlt5zMNjeZY7LjP_IXDOYeslVb8mquKH2WcXWlyY-gigI8c4sVaxWpRspTlqRiVs7kMkKrkgkJbg1phVyxsc5Hd3AjT4aV0zyGzMJkiatoJJ30RX6LjVSqrFPa99lsNxPb9Ow9vWFf2nLEEOT_QUxVYceG98G4/w640-h640/XXEF0916.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div>Last but not least, the famous Glico Running Man, which somehow became a popular photo stop for any visitor. We thought about coming back to Dotonbori again at night when everything is lit up but the weather got cold at night so that's all for Dotonbori.</div><div><br /></div></span></div></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxhe8OeC5l6IhcErzogv-zYEcXsXS1ZTmAaCLkV3HsxxRtpdSC8-RIvOdwrzplO_UHegAwfsTwtYLLWnY04gqZALH__VI9BbENEwxvxcJvqY22qeLxIOS4PQpu2f-hWarboiVzbnXdFKN10oMhrFCYKRGfZzn1bXbKUfdUxDL6yMp5-nYLFp9dzB2htyo/s4096/JYIJ0627.HEIC"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxhe8OeC5l6IhcErzogv-zYEcXsXS1ZTmAaCLkV3HsxxRtpdSC8-RIvOdwrzplO_UHegAwfsTwtYLLWnY04gqZALH__VI9BbENEwxvxcJvqY22qeLxIOS4PQpu2f-hWarboiVzbnXdFKN10oMhrFCYKRGfZzn1bXbKUfdUxDL6yMp5-nYLFp9dzB2htyo/w637-h849/JYIJ0627.HEIC" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Last round of ramen for our last evening in Japan. We decided to try Ippudo, which was a short walk from our hotel. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr88X1b_MRV1x4GjVQBqmOMcXm36KsbNlonpTwuPaq0K0f7ojzHHCPlhbgO5onjZqZM5iDC5vqD4SQJ4aB24MPs6kPFMxLvQdK2rGMC9P3ODRq0IJ836kJQWYc9HEJMDJ3CH9bx_b8x9ZggurG57LWURBA5CJSYbHHU0JSzA47vjNCdsh7I5NHTIQNPqU/s4096/DPOY8089.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="850" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr88X1b_MRV1x4GjVQBqmOMcXm36KsbNlonpTwuPaq0K0f7ojzHHCPlhbgO5onjZqZM5iDC5vqD4SQJ4aB24MPs6kPFMxLvQdK2rGMC9P3ODRq0IJ836kJQWYc9HEJMDJ3CH9bx_b8x9ZggurG57LWURBA5CJSYbHHU0JSzA47vjNCdsh7I5NHTIQNPqU/w637-h850/DPOY8089.HEIC" width="637" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">We ordered gyoza, fried rice, Shiromaru Classic, and Akamaru Modern for a total of </span><span style="font-family: "Open Sans";">¥2,408 ($18). Conclusion, we both preferred Ichiran...hands down.</span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF6EmP_x55B6MY1ZNtvBso43bBOApm7rnayf1lBiSluY94GCu-kGWKiQ520M8SY8PCR27Cad2njnMVuPXZnLcg7CvDlIkfeHkOomM11cfm6YZA0D_gEi9c67pmjxqAVHZbUBGNZzusetzLmieandl46o_Yo4wKYrimO5v_6rmQeTanbTBuAlvYHVC96Gg/s4096/HNJI7302.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF6EmP_x55B6MY1ZNtvBso43bBOApm7rnayf1lBiSluY94GCu-kGWKiQ520M8SY8PCR27Cad2njnMVuPXZnLcg7CvDlIkfeHkOomM11cfm6YZA0D_gEi9c67pmjxqAVHZbUBGNZzusetzLmieandl46o_Yo4wKYrimO5v_6rmQeTanbTBuAlvYHVC96Gg/w640-h640/HNJI7302.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Last round of convenient store run at 7-11....drinks and ice-cream for dessert.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1Nmz0oSUAxTuXh2C-aW2T7OM7opt9oOWdbC6ZZvEZaU-D16-rOmSBn9uIZge7x5ILG0g6FCMuAB5CdsVyIsBKfaFCFBUhtbLK4iRU3ZKAqle7EEKfYzhQZa0bhpzNtOK5QQG25AZxeOYEQCGv6T50ZnQEjtpYPLpEapDPpbujEExVDWVzVKxMPjAWOlU/s4096/SDEP8316.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1Nmz0oSUAxTuXh2C-aW2T7OM7opt9oOWdbC6ZZvEZaU-D16-rOmSBn9uIZge7x5ILG0g6FCMuAB5CdsVyIsBKfaFCFBUhtbLK4iRU3ZKAqle7EEKfYzhQZa0bhpzNtOK5QQG25AZxeOYEQCGv6T50ZnQEjtpYPLpEapDPpbujEExVDWVzVKxMPjAWOlU/w640-h640/SDEP8316.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Time to pack up and get ready to leave the next morning. That's a wrap for Osaka!</span></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://khaishing.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default</div>khaishing.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05154189313956844355noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3659547063209051949.post-37145462197317778282023-10-22T19:39:00.007-05:002023-11-03T02:54:04.100-05:00Japan 2023 ✈ Kyoto<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>We had originally planned to visit Japan in June 2020. Over the last 3 years, we had cancelled and rebooked this trip multiple times as Japan was one of the last few countries to reopen its borders to tourism post-Covid. After waiting for 3 years, we were glad to finally make this trip happen this year! This trip has been 3 years in the making and I must say Japan certainly lived up to our anticipation!</i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i><br /></i></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/fQev-1IuIx0?si=FipplTzheQ5mnRUi" title="YouTube video player" width="640"></iframe></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="font-family: "Open Sans"; text-align: justify;"><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><i><b>7D6N in Japan - Osaka, Kyoto, Kobe, Nara</b></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><a href="https://www.khaishing.com/2023/09/japan-2023-journey-to-japan.html" target="_blank"><i>15-16 April 2023: Journey to Japan</i></a></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><a href="https://www.khaishing.com/2023/09/japan-2023-osaka-cup-noodles-museum.html" target="_blank"><i>17 April 2023: Cup Noodles Museum, Yamazaki Distillery, Umeda Sky Building</i></a></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><i><a href="https://www.khaishing.com/2023/09/japan-2023-oh-deer-nara.html" target="_blank">18 April 2023: Nara</a></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><i><a href="https://www.khaishing.com/2023/09/japan-2023-hanshin-tigers-baseball-game.html" target="_blank">18 April 2023: Hanshin Tigers Baseball Game</a></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><i><a href="https://www.khaishing.com/2023/10/japan-2023-kobe-beef-in-kobe.html" target="_blank">19 April 2023: Kobe Beef in Kobe</a></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><i><a href="https://www.khaishing.com/2023/10/japan-2023-kyoto.html" target="_blank">19-20 April 2023: Kyoto</a></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><i><a href="https://www.khaishing.com/2023/11/japan-2023-osaka.html" target="_blank">21 April 2023: Osaka</a></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><i><a href="https://www.khaishing.com/2023/11/japan-2023-sayonara-japan.html" target="_blank">22 April 2023: Journey Home</a></i></span></div></div><div style="font-family: "Open Sans"; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div style="font-family: "Open Sans"; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div style="font-family: "Open Sans"; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div><b>19 Apr 2023 (Wed): Fushimi Inari Shrine - Nintendo - Kinkakuji - Arashiyama</b></div><div>11 years ago, I visited Kyoto with my family for the first time. I usually avoid visiting places I've been before but this was an exception as hubby and I only visit Tokyo in 2017, so this was his first visit to the Kansai region. Since I had reference from the previous trip, it was much easier planning out the Kyoto portion of our trip this time around.</div></span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYE5LDNrwxcS0QH2PDXOHF9q8pX_ZlZwBqr31BPgHAdW8D0j9smMCc39B8u8dHnxyJF1W_RH_H9ff_ofBnIFePUKi32QYwzE6EfGv8iFqbQ7mCx8os4MilIy3nZ7WRtQHilv7YkkS7f6QeLaz1Zya79hYA0ODCcAQq9Du1Wu6Y7H8-q4OIxhkHE_rtKHs/s4096/GUJA9288.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYE5LDNrwxcS0QH2PDXOHF9q8pX_ZlZwBqr31BPgHAdW8D0j9smMCc39B8u8dHnxyJF1W_RH_H9ff_ofBnIFePUKi32QYwzE6EfGv8iFqbQ7mCx8os4MilIy3nZ7WRtQHilv7YkkS7f6QeLaz1Zya79hYA0ODCcAQq9Du1Wu6Y7H8-q4OIxhkHE_rtKHs/w640-h640/GUJA9288.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div><div style="text-align: center;">Instead of staying in different cities throughout our trip and having to pack and unpack, we decided to stay in Osaka for all 6 nights. As such, for the 2 days which we had to travel 1-hour to Kyoto, we decided to start our day early at 7am. The hotel breakfast started at 7am and we were able to pack some pastries to-go with the hotel's grab and go bags. </div></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0QwxjZ95Xplg84MWJ9ZZgGBPab7SsIqXlkmP_yxLuIPAFZorZqbScosGxI0SOikiaoOGNBZbZYrUn1vWI-L1zLNa97gLAAW4Idbl7WjI2vY4Bp0WOK24_eN4X6qgnKA9J4Qkg-F4pEoTnFUHWiCAqgEjVsjefE0yba54bIa6XOtaz8TrbBjDyg4QqisY/s4096/EQLL6682.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="802" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0QwxjZ95Xplg84MWJ9ZZgGBPab7SsIqXlkmP_yxLuIPAFZorZqbScosGxI0SOikiaoOGNBZbZYrUn1vWI-L1zLNa97gLAAW4Idbl7WjI2vY4Bp0WOK24_eN4X6qgnKA9J4Qkg-F4pEoTnFUHWiCAqgEjVsjefE0yba54bIa6XOtaz8TrbBjDyg4QqisY/w642-h802/EQLL6682.HEIC" width="642" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div><div>For both days of travel to Kyoto, we used day 2 & 3 of our Kansai Thru Pass, which made the transportation cost cheaper than buying individual tickets. We took the Midosuji line from Hommachi station to Yodoyabashi station (1 stop), then switched to the 7.38am Keihan train to Ryukokudai-mae-fukakusa Station. We were glad we boarded the train at the first stop and was able to secure seats easily for this 53min train ride. The train got crowded shortly after with locals commuting to school and work during rush hour.</div><div><br /></div></div></span></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXMWPgElwWnrl-YJ2YOcV0KiPDxWdms3npO2vztmlK6zFTNv8Pe8vVh8JaPgJenuIkbYFUkgSbW1qwE7rFpJ9x6EkO9kijRcyhg3VjnWA8aXuONt_6Nj39kMW5k8hxcHthn5UW0VnwVdW6LzRduY9uIWnw1Yjg5ugvbl2fYabSUjQONM7fuRR2U3wXY_M/s4096/KRTL9462.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXMWPgElwWnrl-YJ2YOcV0KiPDxWdms3npO2vztmlK6zFTNv8Pe8vVh8JaPgJenuIkbYFUkgSbW1qwE7rFpJ9x6EkO9kijRcyhg3VjnWA8aXuONt_6Nj39kMW5k8hxcHthn5UW0VnwVdW6LzRduY9uIWnw1Yjg5ugvbl2fYabSUjQONM7fuRR2U3wXY_M/w640-h480/KRTL9462.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Arrived </span><span style="font-family: "Open Sans";">Ryukokudai-mae-fukakusa Station at 8.33am and walked about 10 minutes through a quiet residential alley to our first stop for the day...Fushimi Inari Shrine.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div> <div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_OxSjP0WFEI_9ZlOhdqUh11vZEVLQHpPGFJmy62M818ovLuBq6-XutFy0aXrPwPzUZjm1sFPFk-FdLAZl7AuoDJhHReiZnc9k_DuCAoXLkC1OmdhGnBKdpI4jTEZdcIkF85tK8pXntMP7lhXt7iBstuedovPmN7ypTgI30y0pT_xs7DvHQKnYw_OGz_0/s4096/YFKG7487.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_OxSjP0WFEI_9ZlOhdqUh11vZEVLQHpPGFJmy62M818ovLuBq6-XutFy0aXrPwPzUZjm1sFPFk-FdLAZl7AuoDJhHReiZnc9k_DuCAoXLkC1OmdhGnBKdpI4jTEZdcIkF85tK8pXntMP7lhXt7iBstuedovPmN7ypTgI30y0pT_xs7DvHQKnYw_OGz_0/w640-h640/YFKG7487.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">We knew this is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Kyoto so we made it a point to make this our first stop. Even though 8.45am is not really considered early, we were fine with our timing as we already have an expectation that there will be crowd here.</span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvdcp5z6lRbBa0ubGSoHy_4wS-Z6fQ7JrUiHvkZXGtTdE-ODogPgV6Ng9i6x6fkCxyESJi3E04jqubyTxjO5Zwin2ZXYVnptJRpQnVxpbxhiF18LcclYCVzEKlLOHJzwWW0JtwSFK1WMxByAQUZZy1wufIV6ANusjKjX2YwQf54FALWfL5_mPFb06U9Jg/s4096/VDNM1183.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvdcp5z6lRbBa0ubGSoHy_4wS-Z6fQ7JrUiHvkZXGtTdE-ODogPgV6Ng9i6x6fkCxyESJi3E04jqubyTxjO5Zwin2ZXYVnptJRpQnVxpbxhiF18LcclYCVzEKlLOHJzwWW0JtwSFK1WMxByAQUZZy1wufIV6ANusjKjX2YwQf54FALWfL5_mPFb06U9Jg/w640-h480/VDNM1183.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Fortunately, the crowd wasn't too bad yet and we were still able to get some photos without people in the background.</span></div></div></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ_J_wV9wBQMko07uOMvdGFyuJfdqlIHRGL3I4MkLwyEUslxcAxmrKP_Ve3CF69e0d7iuvpL1Q8hDg6wmmndW14_KpgcU_AUCH5I9XQNnNivDwR1Kgp3xilqLbShaFdLWSCID8PMu9dZlXLn_U37RgIon_WLPtE3jnjXH8_iYY9tbC3Sp7MFDlPFGE0-0/s4096/OOTO8134.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ_J_wV9wBQMko07uOMvdGFyuJfdqlIHRGL3I4MkLwyEUslxcAxmrKP_Ve3CF69e0d7iuvpL1Q8hDg6wmmndW14_KpgcU_AUCH5I9XQNnNivDwR1Kgp3xilqLbShaFdLWSCID8PMu9dZlXLn_U37RgIon_WLPtE3jnjXH8_iYY9tbC3Sp7MFDlPFGE0-0/w640-h640/OOTO8134.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Well...some people. There were actually few tour groups there already.</span></div></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZdRRrrbix_QRvysSy109zi0WEI4XDRjnWJCriCEx5kQ0LmB7y_yV_m8Cd9LOBHTKy7hq0Q8NQjCFrZv-ukwvfP9JesL2S01AmOJZCELQJCQV4oTIZpSRGpgLR0PReb1ZYyZ97opeLyF0jRWxVVH1QpzJOp1DwAYD4mJaJ6m_CMtrz3qGD7kf5_dsHV9I/s4096/HOTG9133.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZdRRrrbix_QRvysSy109zi0WEI4XDRjnWJCriCEx5kQ0LmB7y_yV_m8Cd9LOBHTKy7hq0Q8NQjCFrZv-ukwvfP9JesL2S01AmOJZCELQJCQV4oTIZpSRGpgLR0PReb1ZYyZ97opeLyF0jRWxVVH1QpzJOp1DwAYD4mJaJ6m_CMtrz3qGD7kf5_dsHV9I/w640-h480/HOTG9133.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">These torii gates are the main reason why most tourists visit this shrine. </span><span style="font-family: "Open Sans";">As you can see on the top left photo, that</span><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Open Sans";">was the crowd situation at the beginning of the torii gates.</span></div></div></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ4fJEol1EFO-uS_WAKrHXp5SdfnfjUA-7JSPUNAMK4BV51PYl5HtBoUYE_wdoTRVYP189FjyEbWao-Pj5jdHmF-tyOFtHNVWakKzFr49tn5jFZMOg6OSYB7dNtiG_THmZUWUvKkmiFPnT7tbjLNPePJtKwfYRZtQa7mQZ6Q_ABd48Ve7P9op_xMP9xmY/s4096/CHHA9628.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ4fJEol1EFO-uS_WAKrHXp5SdfnfjUA-7JSPUNAMK4BV51PYl5HtBoUYE_wdoTRVYP189FjyEbWao-Pj5jdHmF-tyOFtHNVWakKzFr49tn5jFZMOg6OSYB7dNtiG_THmZUWUvKkmiFPnT7tbjLNPePJtKwfYRZtQa7mQZ6Q_ABd48Ve7P9op_xMP9xmY/w640-h480/CHHA9628.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><div><div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Now here's our trick for getting the instagram photos without people in the background, and we didn't even need to hike far at all. </span><span style="font-family: "Open Sans";">We only spent 5 minutes walking through these torii gates and managed to snap all these photos. </span><span style="font-family: "Open Sans";">What we did was quickly walk through the entry direction, and at the first opening point, turn around to the exit direction and you'd get a few empty spots coz most people would hike further and would have taken enough photos by the time they walk back to the exit. =)</span></div></div></div></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtBZSS_dmbEX3NjlDiV63ja5LZ4LDedmtJBYyE0T-8buXaMD5sptjGKB5vhvJ4Rdr6hs4Zl_aPpksivISAdd3F2GqstUtt5cpILDmxmg6cC5UAB6_fwzuCSWrfI1ZGLKEU_IRMyO9DBA6e5B3W_-URLN1LW5VyktwyiuEE0yd3fuChkDBMVzR1iF5ItHo/s4096/IRRW7490.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtBZSS_dmbEX3NjlDiV63ja5LZ4LDedmtJBYyE0T-8buXaMD5sptjGKB5vhvJ4Rdr6hs4Zl_aPpksivISAdd3F2GqstUtt5cpILDmxmg6cC5UAB6_fwzuCSWrfI1ZGLKEU_IRMyO9DBA6e5B3W_-URLN1LW5VyktwyiuEE0yd3fuChkDBMVzR1iF5ItHo/w640-h640/IRRW7490.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCLWKqTPeG6oh_SB-V_qegpdOL87Mmhho4n2xbeWRgjV45cFzW_VoMlA6SXYAFQH1VKs1_YfmiYeVPLVsUFsxK12Rj2SM1UqYwGzZQi0tTMwIh9If4kYdS0F57kkYJ6sg4Cve5uDoWYeznibhuOLzeXqY7nZnYnB5K_hC7g49rMEJmCBAlNnQSMaTPPDE/s5422/GBIC7121.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="366" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCLWKqTPeG6oh_SB-V_qegpdOL87Mmhho4n2xbeWRgjV45cFzW_VoMlA6SXYAFQH1VKs1_YfmiYeVPLVsUFsxK12Rj2SM1UqYwGzZQi0tTMwIh9If4kYdS0F57kkYJ6sg4Cve5uDoWYeznibhuOLzeXqY7nZnYnB5K_hC7g49rMEJmCBAlNnQSMaTPPDE/w640-h366/GBIC7121.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8z0FNTghhXTxWB-M-5kEUG7q_isvRZqTsuaAJQ5e6V-VBxnmbOwMTYKt-4A7oF3NU9fWuCBopIqkccG0x5OavRvI9KpOX_P-pKrkNOQP_vRi8QIDkrKHYlZFDNOjIs5uFZuPpagp6D8a_JDT5fI1CsJQ5wuS123s0dRTfaq9sBQCj-kB45VZ6Buk8AxE/s4096/TLOO5749.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8z0FNTghhXTxWB-M-5kEUG7q_isvRZqTsuaAJQ5e6V-VBxnmbOwMTYKt-4A7oF3NU9fWuCBopIqkccG0x5OavRvI9KpOX_P-pKrkNOQP_vRi8QIDkrKHYlZFDNOjIs5uFZuPpagp6D8a_JDT5fI1CsJQ5wuS123s0dRTfaq9sBQCj-kB45VZ6Buk8AxE/w640-h640/TLOO5749.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">We don't like crowded places so we were in and out of the torii gates quick and efficiently. We then walked around the shrine and took some photos.</span></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp9qtYuJR_ew8MguuT1ekgnGp9jlns6Y8709uTnynK1A6vh-mQfgFcaLPzdtOT5J88fHTSLN-j0s97Bm5HtKDZu3wY_MkEpJeo39ZXSkTS0aus_516yc_YNs0B9kvJ4k75kcok90INySCj95S-33P_JnF-mRfcf9BN2yK0ETJWQZkJpS3kFlhZcGhpyAM/s4096/MVBZ7107.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp9qtYuJR_ew8MguuT1ekgnGp9jlns6Y8709uTnynK1A6vh-mQfgFcaLPzdtOT5J88fHTSLN-j0s97Bm5HtKDZu3wY_MkEpJeo39ZXSkTS0aus_516yc_YNs0B9kvJ4k75kcok90INySCj95S-33P_JnF-mRfcf9BN2yK0ETJWQZkJpS3kFlhZcGhpyAM/w640-h480/MVBZ7107.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">The shrine started getting a lot busier when we left at 9.15am. We were glad we arrived just slightly earlier before more tourist groups arrived. </span></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzjHhU7SozZnjrVSiXH_YxXqVHTmMW20txvJc2VuqNfJ0Gtg_iC3tQ56SyWjMs-azCHwrf-hILzA_RsJg9sUoJsuuGsowu6WKNp2UKKrnmd1V1B2NGt_P1Zz9ye-hWkpK3xs3xcYI-xJECJfCTPCd7fzHUn0pOT4Cg0EK2abbAmQmPDTjFPVgVXO9jQAM/s4096/IEBG5045.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzjHhU7SozZnjrVSiXH_YxXqVHTmMW20txvJc2VuqNfJ0Gtg_iC3tQ56SyWjMs-azCHwrf-hILzA_RsJg9sUoJsuuGsowu6WKNp2UKKrnmd1V1B2NGt_P1Zz9ye-hWkpK3xs3xcYI-xJECJfCTPCd7fzHUn0pOT4Cg0EK2abbAmQmPDTjFPVgVXO9jQAM/w640-h640/IEBG5045.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">After spending 30 minutes at Fushimi Inari Shrine, we walked 25 minutes (2.2km) to...</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoDLjw3m_o9PoF_FptI4hachC3Ur2CmELIQUq-g3u54Ii3l_QF5-WMXtKX3yx3SxU1OQyk_z2Ipv6G_B1WOSmUytJBKlikAQqGtM9i0kwVYTiMJU11gkvPnB2NukKte2Cy6jTLDJtHR6jVVa61HihSEKxzTzZfPIGjg2GYiNA2d12VNUcyJT5SQETkl30/s4096/VWER2274.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoDLjw3m_o9PoF_FptI4hachC3Ur2CmELIQUq-g3u54Ii3l_QF5-WMXtKX3yx3SxU1OQyk_z2Ipv6G_B1WOSmUytJBKlikAQqGtM9i0kwVYTiMJU11gkvPnB2NukKte2Cy6jTLDJtHR6jVVa61HihSEKxzTzZfPIGjg2GYiNA2d12VNUcyJT5SQETkl30/w640-h320/VWER2274.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">...the Nintendo HQ building. W</span><span style="font-family: "Open Sans";">e couldn't enter the building so we only took photos from the outside. </span><span style="font-family: "Open Sans";">This stop was obviously for the game boy. We've visited the </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuN8b3iWnZJWo39QGeaE4VUe212AapwX5nS3QuHqMBPnW9eHalcwFmXFwA2NBeLFhjV46Xyyf87_eUvTVMTykXI1-jMiy7DMBm9lq-2bdkRvkkHd_IDrD3ZjeNlvz5G60F3tguVkE0Zxs/w641-h853/IMG_3964.JPG" style="font-family: "Open Sans";" target="_blank">Nintendo America's HQ in Seattle</a><span style="font-family: "Open Sans";">, now we've also visited Nintendo Japan's HQ in Kyoto. Hubby is a definitely a big fan of Nintendo...which started his love for video games 30+ years ago.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1_h-cqzaAqX-w5Oz-m6TBIHjM_Awc7W6ZIDs88CXxe08YT3JSAtTx8_6XGIlAe22h1e75L-JxrHIUASqKS8zinmXkXqmRDeTxeGadQByCDKec43MW6ELfgmmau9yz9jNBh_RexekWAFp2AkVKXJK6GIpZyzvg4xNepR_AlX2Dw7_pEzJjcJQPT1QGpgs/s4096/UYZO0934.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1_h-cqzaAqX-w5Oz-m6TBIHjM_Awc7W6ZIDs88CXxe08YT3JSAtTx8_6XGIlAe22h1e75L-JxrHIUASqKS8zinmXkXqmRDeTxeGadQByCDKec43MW6ELfgmmau9yz9jNBh_RexekWAFp2AkVKXJK6GIpZyzvg4xNepR_AlX2Dw7_pEzJjcJQPT1QGpgs/w640-h640/UYZO0934.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">After a quick photo stop at Nintendo, we walked 10 minutes at Jujo station and took the Karasuma line for 17 minutes to Kita-Oji station.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbzP0o_LyRNfTEq_713shNZdjsLMTgwYrj_kfVwn5b6pa4ki1oC66AYuX6Irw15HuaQlYQZjZcCfc8KfXNcj5hACIzrFKh4RRfbLyeNSSA2NgHnOphSfCIhpsZx9q2h7dNNC2niBEUosFEN_OEz3oqWCOyyqYm3cZzvUKvT4oKzqGqIG2E1SNIb1V782U/s4096/HIBV0479.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbzP0o_LyRNfTEq_713shNZdjsLMTgwYrj_kfVwn5b6pa4ki1oC66AYuX6Irw15HuaQlYQZjZcCfc8KfXNcj5hACIzrFKh4RRfbLyeNSSA2NgHnOphSfCIhpsZx9q2h7dNNC2niBEUosFEN_OEz3oqWCOyyqYm3cZzvUKvT4oKzqGqIG2E1SNIb1V782U/w640-h640/HIBV0479.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Our Japan public transport adventure continues with public bus, which is also included in the Kansai Thru Pass. Took bus 204 for 10 min from Kitaoji Bus Terminal to Kinkakuji. This bus route is definitely for the tourists as other passengers were mostly foreigners...lol! The bus also showed each stop in both Japanese and English, which was very helpful.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha210nu-JpEOg4MdSMYETvzSbi0wLhphbeGUsnBKhIZbz8sUvlHqb-0Xww_Zh-yFfEpILWJNCKmgtGDeOElEGCfgGDba1RXWEPK3WdWW3cXS4fITUjEL5E2SuyG63_33ZlGvyeh3afhnFkv_pGvhm1TG_GpJYXaPli9TTV0Kp2d3K-xABU4PbG-ZUV_Fw/s4096/IUJC5643.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha210nu-JpEOg4MdSMYETvzSbi0wLhphbeGUsnBKhIZbz8sUvlHqb-0Xww_Zh-yFfEpILWJNCKmgtGDeOElEGCfgGDba1RXWEPK3WdWW3cXS4fITUjEL5E2SuyG63_33ZlGvyeh3afhnFkv_pGvhm1TG_GpJYXaPli9TTV0Kp2d3K-xABU4PbG-ZUV_Fw/w640-h480/IUJC5643.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Arrived Kinkakuji at 10.50am. Entrance ticket was </span><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">¥1,000/pax ($6.70)...cash only. The entrance ticket (white paper) is still exactly the same as how it was 11 years ago.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi34RgmBzLa-7-mmeYbpbt5hC9TS_gpzLqCeDxZFx_xS2x3gWT9JhdX4P21N4cqFUWF9zrsLwKk9xTOzYqUNRtY1Yp0KhE6rcwyhoVAsFfJmsDheiHRdWC9UkPY5h4i4om7tI1US0vH_1kAHYBkWH1vEuIWF5PADtazvxS745fDrDA7Xgbwr7-_BekuGVw/s4096/JSHM9540.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi34RgmBzLa-7-mmeYbpbt5hC9TS_gpzLqCeDxZFx_xS2x3gWT9JhdX4P21N4cqFUWF9zrsLwKk9xTOzYqUNRtY1Yp0KhE6rcwyhoVAsFfJmsDheiHRdWC9UkPY5h4i4om7tI1US0vH_1kAHYBkWH1vEuIWF5PADtazvxS745fDrDA7Xgbwr7-_BekuGVw/w640-h480/JSHM9540.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">This is another popular tourist attraction in Kyoto, and I remember from my last visit that there weren't much to see apart from seeing the golden temple from far. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5-hPFknKMoBLkSCWDeM40rjTWtvUJINlcnKBOwy104GBkeIREmSfLwhFgDgj6cR787f82bN0WkjjuIYjatCSVTyvrS3Oo4Yn326DyXxc5JdAaE1kbRtPtTA2IAPa9szZ-7dhbZD2nG1orI3CZ6nzKEdTBuO_RPWLxQm_1CbplbkVbUNw9E2qnmFCrCMc/s4096/WHNV6853.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5-hPFknKMoBLkSCWDeM40rjTWtvUJINlcnKBOwy104GBkeIREmSfLwhFgDgj6cR787f82bN0WkjjuIYjatCSVTyvrS3Oo4Yn326DyXxc5JdAaE1kbRtPtTA2IAPa9szZ-7dhbZD2nG1orI3CZ6nzKEdTBuO_RPWLxQm_1CbplbkVbUNw9E2qnmFCrCMc/w640-h480/WHNV6853.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Was it worth the hassle of taking a train and bus, and paying </span><span style="text-align: left;">¥1,000</span> to visit this temple? Personally, I wouldn't recommend it. This is more of a check-the-box attraction in Kyoto.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz1UHsm31iAvOLm9yu3MTo82_znFEg9aQcq6V30ma37_eEdZJwH6oL405k-ISYOFAhUAJM3eWLQnC46MgVSFYpZepnVopdpqsqh_coRYmYHGf2E6MgSImfA2d70YTkhxhqXqToshw_l8o0i0-GAhS3xPJRcJU9J6QElLHQdGStQ11e6tN2_l9p359TB4U/s4096/EAZB0972.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz1UHsm31iAvOLm9yu3MTo82_znFEg9aQcq6V30ma37_eEdZJwH6oL405k-ISYOFAhUAJM3eWLQnC46MgVSFYpZepnVopdpqsqh_coRYmYHGf2E6MgSImfA2d70YTkhxhqXqToshw_l8o0i0-GAhS3xPJRcJU9J6QElLHQdGStQ11e6tN2_l9p359TB4U/w640-h640/EAZB0972.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"> There were a few tour groups visiting at the same time so it was quite crowded.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="855" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmKOkPpkjt-oA3HBYVwK3KReBiI4euM9bm5MG0Xgfb4WKJ4tiVf4S0hgdDBCH26_-YTv4hMkKRsLmF8tsQkk1HacjeBdMZIYiYEKTLX2xSvRTzQXdDPLY1grDyMYBJoSQ6Swhogq4Uqas0AdWE-aCb1aGECUki10ya4QZUoSrng1TfvLFneYWJNCVKOgI/w641-h855/UCOY4479.HEIC" width="641" /></span><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmKOkPpkjt-oA3HBYVwK3KReBiI4euM9bm5MG0Xgfb4WKJ4tiVf4S0hgdDBCH26_-YTv4hMkKRsLmF8tsQkk1HacjeBdMZIYiYEKTLX2xSvRTzQXdDPLY1grDyMYBJoSQ6Swhogq4Uqas0AdWE-aCb1aGECUki10ya4QZUoSrng1TfvLFneYWJNCVKOgI/s4096/UCOY4479.HEIC"></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">We spent only 15 min visiting the temple, and spent more time shopping for souvenirs before hopping back on the bus at 11.55am for 5 min to Kitano Hakubaicho station.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOwk3FYGbQruEJUwMpRb2QtDnpsIzqVaDdqfCrWpgORfRlLox99eXBy5CRFxaMVCb-SThjVH2zgO37FepVmKmQcOhmnrXpRO1tu0Tb9eVCavi8Pve8H1E7QcFQgjgmGrqlfS-ZHrhcrXYJliRWiAl9VHcSc3l_4nwN62pMHvjoKA9f54YefIX01VBHyZs/s4096/SWLI1707.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOwk3FYGbQruEJUwMpRb2QtDnpsIzqVaDdqfCrWpgORfRlLox99eXBy5CRFxaMVCb-SThjVH2zgO37FepVmKmQcOhmnrXpRO1tu0Tb9eVCavi8Pve8H1E7QcFQgjgmGrqlfS-ZHrhcrXYJliRWiAl9VHcSc3l_4nwN62pMHvjoKA9f54YefIX01VBHyZs/w640-h640/SWLI1707.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">One of the more memorable train lines I remember from my last visit was the Randen line to Arashiyama. These old school trams are </span><span style="font-family: "Open Sans";">the last remaining trams in Kyoto. They don't go as fast and our journey took 40 min with a tram switch at </span><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Katabiranotsuji station.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaoeHYtDcj1sbtvp8UFpsUhbqoNHk5gR3OzB4COelhZm6_GfXeBQt39mvf23_LPitKlZ0v4TtEuIPtfumWjrV23neVkiUIJaaqfZNwP6AaA988WhzCsk4m-HqeLcbwHQtTNEvBEOlMfLUAjURJjM2kubnvdjO8wcDIHvgr65RCpOP4HxHzT44Gh5vDEeI/s4096/DMKO4730.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaoeHYtDcj1sbtvp8UFpsUhbqoNHk5gR3OzB4COelhZm6_GfXeBQt39mvf23_LPitKlZ0v4TtEuIPtfumWjrV23neVkiUIJaaqfZNwP6AaA988WhzCsk4m-HqeLcbwHQtTNEvBEOlMfLUAjURJjM2kubnvdjO8wcDIHvgr65RCpOP4HxHzT44Gh5vDEeI/w640-h640/DMKO4730.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">We arrived Arashiyama station at 12.45pm, then walked 8 min to the bamboo forest.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7-rzeKky1BLiQ9RFBowwZKZsnwuVer07IBEwWbGbhNmWSO2_L_75QEwed5RbNYOBfoJFC-QE4eSs12tG9C76d9mERUbdhJ5C23kFtTlnBkLiiLVxcd4fj4_Zjyj5q3bOHnudqmYT0xdmK9fwggt8z8Lulp5YLdST2MgRdaf-jWwrA_DsbizLAqiUCjzA/s4096/EWGL5075.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="857" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7-rzeKky1BLiQ9RFBowwZKZsnwuVer07IBEwWbGbhNmWSO2_L_75QEwed5RbNYOBfoJFC-QE4eSs12tG9C76d9mERUbdhJ5C23kFtTlnBkLiiLVxcd4fj4_Zjyj5q3bOHnudqmYT0xdmK9fwggt8z8Lulp5YLdST2MgRdaf-jWwrA_DsbizLAqiUCjzA/w644-h857/EWGL5075.HEIC" width="644" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">This is another popular tourist attraction in Kyoto and unsurprisingly, it was busy when we got here at 1pm.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqj9kJZLcGgs7mAbL8FIT9nMFMjyaO1A2p9OPncgsYUH3jfOJdWjqr9zYNshWIkmJ7tISrrDXtAbxzleFqLs-GmKMIniQZJokiSd1hio-_HTygIwUYAn4alpejDGUtFobLmYEhUt3EXHdwwMefUvEwdOu7PqhUX8Q8YY35El3mIyOgdUZTUNZX4YMSYU8/w640-h480/Arashiyama%20Bamboo.jpg" width="640" /></div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Had to use some camera trick to 'hide' the people in the background.</span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI9R4qge4CLc-nK2R5IlsiuecZovJo11Kudq0BSCADcxgV9q_kyHqiMrKeu89MvvpqvEwYNCgARwEYZ3mZOHl9Ur_qWMtkqfBjuaXxQcWR8Yg9UjGGcjnKn_XNiNg0Tt1U3fW88VrnEXPYizlN2T7Yq3qXG3Q9Qr7I-25Ln-1EAw8XTRTTuZ6ibEfMC2k/s4096/HAUC6301.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI9R4qge4CLc-nK2R5IlsiuecZovJo11Kudq0BSCADcxgV9q_kyHqiMrKeu89MvvpqvEwYNCgARwEYZ3mZOHl9Ur_qWMtkqfBjuaXxQcWR8Yg9UjGGcjnKn_XNiNg0Tt1U3fW88VrnEXPYizlN2T7Yq3qXG3Q9Qr7I-25Ln-1EAw8XTRTTuZ6ibEfMC2k/w640-h480/HAUC6301.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb3uEXw36UZYcfWs9ornAp7vta_o8GO3u0_s-7mAqctSUk40D98lK1IsWFGwhKwrY2CqyGAeLr57z-SYXeYMfXSBceywEyjkgOVB_379u-O4iuIXvRN5EtiOe2fhW1Ic3PmG8tnZ8GdCvCrmeE-iKRB7Jd-UnZzslu821-wFhew53dnf8GWKbsUlxs8oA/s4096/WMHK5363.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb3uEXw36UZYcfWs9ornAp7vta_o8GO3u0_s-7mAqctSUk40D98lK1IsWFGwhKwrY2CqyGAeLr57z-SYXeYMfXSBceywEyjkgOVB_379u-O4iuIXvRN5EtiOe2fhW1Ic3PmG8tnZ8GdCvCrmeE-iKRB7Jd-UnZzslu821-wFhew53dnf8GWKbsUlxs8oA/w640-h480/WMHK5363.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">The bamboo forest was too crowded for our liking so we didn't stay long. </span><span style="font-family: "Open Sans";">Walked about 30 minutes across Togetsu-kyo Bridge to the quieter side of Arashiyama to the Arashiyama Hankyu train station. Saw some cute Japanese shops along our way.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Open Sans";"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXQsETkkQbUo3kk-cxozg83p7-2bt5XPsZJlFslO1lJPzgnCkrnJdlQNbKb7sf-PEWzJ_385BJIFGK8GxK7I4jOdTA8R7g64icNvMw-5AcM-HrgHHd-qNQuAb1_pwPyfzGkMThHfBlLD2MYFYLcr2NyXkOJkmSFqCYgLwnWk9Dwd6GMR9cSHfNu7dnGxE/s4096/JZLW5227.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXQsETkkQbUo3kk-cxozg83p7-2bt5XPsZJlFslO1lJPzgnCkrnJdlQNbKb7sf-PEWzJ_385BJIFGK8GxK7I4jOdTA8R7g64icNvMw-5AcM-HrgHHd-qNQuAb1_pwPyfzGkMThHfBlLD2MYFYLcr2NyXkOJkmSFqCYgLwnWk9Dwd6GMR9cSHfNu7dnGxE/w640-h480/JZLW5227.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjonHyyU71Sv3keMlqKS9dGvVAIJF0Q-Qyt_InjUF06stxOKzzV2o0xP2K7xRpUvJ21dllZbhpIahyYIScjPde_DtcSy3bve95ytKtXlody5WAvpqIRqMAjlrCbptRnZvZlC9QPUVkvqK7laudu_ztF74J1A-tGWyJ5XtY0nrA1PnW5kg6HTraNQ3H4L9w/s4096/INER0124.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjonHyyU71Sv3keMlqKS9dGvVAIJF0Q-Qyt_InjUF06stxOKzzV2o0xP2K7xRpUvJ21dllZbhpIahyYIScjPde_DtcSy3bve95ytKtXlody5WAvpqIRqMAjlrCbptRnZvZlC9QPUVkvqK7laudu_ztF74J1A-tGWyJ5XtY0nrA1PnW5kg6HTraNQ3H4L9w/w640-h640/INER0124.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Wrapped up our sightseeing of Kyoto for the day at 1.40pm and took the Hankyu train from Arashiyama station to Kobe.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1gCvLjxGiOhKJIBFpleQzNLL6htmLSBcFwoRmib-nJYELOg6r0A5qdxL-4I4C2GYny9SWeDaE2DX79x0zpPQNcO87LzF61f9oy-0BayTpsvcRqx9zMspBFlyUq7bapdEOJpgh6bXvUEx7tyeWX5KizveCW4NivlllqxCtA2FIgw_UFW3VATcCPkfrcnc/s4096/UEUA3549.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="857" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1gCvLjxGiOhKJIBFpleQzNLL6htmLSBcFwoRmib-nJYELOg6r0A5qdxL-4I4C2GYny9SWeDaE2DX79x0zpPQNcO87LzF61f9oy-0BayTpsvcRqx9zMspBFlyUq7bapdEOJpgh6bXvUEx7tyeWX5KizveCW4NivlllqxCtA2FIgw_UFW3VATcCPkfrcnc/w642-h857/UEUA3549.HEIC" width="642" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">The journey took about 1.5 hours with a train switch at Juso station. Took this photo of the gaijin being stuck in between the locals on the train...lol!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="font-family: "Open Sans"; text-align: justify;"><b>20 Apr 2023 (Thurs): Gion - Yasaka Shrine - Ninenzaka - Kiyomizu Dera - Heian Shrine</b></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLGi4rHUXx8SrPP9KC5Ae0dKJayTl4fk4jGXT0MvIGI9tXuZP8n-QLjgdYRfpfTy66XeEEsAC-8Z1GhpV_zEmrzc5J15t-Hnks0dR2WTz7MlO8LU40LE3atabcbPW5J6n7wuXYVzjWhra_nof3yj2QYDVNDGMOlPT_9ju84OKTuZgySluktYnmyDbTvOw/s4096/HRTS7553.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLGi4rHUXx8SrPP9KC5Ae0dKJayTl4fk4jGXT0MvIGI9tXuZP8n-QLjgdYRfpfTy66XeEEsAC-8Z1GhpV_zEmrzc5J15t-Hnks0dR2WTz7MlO8LU40LE3atabcbPW5J6n7wuXYVzjWhra_nof3yj2QYDVNDGMOlPT_9ju84OKTuZgySluktYnmyDbTvOw/w640-h480/HRTS7553.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Our 2nd day of sightseeing in Kyoto started early as well but instead of Grab and Go, we decided to eat quickly at the hotel before heading out. Much prefer my 'oriental' buffet breakfast over pastries. =P We left the hotel at 7.35am and took the same train route as the day before. We managed to secure seats again by boarding at the beginning of the line coz the train was even more crowded than the day before. We arrived Shichijo station at 8.50am and walked about 5 minutes to our first stop for the day...</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7x8IoB_zl5caj37OCO6qGDIP7Oj3tZf9yFyNeOfsdA1XQ8nj62sojPxMfEufb98ChagmlBLB6pkf4en3aFKjLA7oiElILyk7sI_HFPtwh9waPS2Ek3P472k0uv9LssM6f3e7jsPiUeivDcAn0m7MmFvqChx_kS7lJ70YeIB43LS4DtaYMIbtkewhBD-A/s4096/VCRQ4106.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7x8IoB_zl5caj37OCO6qGDIP7Oj3tZf9yFyNeOfsdA1XQ8nj62sojPxMfEufb98ChagmlBLB6pkf4en3aFKjLA7oiElILyk7sI_HFPtwh9waPS2Ek3P472k0uv9LssM6f3e7jsPiUeivDcAn0m7MmFvqChx_kS7lJ70YeIB43LS4DtaYMIbtkewhBD-A/w640-h640/VCRQ4106.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">The old Nintendo HQ building, which has now been turned into Marufukuro Hotel. I guess hubby has successfully completed his Nintendo HQ visits by visiting the US, Japan, and old Japan HQs...lol!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNQ_B5kCffu317JPMrNQkiK5LmsnYktqsy6JUoKLRV0r1SkMhuixLvCC2Xqac1J75zrEvyuSi0gjAxvOswQHaf3K_XWEWcBdt3hyphenhyphensY3qGl-lVwxC5AwfkIlGr8LA0w27QybaJz-bpQKoK5-o5kp5KLbcP8RIYJL7AVGWrWHp1nTJpQXQ3PVONI95CKmIo/s4096/METP9513.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNQ_B5kCffu317JPMrNQkiK5LmsnYktqsy6JUoKLRV0r1SkMhuixLvCC2Xqac1J75zrEvyuSi0gjAxvOswQHaf3K_XWEWcBdt3hyphenhyphensY3qGl-lVwxC5AwfkIlGr8LA0w27QybaJz-bpQKoK5-o5kp5KLbcP8RIYJL7AVGWrWHp1nTJpQXQ3PVONI95CKmIo/w640-h640/METP9513.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">After a quick 5 min photo stop at Nintendo, we walked 20 minutes to Gion.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzM74m0bdJD-4y9ARqFcjiSN0JZxKpX4N2gCsU81-AAGXL1Bn57neY3PTbemWHX0SSueb8fvRlnYT8WUKbEQm25rIPu0a1ScyDY_BU979XbYvMXc91pHHZPBTfm97aG0rVbLLCyDINH1X4QEkHOBU1YHYwk5TMLGU5mzFipFBY8NXwBjKZjXuH7FBVjQs/s4096/IIQT0793.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="864" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzM74m0bdJD-4y9ARqFcjiSN0JZxKpX4N2gCsU81-AAGXL1Bn57neY3PTbemWHX0SSueb8fvRlnYT8WUKbEQm25rIPu0a1ScyDY_BU979XbYvMXc91pHHZPBTfm97aG0rVbLLCyDINH1X4QEkHOBU1YHYwk5TMLGU5mzFipFBY8NXwBjKZjXuH7FBVjQs/w647-h864/IIQT0793.HEIC" width="647" /></span></a></div><div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Most people visit Gion at night when the are lights up, wich ancient-looking streets glow with lanterns along the river. Gion</span><span style="font-family: "Open Sans";"> is also Kyoto's famed Geisha destrict. We don't like crowds so we decided to visit in the morning, which was great as it was very peaceful and quiet at 9.20am. The only few locals we saw was a Japanese uncle sweeping the streets...</span></div></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyvs9crCdhovBenhyiP9RNln1Bjt8haLSg5J1PqCX6mZHUCXdC4Ec1UlgeNlVTyQ4sUkT9_10dzA9T3a2cBUJwYj5CX7_pqmr6DsA1j-lJFWslIVc8dPT0jGKIlZSjimkfdE759JX-RFRhyx77LG9ci3u4cMlDbdtto6LjoQ21vV41OzkvaP9vySJF-fA/s4096/GIIA1506.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyvs9crCdhovBenhyiP9RNln1Bjt8haLSg5J1PqCX6mZHUCXdC4Ec1UlgeNlVTyQ4sUkT9_10dzA9T3a2cBUJwYj5CX7_pqmr6DsA1j-lJFWslIVc8dPT0jGKIlZSjimkfdE759JX-RFRhyx77LG9ci3u4cMlDbdtto6LjoQ21vV41OzkvaP9vySJF-fA/w640-h480/GIIA1506.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></div><div><div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">...and two couples having their wedding photoshoots.</span></div></div></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih5XOACbA4gzQOXki8dYeVdhNLOtGTebPt6HXk-4gxy2mr9N0YmfRCmta1_ScOmLYgz14k1MLrmrMcJtges4WC_Ac_1SN9CW0CYpojRBrUxwsYMSjXPOZqCs50AoNsUYmsC3LAb-Ts95iMOEhAxesoZMMmXW9aFY76GaLrQe-w2AL8iaG1dCqJIWen8pU/s4096/CWCB7246.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih5XOACbA4gzQOXki8dYeVdhNLOtGTebPt6HXk-4gxy2mr9N0YmfRCmta1_ScOmLYgz14k1MLrmrMcJtges4WC_Ac_1SN9CW0CYpojRBrUxwsYMSjXPOZqCs50AoNsUYmsC3LAb-Ts95iMOEhAxesoZMMmXW9aFY76GaLrQe-w2AL8iaG1dCqJIWen8pU/w640-h640/CWCB7246.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></div><div><div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Tatsumi Bridge and the clean Shirawa canal....it was nice having the place all to ourselves.</span></div></div></div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg33Qv3FMW-W2kcvVJeF-ONNBB8waDk8cgZgnPg7B8TRnBpXGzyU0HGMpQpNibCFdgNhaqygnGJxdcRi0MuEmJ4Ukfc12BOcSr40A6sf4dd8q0EH3j74wFwev1X5eTP9o8LrrhM5E9gHKoOwRFeDHxtJNehVqNa3KhgKeFnahzGyfduBZ9O3D6V_CjvD64/s4096/PIIW8633.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="857" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg33Qv3FMW-W2kcvVJeF-ONNBB8waDk8cgZgnPg7B8TRnBpXGzyU0HGMpQpNibCFdgNhaqygnGJxdcRi0MuEmJ4Ukfc12BOcSr40A6sf4dd8q0EH3j74wFwev1X5eTP9o8LrrhM5E9gHKoOwRFeDHxtJNehVqNa3KhgKeFnahzGyfduBZ9O3D6V_CjvD64/w642-h857/PIIW8633.HEIC" width="642" /></span></a></div><div><span style="font-family: "Open Sans";">The streets were quiet as the shops, bars and restaurants were not opened yet. </span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqtU1VPOLstmra5BSsuIu94k6NFDEiGIYCRlxQV2X9X9O7fmWsGzrJFuD7srTCgD_NkRXsjEBFmN0bw3IskEXS8RCjZI-7VK8dBzMoafD7Qd7NJ4UcNutBvq4YWzOzMrA6ChStOxg0w1LATNvWUev5hvsp3PBwFmCyAN5ol46LJ_Bh-FcODnvI2mk6ckQ/s4096/JODU0864.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqtU1VPOLstmra5BSsuIu94k6NFDEiGIYCRlxQV2X9X9O7fmWsGzrJFuD7srTCgD_NkRXsjEBFmN0bw3IskEXS8RCjZI-7VK8dBzMoafD7Qd7NJ4UcNutBvq4YWzOzMrA6ChStOxg0w1LATNvWUev5hvsp3PBwFmCyAN5ol46LJ_Bh-FcODnvI2mk6ckQ/w640-h480/JODU0864.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Walked 10 minutes from Gion to Yasaka Shrine.</span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbG8GCTpE9X7EjddFZILHPyTh5IIQzGPW11TFZf_ETdDgeFTUmZLXMw8buZee5gPihLGHXYeI1EcRWlPriEH7TUZQrpbLdGe83DWtgm3ky_Juz5rt2IO6A8Nd1QBREwz3JWd3dfKNey8rh9DvGuGB6fEmdqQsqLkITpf2-1qYP8n0iDEBK6jf7jk343jM/s4096/OFWZ0001.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbG8GCTpE9X7EjddFZILHPyTh5IIQzGPW11TFZf_ETdDgeFTUmZLXMw8buZee5gPihLGHXYeI1EcRWlPriEH7TUZQrpbLdGe83DWtgm3ky_Juz5rt2IO6A8Nd1QBREwz3JWd3dfKNey8rh9DvGuGB6fEmdqQsqLkITpf2-1qYP8n0iDEBK6jf7jk343jM/w640-h480/OFWZ0001.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"> There was a school group there when we arrived at 9.45am but it wasn't crowded at all.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnlIYrQojhaAB4A8G_aHWtZhnoxDnFlrOv_9c47BT8AfoGZlNMqjfRwdLP7HT5uumDgNY-V1Z5mPcUUDmUCAkev0ldO1wElQDsUkJ-RS3GxySTsqv3avx2f-4OvXwOPdoGbIU4qjgdC8HiDcL7Vzdo4E0BcoFuaEUfjkbjCGALFzOGhtJ3i5tz3f6LuXI/s4096/STOF7527.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnlIYrQojhaAB4A8G_aHWtZhnoxDnFlrOv_9c47BT8AfoGZlNMqjfRwdLP7HT5uumDgNY-V1Z5mPcUUDmUCAkev0ldO1wElQDsUkJ-RS3GxySTsqv3avx2f-4OvXwOPdoGbIU4qjgdC8HiDcL7Vzdo4E0BcoFuaEUfjkbjCGALFzOGhtJ3i5tz3f6LuXI/w640-h640/STOF7527.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">This is another attraction that look prettier at night with the lanterns but we weren't planning to stay late in Kyoto so all our sightseeing were planned for the day time.</span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtUNYSfGgS-vVs3fG_ZCRdD8YF_wBAqZpXqmojNAxSp1y-9VoKYlICBbejm88lYvYd3pUGWUpEB-Q_pS6R0baD_zdp2GP6o9PZM-5UNQhLdroNwvrXGdFFBlAum1aTnrqSgXelohIF95ufLkQ1aI5jMTV6Wm8FCsfTr4zjU9XQWedvgHLG5z1dp8489g8/s4096/PYHZ9137.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtUNYSfGgS-vVs3fG_ZCRdD8YF_wBAqZpXqmojNAxSp1y-9VoKYlICBbejm88lYvYd3pUGWUpEB-Q_pS6R0baD_zdp2GP6o9PZM-5UNQhLdroNwvrXGdFFBlAum1aTnrqSgXelohIF95ufLkQ1aI5jMTV6Wm8FCsfTr4zjU9XQWedvgHLG5z1dp8489g8/w640-h480/PYHZ9137.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Walked another 10 minutes to Ishibe-Koji alley...a small traditional beautiful alley between Kiyomizu-dera and Yasaka Shrine. Also walked by the</span><span style="font-family: "Open Sans";"> Starbucks in Ninenzaka (bottom right), which is built in historic Japanese wooden building.</span></div><div><br /></div></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5J4c-jZR-rxYRcaBjRCAkYzteX0FVDbuqtREW5OJ7HOEjEr2Y9Fr0QuPFDWprbCYo1IcLDp6RQUY-ID1vRsp3hBw3A2QlCkBP7gdDrH47VLBdh9VPpTDgu0voezMUkbp1hYvv7JT2eYBGSKXD7UAVS4y9VWrayzNiPvbryccA72UypHqUxRAZ2MhZzPA/s4096/QQKE1591.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="854" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5J4c-jZR-rxYRcaBjRCAkYzteX0FVDbuqtREW5OJ7HOEjEr2Y9Fr0QuPFDWprbCYo1IcLDp6RQUY-ID1vRsp3hBw3A2QlCkBP7gdDrH47VLBdh9VPpTDgu0voezMUkbp1hYvv7JT2eYBGSKXD7UAVS4y9VWrayzNiPvbryccA72UypHqUxRAZ2MhZzPA/w640-h854/QQKE1591.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Another famous tourist photo spot in Kyoto...</span><span style="font-family: "Open Sans";">Hōkan-ji Temple (</span><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">pagoda). As you can see in the bottom left photo, the alley was pretty crowded at 10.20am. </span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjymk8e6Qb9mFPl22FIby5cTuKt1fSXw2AV21kR6m8w56YPlALxKf3nuNfMStC5EeqNmQ8Jf7pwnVe7Zv6YPB1u3ecBpMfiTeObJ1WMyLvM_T909mcxEdTQ6otj0bcXEqhi1Z3ndTFPvMp1W_n5gax8rTbYyjlN7rOJd-fO19vupXC0d-8dpqP6ZZD1E88/s4096/VTAR5458.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjymk8e6Qb9mFPl22FIby5cTuKt1fSXw2AV21kR6m8w56YPlALxKf3nuNfMStC5EeqNmQ8Jf7pwnVe7Zv6YPB1u3ecBpMfiTeObJ1WMyLvM_T909mcxEdTQ6otj0bcXEqhi1Z3ndTFPvMp1W_n5gax8rTbYyjlN7rOJd-fO19vupXC0d-8dpqP6ZZD1E88/w640-h426/VTAR5458.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Open Sans";">...but we were surprised to be able to get a photo of the empty alley with the pagoda in the background.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUyQYczYsE5_rF-4XPRrRaP-ldgMuzv4I4A9iq-Tnw0KnyQdD5tD7i4sU0_waFM7xaGds0AAzogKbY5gpdEQ_1KkH2IQt7j5mrB_4OU4F8pic0c5inJ1mH-A4zLM-dQUCBYoL9Zn_-BQp3FUu_ZNPnj4CrL2H35sqYXjSYp0PvPzWQ3Z5oDBbs-rDb0-8/s4096/IALX1144.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUyQYczYsE5_rF-4XPRrRaP-ldgMuzv4I4A9iq-Tnw0KnyQdD5tD7i4sU0_waFM7xaGds0AAzogKbY5gpdEQ_1KkH2IQt7j5mrB_4OU4F8pic0c5inJ1mH-A4zLM-dQUCBYoL9Zn_-BQp3FUu_ZNPnj4CrL2H35sqYXjSYp0PvPzWQ3Z5oDBbs-rDb0-8/w640-h640/IALX1144.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">As we continued walking along the alley from Ninenzaka to Sannenzaka which were filled with shops and restaurants on both sides, the streets got more and more crowded. There we soooo many student groups, which made me wonder if it was field trip season...lol!</span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY3838760EZWzR0qGhQUbsZzXiIiAhkPaJlGFUkjOAvAkYtDXIVP6o-dd5-Npmre2O1H3h5Ai9IqYotrhsnqP1B0O-dY8Sqf0s5K4VFVIkuXk2lmhsoRjAuJIUhYHdCVijPnxkdF740EKpZ-cgGpzcG3hdKWulN8b5e7l-M6NI0unttPEfwW8_Sja24Ow/s4096/CQAG9366.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY3838760EZWzR0qGhQUbsZzXiIiAhkPaJlGFUkjOAvAkYtDXIVP6o-dd5-Npmre2O1H3h5Ai9IqYotrhsnqP1B0O-dY8Sqf0s5K4VFVIkuXk2lmhsoRjAuJIUhYHdCVijPnxkdF740EKpZ-cgGpzcG3hdKWulN8b5e7l-M6NI0unttPEfwW8_Sja24Ow/w640-h640/CQAG9366.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Arrived Kiyomizu Dera at 10.40am...another popular tourist attraction and unsurprisingly, this place was crowded. The student groups whom we saw on our way here were all heading towards this same place as well.</span></div></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw_zBGgdJt8j6pHCk25N7Q8K2o-X4PI3u9Tq2TsSoO-eKp2AkaZE_niNWVCJbf7tddRFGNTK1os7dwqXpijAYKsuCLqgYNVkP1Xry-SOHepXQdc8APlXuktjEUUU3mU3phD95qBtCDRmoSBL_HcA6W487lETPCSaA39Fk7xmhw39pFyNhrA6eXkIWO0o0/s4096/NMZK7467.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw_zBGgdJt8j6pHCk25N7Q8K2o-X4PI3u9Tq2TsSoO-eKp2AkaZE_niNWVCJbf7tddRFGNTK1os7dwqXpijAYKsuCLqgYNVkP1Xry-SOHepXQdc8APlXuktjEUUU3mU3phD95qBtCDRmoSBL_HcA6W487lETPCSaA39Fk7xmhw39pFyNhrA6eXkIWO0o0/w640-h640/NMZK7467.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">We lost interest in sightseeing after seeing the crowd, and it was getting hot so we decided not to go up to the temple and just took a few photos around before leaving.</span></div></div></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlm8Onk8gX7Mu9oQwnXWOjYRngeQTyHrMMEXRA01dWhBo9t8fZZDr_VQwlWZP7fExRAtUL-rlQzNkgXpAwLZo0BO7Px097PrmoNPDNCwv2LQ3bG0fvsKkgjdM40Vwd2sdLYtPvx0rTj9hKe7sjcN-aTfpRBFGEM3RKrkEPfsIc6seQM_AME7CzizEm8HQ/s4096/MMLQ5765.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="855" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlm8Onk8gX7Mu9oQwnXWOjYRngeQTyHrMMEXRA01dWhBo9t8fZZDr_VQwlWZP7fExRAtUL-rlQzNkgXpAwLZo0BO7Px097PrmoNPDNCwv2LQ3bG0fvsKkgjdM40Vwd2sdLYtPvx0rTj9hKe7sjcN-aTfpRBFGEM3RKrkEPfsIc6seQM_AME7CzizEm8HQ/w642-h855/MMLQ5765.HEIC" width="642" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><div><div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">We walked 10 minutes to the bus stop to take the bus to Heian Shrine.</span></div></div></div></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi85SZyEy1eV7OhEVG2Y_2iAr4k47udxv2gaPTvL082dZH_9Dr1ic7rf9c8kIJ7lHfpmzZrfAz35wmPm6K14zPWLyI6Li6-yNtm2VfVBDICXmGI9KbbxDjXMh4XOCnhCct0iwsOd-unwTy3Rf3qapM7QuYtZbDewcOm5Bzir84c2Xv3fq7anJMZnPAXI5Y/s4096/CWER3537.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="856" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi85SZyEy1eV7OhEVG2Y_2iAr4k47udxv2gaPTvL082dZH_9Dr1ic7rf9c8kIJ7lHfpmzZrfAz35wmPm6K14zPWLyI6Li6-yNtm2VfVBDICXmGI9KbbxDjXMh4XOCnhCct0iwsOd-unwTy3Rf3qapM7QuYtZbDewcOm5Bzir84c2Xv3fq7anJMZnPAXI5Y/w642-h856/CWER3537.HEIC" width="642" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">At this point, we were templed-out. At least this one didn't have many tourists.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVbFlW5byPwwgoCMsgqZ_uYBX-fW5NurqHkq7gRSCLlawEDxzxA0XihLKO1VJegqy_BUfvFs1ph3M4tx5XYeGp3EW86wl44SyXEQbKKqljm-sgs2qUZybRvCvxy2MqfjiK7vPU09YFI2sBVzux3mDv8lKvqeI34VK6b6oxoxYjXQ6YHtWC2JhEdlv54gE/s4096/AYYO9381.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="862" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVbFlW5byPwwgoCMsgqZ_uYBX-fW5NurqHkq7gRSCLlawEDxzxA0XihLKO1VJegqy_BUfvFs1ph3M4tx5XYeGp3EW86wl44SyXEQbKKqljm-sgs2qUZybRvCvxy2MqfjiK7vPU09YFI2sBVzux3mDv8lKvqeI34VK6b6oxoxYjXQ6YHtWC2JhEdlv54gE/w647-h862/AYYO9381.HEIC" width="647" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Stumbled upon a Japanese wedding at the shrine.</span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxctKyF4AtEvq-NVWvtGUgYJvjw96ySkPlhajgBX-sMwaTyrzYH6yrcH-G7zjokO0Vok_IRt4tXbclb3MFrdHhNyqnZADYwbQZ9L5TjZ48b6NcpyU9bFgP2I2NYmp5X5TLu6tL3-Z4fFL7zEo71lKicDMZWtuWjSsoO5i_BpXNaiYhAO3u2eDypHTJwkc/s4096/MWUR9403.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxctKyF4AtEvq-NVWvtGUgYJvjw96ySkPlhajgBX-sMwaTyrzYH6yrcH-G7zjokO0Vok_IRt4tXbclb3MFrdHhNyqnZADYwbQZ9L5TjZ48b6NcpyU9bFgP2I2NYmp5X5TLu6tL3-Z4fFL7zEo71lKicDMZWtuWjSsoO5i_BpXNaiYhAO3u2eDypHTJwkc/w640-h480/MWUR9403.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">We had originally planned a few more stops for the afternoon but decided to call it a day. Took bus #46 from Heian Shrine to Kyoto-Kawaramachi station then took the Hankyu train back to Osaka Umeda. T</span><span style="font-family: "Open Sans";">hat's a wrap for our 2-days sightseeing in Kyoto.</span><span style="font-family: "Open Sans";"> </span></div></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://khaishing.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default</div>khaishing.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05154189313956844355noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3659547063209051949.post-49598300060175447062023-10-16T01:11:00.009-05:002023-11-03T02:54:13.506-05:00Japan 2023 ✈ Kobe Beef in Kobe<div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><i>We had originally planned to visit Japan in June 2020. Over the last 3 years, we had cancelled and rebooked this trip multiple times as Japan was one of the last few countries to reopen its borders to tourism post-Covid. After waiting for 3 years, we were glad to finally make this trip happen this year! This trip has been 3 years in the making and I must say Japan certainly lived up to our anticipation!</i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Qpd0p-2aEDs?si=DtO-kwrmB5sVM4cA" title="YouTube video player" width="640"></iframe></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div> <div style="text-align: center;"><div style="font-family: "Open Sans"; text-align: justify;"><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><i><b>7D6N in Japan - Osaka, Kyoto, Kobe, Nara</b></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><a href="https://www.khaishing.com/2023/09/japan-2023-journey-to-japan.html" target="_blank"><i>15-16 April 2023: Journey to Japan</i></a></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><a href="https://www.khaishing.com/2023/09/japan-2023-osaka-cup-noodles-museum.html" target="_blank"><i>17 April 2023: Cup Noodles Museum, Yamazaki Distillery, Umeda Sky Building</i></a></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><i><a href="https://www.khaishing.com/2023/09/japan-2023-oh-deer-nara.html" target="_blank">18 April 2023: Nara</a></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><i><a href="https://www.khaishing.com/2023/09/japan-2023-hanshin-tigers-baseball-game.html" target="_blank">18 April 2023: Hanshin Tigers Baseball Game</a></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><i><a href="https://www.khaishing.com/2023/10/japan-2023-kobe-beef-in-kobe.html" target="_blank">19 April 2023: Kobe Beef in Kobe</a></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><i><a href="https://www.khaishing.com/2023/10/japan-2023-kyoto.html" target="_blank">19-20 April 2023: Kyoto</a></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><i><a href="https://www.khaishing.com/2023/11/japan-2023-osaka.html" target="_blank">21 April 2023: Osaka</a></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><i><a href="https://www.khaishing.com/2023/11/japan-2023-sayonara-japan.html" target="_blank">22 April 2023: Journey Home</a></i></span></div></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><b style="font-family: "Open Sans";">19 Apr 2023 (Wed): 2-hr Kobe Beef Experience @ Kobe Kikusui Restaurant </b><span style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><b>神戸菊水</b></span></span></div><div style="font-family: "Open Sans"; text-align: justify;">Hubby and I are not foodies and we don't usually eat-out. However, since we stay in hotels and can't cook when we travel, we prefer to save the eat-out experience for when we travel, and it makes the experience a lot more special and memorable. </div><div style="font-family: "Open Sans"; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: "Open Sans"; text-align: justify;">Kobe beef is considered one of the best beef in the world and we've heard how expensive it could be. Since we are visiting Kansai area on this trip, we decided to make a trip to Kobe and splurge on a Kobe beef meal. What better place to try Kobe Beef than in Kobe, the capital of Kobe Beef. </div><div style="font-family: "Open Sans"; text-align: justify;"><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPvBVY7fNZdKm5-jU47963_yAMH1OxKOJ4jJ-A09NvnoUctnSqY9rzflVtUIg9QifsA_aod1QU25drgQgwtKHFQjMSF1ARy7chi8Fb2u-Hx98BhA9pbLjiC3i3fSJWxZ0Vc5F3MKxkyytDWmAKiUQbFeR6FGrMlFE4bQGZf7JujqspqAGurxgWhGggA1E/s2114/Kobe%20Kikusui.jpg" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1890" data-original-width="2114" height="572" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPvBVY7fNZdKm5-jU47963_yAMH1OxKOJ4jJ-A09NvnoUctnSqY9rzflVtUIg9QifsA_aod1QU25drgQgwtKHFQjMSF1ARy7chi8Fb2u-Hx98BhA9pbLjiC3i3fSJWxZ0Vc5F3MKxkyytDWmAKiUQbFeR6FGrMlFE4bQGZf7JujqspqAGurxgWhGggA1E/w640-h572/Kobe%20Kikusui.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="font-family: "Open Sans"; text-align: justify;">Given how long in advance we had planned for this trip, I somehow procrastinated on making reservation for our Kobe Beef meal until 2 weeks before our trip...whoops! After watching and reading reviews on Youtube and TripAdvisor, we tried making a lunch reservation at Ishida. Unfortunately, this 'internet-famous' restaurant was fully booked so we decided to try another restaurant that also had good reviews and seemed to be more frequented by locals...Kobe Kikusui Teppanyaki Restaurant 神戸菊水. </div><div style="font-family: "Open Sans"; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: "Open Sans"; text-align: justify;">We tried making a lunch reservation on April 18 (lunch is supposed to be cheaper) as we planned to have lunch in Kobe before heading to Koshien Stadium for the baseball game. Unfortunately, the restaurant was closed on Apr 18. Thankfully, we managed to make a dinner reservation at 6pm on Apr 19. The website and reservation system were all in Japanese so we had to use Google Translate to make and confirm our reservation...lol!</div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0Gh7GJALlmzyc6uPxbStv8rRcs2II-md37NS3gOc4j9d_zkRzFR0scQJ7ptInnQZIRDgYXjyrpYAH8d_sV93vlWIxMrgcQnujxb18exlpfS1H8PMiGYtG7Mu3tefZjOnKWNlrBzrmfUeFxjcUCRVEo1WC7iCtYWfehLBN91QLYKBwW1OgcPBkj9HXrrM/s4096/BAKQ0906.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="848" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0Gh7GJALlmzyc6uPxbStv8rRcs2II-md37NS3gOc4j9d_zkRzFR0scQJ7ptInnQZIRDgYXjyrpYAH8d_sV93vlWIxMrgcQnujxb18exlpfS1H8PMiGYtG7Mu3tefZjOnKWNlrBzrmfUeFxjcUCRVEo1WC7iCtYWfehLBN91QLYKBwW1OgcPBkj9HXrrM/w635-h848/BAKQ0906.HEIC" width="635" /></span></a></div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div><span style="text-align: justify;">After spending the first half of the day sightseeing around Kyoto, we took the Hankyu train all the way from Kyoto to </span>Kobe-Sannomiya Station. As soon as we walked out of the train station, we saw signs of Kobe Beef everywhere...so many 'Kobe Beef' restaurants! Glad we did our research before arriving or we'd have been overwhelmed with choices.</div></span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYwebZg62wCo3-qIcYal5k3CAnSQrhzi2Je59MnNV8wajZodayB64oNmgDQYFmFF7mnUkV3fQBVydF9IaWxPxSS3YSvh-Qbq-w_4Lu7cqK2EQkJ6ozajXrwH95IA2qnql58SqtbtwdsMMkOT7yQ_A6RWkL-5DNo1aqMk5I9i6-q9NvVhZ699tDDN6D1i4/s4096/WXGZ3670.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYwebZg62wCo3-qIcYal5k3CAnSQrhzi2Je59MnNV8wajZodayB64oNmgDQYFmFF7mnUkV3fQBVydF9IaWxPxSS3YSvh-Qbq-w_4Lu7cqK2EQkJ6ozajXrwH95IA2qnql58SqtbtwdsMMkOT7yQ_A6RWkL-5DNo1aqMk5I9i6-q9NvVhZ699tDDN6D1i4/w640-h480/WXGZ3670.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div>We arrived Kobe earlier than planned at 3pm and had 3 hours to wait before our 6pm reservation time. We spent about an hour in Daiso and were done shopping so we decided to rest our legs and kill time at a furniture shop 'testing out' the couches...lol! </div><div><br /></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgudJno8GxNdINXHyR8DOxhBw5vWzIcmbtwM3ukh0cn3ji_6Sh_dYVj_ELQJxUgbrI_jcuVKTa9bY187l0iS7HxQ5Xe64Ak4fopzhYL-NmCplxnLAg4_ZZnQeFypS2vkXlOAT8Ngd1VprPUgVI52YaeK9e24XlZrlHe6AvLpubz6dWRhzWIVe6axsaFF8I/s4096/MDNQ3150.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgudJno8GxNdINXHyR8DOxhBw5vWzIcmbtwM3ukh0cn3ji_6Sh_dYVj_ELQJxUgbrI_jcuVKTa9bY187l0iS7HxQ5Xe64Ak4fopzhYL-NmCplxnLAg4_ZZnQeFypS2vkXlOAT8Ngd1VprPUgVI52YaeK9e24XlZrlHe6AvLpubz6dWRhzWIVe6axsaFF8I/w640-h480/MDNQ3150.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="text-align: justify;">The restaurant opened for dinner at 5pm so we decided to go earlier at 5pm and ask if they'd let us in earlier. The ground floor is actually a butcher shop selling high-end beef and that's a good sign coz they know their meats. =) This was one of the main reasons we chose this restaurant. We waited outside of the shop looking through the menu and the chef came out shortly to greet us, then led us to the elevator up the 2nd floor where the restaurant was located.</div><div><span class="taLnk ulBlueLinks" face=""Trip Sans VF", "Trip Sans", Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; cursor: pointer; font-size: 14px; font-weight: 700; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: start;"></span></div></span></div></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR7AxKukmJYz32vxsxAOFlIdIg1_GGR0oYhTBi8Ie92NZqpgZGwY0PWBvqNAY34JDxfOoTEHb7XgFwMc-dPJzjaEhN6E0WASXb2EyQB8b50u9byzfmhkIZSyegI6GOpjhTaXDAsqU2fPGJ3PuQtdcQVgtTTEg3bJB68h1_Qvsu1QBTDn3Yd2wKWz4oXu4/s4096/DSEV1429.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR7AxKukmJYz32vxsxAOFlIdIg1_GGR0oYhTBi8Ie92NZqpgZGwY0PWBvqNAY34JDxfOoTEHb7XgFwMc-dPJzjaEhN6E0WASXb2EyQB8b50u9byzfmhkIZSyegI6GOpjhTaXDAsqU2fPGJ3PuQtdcQVgtTTEg3bJB68h1_Qvsu1QBTDn3Yd2wKWz4oXu4/w640-h480/DSEV1429.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">The chef confirmed the name on our reservation and led us to our seats. This restaurant is small and cozy with only 3 teppanyaki bar that sits 6-8 pax. Best part about being early, we had the entire restaurant all to ourselves...private dining. =)</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9EhK-5NIsQIdplF60TPfuzBrvh1R6h1SttkIGWcKShxsY87rH-SbCUebi5zbUXhM7gDK1UArSq5PGd2ElQ_URq42OfnxYkNioVY-k5CTLoPLnVBiVK5rkRlOvqkOdQEzrwKi08LMXF-j6yJWH9fkDXfBfmsRJPprx5OFvM8UGNDZe7cb7QekKg05VLhc/s4096/QMNM1628.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9EhK-5NIsQIdplF60TPfuzBrvh1R6h1SttkIGWcKShxsY87rH-SbCUebi5zbUXhM7gDK1UArSq5PGd2ElQ_URq42OfnxYkNioVY-k5CTLoPLnVBiVK5rkRlOvqkOdQEzrwKi08LMXF-j6yJWH9fkDXfBfmsRJPprx5OFvM8UGNDZe7cb7QekKg05VLhc/w640-h640/QMNM1628.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div>Hubby wanted to order the A5 Kobe Beef Tenderloin course but it was sold out. As such, we ordered the A5 Kobe Beef Sirloin course, Kikusui 'Shikisai' Sirloin Course, and a small Kirin beer for a total of ¥25,080, $187.</div><div><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;">So what's the difference between Wagyu beef and Kobe beef, and what makes Kobe beef so expensive? Any cow that is raised in Japan is considered Wagyu, but not all Wagyu beef is Kobe Beef, and only a very small proportion of wagyu beef is Kobe beef. Kobe beef comes from the Tajima strain of Japanese Black cattle, raised in Hyōgo Prefecture under strict conditions that include a specific diet and careful treatment to ensure quality. Only around 3,000 heads of Tajima cattle are certified as Kobe beef each year, which explains how rare real Kobe beef is, and why it's so expensive. Kobe beef must have a yield and quality score of A4 or A5, with A5 being the best score that can be obtained.</div></div><div><br /></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAiFfvMvzbKcuVAeVrdo_6b2Abga3yqqPio9KUm0-fC2Q4mRAPtE5t87OpicZRYBsrWtqn9NMGtXjsqLfww1wKTUHFuh8K1sknbotSCCeNQcX10PyaGa54FcFs4fFDDgLzylOSWieoTKUxpD8e2VY14KVFg0LB1w3BFa03_6xU7zUGBO6vMv2jThibPNM/s4096/TGZA8757.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="847" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAiFfvMvzbKcuVAeVrdo_6b2Abga3yqqPio9KUm0-fC2Q4mRAPtE5t87OpicZRYBsrWtqn9NMGtXjsqLfww1wKTUHFuh8K1sknbotSCCeNQcX10PyaGa54FcFs4fFDDgLzylOSWieoTKUxpD8e2VY14KVFg0LB1w3BFa03_6xU7zUGBO6vMv2jThibPNM/w636-h847/TGZA8757.HEIC" width="636" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div>The chef reminded us about our apron, which we gladly put on. =) He also offered to help us take a photo. This chef very busy...lol!</div><div><br /></div></span></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnv-uWIa7Lh-oacEFvVFvIRSR1cuFDA01aFN5rTREPCYqswweSntY0SlyElYps4t0YDmRsFSxlRjpNZenZQ3EuKu_GA9VvLRl_KoubQ7B6HkXhU1TM7y5KS5mUYcv5825RAKg_0NlvIiz-6v9-zIPErbeSx6ZAIVShzqRKhqd4F0RFa6JrvlhzwiqHKlo/s4096/NBGS3683.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnv-uWIa7Lh-oacEFvVFvIRSR1cuFDA01aFN5rTREPCYqswweSntY0SlyElYps4t0YDmRsFSxlRjpNZenZQ3EuKu_GA9VvLRl_KoubQ7B6HkXhU1TM7y5KS5mUYcv5825RAKg_0NlvIiz-6v9-zIPErbeSx6ZAIVShzqRKhqd4F0RFa6JrvlhzwiqHKlo/w640-h480/NBGS3683.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Open Sans";">There weren't other customers for majority of our meal so it definitely felt like a private dining experience with just us and the chef. </span><span style="font-family: "Open Sans";">Our 'private dining' lasted for a good 1 hour and 45 minutes before other customers arrived. The other customers were Japanese (not tourists), which reaffirms we made a good choice choosing this restaurant. =)</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidRUfRpofdKi97r4QygUTs_TJRvhxF8fA-0cFsWDbg9jXhlA9Ueey4p7989Rzey6uEtovq4btmvoooWv-e_WGHwR9DThqYSoX7P5z6z1dlCcs3r0Dsvxf2mVu0vhPIO89LQBLBgQDWX8qDLbHSa0LpjVRzsoMw8ECfBNh8FnOp2TipzvEJ5DzSC2I4oV4/s4096/TCDX8857.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidRUfRpofdKi97r4QygUTs_TJRvhxF8fA-0cFsWDbg9jXhlA9Ueey4p7989Rzey6uEtovq4btmvoooWv-e_WGHwR9DThqYSoX7P5z6z1dlCcs3r0Dsvxf2mVu0vhPIO89LQBLBgQDWX8qDLbHSa0LpjVRzsoMw8ECfBNh8FnOp2TipzvEJ5DzSC2I4oV4/w640-h640/TCDX8857.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="text-align: center;">While I wouldn't want to be in the chef's shoes to be 'watched' by us the whole time, it was very fascinating to watch the chef meticulously and carefully cook each dish. He was literally flipping each piece of garlic to fry it to perfection...omg! He was also wiping the teppanyaki top after cooking each dish to keep everything super clean. The attention to detail and OCD-ness is a great reflection of Japanese work ethic and professionalism.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLbjLcpOhdRIFuHU0WB35XGedN8pbbOZC7Gm9ryCDJndBGXHjV4M0dzRFlSqmpU0fOggXtBBIMeUpdhXMfluJNHKtQ3wbhBGg2lYYnFrzhaKmPoQlefSAk5oEZzIpXGPVGjs2Nqpp2HD_9kamSyYE4duk5xzd5jxYsyG99LffAoKyj4SxBYAVP3a8k54w/s4096/RCPK0995.HEIC" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLbjLcpOhdRIFuHU0WB35XGedN8pbbOZC7Gm9ryCDJndBGXHjV4M0dzRFlSqmpU0fOggXtBBIMeUpdhXMfluJNHKtQ3wbhBGg2lYYnFrzhaKmPoQlefSAk5oEZzIpXGPVGjs2Nqpp2HD_9kamSyYE4duk5xzd5jxYsyG99LffAoKyj4SxBYAVP3a8k54w/w640-h640/RCPK0995.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></div></span></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div>The chef was 100% focus on cooking our food. Patience was required watching the chef cook the food one by one. I actually felt sleepy halfway through the meal...lol! Btw</div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6FfW2NU9bVUwflWwpbPtXAfVAA9TRbjhWbAxIkkU4ZFaip9o_qrW5LQP2wK5nglKfqsBtreYkcPtiPGqHhhkdNUjPN2T3UZSL_QiTDqADaxwjgg4Z4Vq0v5nkZ09IWeHH1yq3H95gXiDz7WBW3vS9I_bWYY5CBCLSeyzSSlqPrwr56CNv5hdqjS16qzs/s4096/TUCN8142.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6FfW2NU9bVUwflWwpbPtXAfVAA9TRbjhWbAxIkkU4ZFaip9o_qrW5LQP2wK5nglKfqsBtreYkcPtiPGqHhhkdNUjPN2T3UZSL_QiTDqADaxwjgg4Z4Vq0v5nkZ09IWeHH1yq3H95gXiDz7WBW3vS9I_bWYY5CBCLSeyzSSlqPrwr56CNv5hdqjS16qzs/w640-h640/TUCN8142.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div>My Kikusui 'Shikisai' Sirloin course includes Hors d'oeuvre (roasted beef and corn beef), 2 kinds of seafood (fish and scallop), 110g of Wagyu Sirloin Steak, Hot Vegetables, Salad, Fried Rice, Miso Soup & Pickles, and Dessert (strawberry and sorbet).</div></span></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcPn9lkXEQSW6PhTz0ZkGZOugfOxxwbcOl1h4GII5YENw7j7OX7FRv-tJ3nlruXFl3o3rdiHVo8rYtpfPeeKBjFcc0zfA8pO3Zw6WnJn78HOhhpyx9btOMntVK0klX1TeagO07FJUbuam5TtMzZpsP-DN2TOhjer-XIy92vAu3SIkTJwKQiOuBAwuKMeM/s4096/LXUF3881.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcPn9lkXEQSW6PhTz0ZkGZOugfOxxwbcOl1h4GII5YENw7j7OX7FRv-tJ3nlruXFl3o3rdiHVo8rYtpfPeeKBjFcc0zfA8pO3Zw6WnJn78HOhhpyx9btOMntVK0klX1TeagO07FJUbuam5TtMzZpsP-DN2TOhjer-XIy92vAu3SIkTJwKQiOuBAwuKMeM/w640-h640/LXUF3881.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div>Hubby's A5 Kobe Beef Sirloin course includes Hors d'oeuvre (roasted beef and corn beef), 150g of prime Kobe beef Sirloin Steak, Hot Vegetables, Salad, Fried Rice, Miso Soup & Pickles, and Dessert (strawberry and sorbet).</div></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div><br /></div></span></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFqcEiE4baOp0abAEPQ0NB3ECXftsAiCm3X-XVemkGUg2LI7uSZsD1gpUmLzIIdTZSRhbYZhG76CS7qh3QX4xWjjNswnXa8bHa2PIMoT3IpNPF-rmMwxHRKAFItgH2-7PSZ73k5e6p_QJxZdh6fkS35VyoHiffZe_aMtVNyYCEE7EH4grQ-41ZUKtEZBE/s4096/TBRI1524.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFqcEiE4baOp0abAEPQ0NB3ECXftsAiCm3X-XVemkGUg2LI7uSZsD1gpUmLzIIdTZSRhbYZhG76CS7qh3QX4xWjjNswnXa8bHa2PIMoT3IpNPF-rmMwxHRKAFItgH2-7PSZ73k5e6p_QJxZdh6fkS35VyoHiffZe_aMtVNyYCEE7EH4grQ-41ZUKtEZBE/w640-h480/TBRI1524.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div>Condiments: Soy sauce with garlic, nato, salt</div><div>Vegetables: Lotus root, broccolini, sweet potato, onion, mushrooms, beansprouts</div></span></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1CzbgMKOD3ZH-PztaCgV8gSYvyuD-OyuDIQ1O6ifrrgEaT-UDVxzUSpKw75RbJDGrgE1YAHq2jstwp5ly2YuE0uyLvPO5QC0MawYrwYmAb1kvMNpOXZDs7y5aKAfwYWjLe877GyXbYo9w_VRyWGvVcJ1LCXUENf_oxxamEDpFJIc_Jo06BiOhaaUu150/s4096/OJKF8927.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1CzbgMKOD3ZH-PztaCgV8gSYvyuD-OyuDIQ1O6ifrrgEaT-UDVxzUSpKw75RbJDGrgE1YAHq2jstwp5ly2YuE0uyLvPO5QC0MawYrwYmAb1kvMNpOXZDs7y5aKAfwYWjLe877GyXbYo9w_VRyWGvVcJ1LCXUENf_oxxamEDpFJIc_Jo06BiOhaaUu150/w640-h640/OJKF8927.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div>The Kobe beef was tender and we enjoyed all the food that was served. </div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTDxGzvLTFiIo151CLwahuohpWRiZBKUn7L6gRKjrDIGUILT-sXpz5xJforP4T8XrU8D3tNFqB6E3eRUmB8QxzUGb1mcq5_95Ze6iBdhs_-IgirJaFbqw2hwGCCOF_0Vzxua6AkYDA12kYIxzcm51jTrvwXGnyfntfxtnRdX13agOOtQ5p6874FVdup_4/s4096/QQMH5760.HEIC"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTDxGzvLTFiIo151CLwahuohpWRiZBKUn7L6gRKjrDIGUILT-sXpz5xJforP4T8XrU8D3tNFqB6E3eRUmB8QxzUGb1mcq5_95Ze6iBdhs_-IgirJaFbqw2hwGCCOF_0Vzxua6AkYDA12kYIxzcm51jTrvwXGnyfntfxtnRdX13agOOtQ5p6874FVdup_4/w640-h480/QQMH5760.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div>We finished our meal around 7pm and braved the rush-hour crowd back to Osaka.</div></span></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Open Sans";"> So, the big question...was Kobe beef worth the price? </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Open Sans";">As mentioned earlier, we are not foodies so a $120 beef is probably as good as a $20 beef for us, and we probably won't splurge for another Kobe beef meal again. Nevertheless, this was a good experience and we were glad we did it. </span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://khaishing.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default</div>khaishing.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05154189313956844355noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3659547063209051949.post-80939803307722182772023-09-30T23:31:00.009-05:002023-11-03T02:54:22.740-05:00Japan 2023 ✈ Hanshin Tigers Baseball Game<div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><i>We had originally planned to visit Japan in June 2020. Over the last 3 years, we had cancelled and rebooked this trip multiple times as Japan was one of the last few countries to reopen its borders to tourism post-Covid. After waiting for 3 years, we were glad to finally make this trip happen this year! This trip has been 3 years in the making and I must say Japan certainly lived up to our anticipation!</i></span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div> <div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2JliFWyqrNI?si=zzK-uxgFKgu_yXb6" title="YouTube video player" width="640"></iframe></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><i><b>7D6N in Japan - Osaka, Kyoto, Kobe, Nara</b></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><a href="https://www.khaishing.com/2023/09/japan-2023-journey-to-japan.html" target="_blank"><i>15-16 April 2023: Journey to Japan</i></a></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><a href="https://www.khaishing.com/2023/09/japan-2023-osaka-cup-noodles-museum.html" target="_blank"><i>17 April 2023: Cup Noodles Museum, Yamazaki Distillery, Umeda Sky Building</i></a></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><i><a href="https://www.khaishing.com/2023/09/japan-2023-oh-deer-nara.html" target="_blank">18 April 2023: Nara</a></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><i><a href="https://www.khaishing.com/2023/09/japan-2023-hanshin-tigers-baseball-game.html" target="_blank">18 April 2023: Hanshin Tigers Baseball Game</a></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><i><a href="https://www.khaishing.com/2023/10/japan-2023-kobe-beef-in-kobe.html" target="_blank">19 April 2023: Kobe Beef in Kobe</a></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><i><a href="https://www.khaishing.com/2023/10/japan-2023-kyoto.html" target="_blank">19-20 April 2023: Kyoto</a></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><i><a href="https://www.khaishing.com/2023/11/japan-2023-osaka.html" target="_blank">21 April 2023: Osaka</a></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><i><a href="https://www.khaishing.com/2023/11/japan-2023-sayonara-japan.html" target="_blank">22 April 2023: Journey Home</a></i></span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div><b>18 Apr 2023 (Tues): Hanshin Tigers Baseball Game @ Koshien Stadium</b></div><div>Back in 2020 when we first planned our Japan trip, we had planned to watch a baseball game in Japan but of course that trip didn't happen. Fortunately, our trip this year coincided with the beginning of the baseball season and the Hanshin Tigers was scheduled to play at Koshien stadium while we were there. </div><div><br /></div><div>There are actually two pro baseball teams in the Kansai region - Orix Buffaloes (Kyocera Dome) and Hanshin Tigers (Koshien Stadium). We chose Hanshin Tigers because they are one of the most iconic teams in Japanese baseball, and the best part, they have crazy fans and the loudest stadium.</div></span></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgElRF1SEsUt2odfot0iaXnnMRSU-bZNDWlaoqIJr1xONfSWnt9pn9QjmQPc32RWwBksZEoN9yx7rX4LQ1ImGY-9NZR-n2oqyRxwqMz0kzOiPXcji7PKU7lQRi3fC5Uk3UC_zLPlrcgp1WSZ-tH-H5Kg8HGs9WLxnqK-GSsjbJlo4CU4A7gqj7XO981NpM/w640-h480/Hanshin%20Tigers%20Tickets.jpg" width="640" /></div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">I know nothing about baseball so hubby was the one in charge of the research on purchasing the tickets and choosing the seats, all using Google translate. We bought our tickets for the April 18 Hanshin Tigers vs. Hiroshima Carp game on March 2, and received the QR code (tickets) via email...all in Japanese. Our ticket cost </span><span style="font-family: "Open Sans";">¥4,700 ($35) per person.</span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg26FsdHi3CBrnaaQrbfKVfm5Ajy6f7SxsbNDQM0Ol-aYrU8f6hAuuWFT6H78eXOlkNTBuJJ7JkV9SAIyzB4ZXB8wwM9mxZTxtei9YboHpqTRD3xKxqhGcfCD33RlAN9WXovMbO6eI_BV249oUCIVrdM2LvFlIrUxIVZ2iDLk0S85ug3Q1ne7fLPuH9nGQ/s4096/FUEZ6739.JPG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg26FsdHi3CBrnaaQrbfKVfm5Ajy6f7SxsbNDQM0Ol-aYrU8f6hAuuWFT6H78eXOlkNTBuJJ7JkV9SAIyzB4ZXB8wwM9mxZTxtei9YboHpqTRD3xKxqhGcfCD33RlAN9WXovMbO6eI_BV249oUCIVrdM2LvFlIrUxIVZ2iDLk0S85ug3Q1ne7fLPuH9nGQ/w640-h480/FUEZ6739.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">After spending first half of the day at Nara, we took the train from Nara and arrived Koshien Station at 4.10pm, 2 hours before the game started. Many other Hanshin Tigers fans were also arriving on the same train so we followed the crowd towards the stadium. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRHJKQdGLozmUMisdUtCDJv8h_ag9t5LAVD5CHdZyam_i1PVu21JiYXr_9u-A6Fpwz6z22UdGdm6u1MIfh4bNE-7wMRs9M552lzktQ3Sx06WOD5F9Z-DKLGXNI4nIinsOBAcSxBA8JR0mBmbyBPsqvJn7gKm3cYkuPDM0cdZBwD4-xDpoH1f0NXPRh-_Y/s4096/RNIJ2251.JPG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRHJKQdGLozmUMisdUtCDJv8h_ag9t5LAVD5CHdZyam_i1PVu21JiYXr_9u-A6Fpwz6z22UdGdm6u1MIfh4bNE-7wMRs9M552lzktQ3Sx06WOD5F9Z-DKLGXNI4nIinsOBAcSxBA8JR0mBmbyBPsqvJn7gKm3cYkuPDM0cdZBwD4-xDpoH1f0NXPRh-_Y/w640-h426/RNIJ2251.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">We arrived earlier to buy cheer bats, and hubby wanted a Hanshin Tigers shirt. We bought the 2 cheer bats from the Lawsons store outside of the stadium for</span><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Open Sans";">¥1,600 ($12) and hubby got a T-shirt from the official merchandise store for</span><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Open Sans";">¥3,630 ($27). The Hanshin Tigers fans are definitely very supportive coz the official merchandise store was packed! </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggtX-wA7CTeFgihVpDfXxYGfUzbtEEC-Ss6Uni5W47hft5s9K_S2ts_5jHws7s1QULlvXMuwzXNffKsmnnGLt1mgK_3Qxp-WzjIkhAq64Psg09Vc1rhzDGLXsTUgqjhuQQlHhNMUc8-6pBzbPxawU4CaiLTwk9kaIA6nWKTKD-g9O7qlR-mlankR8pdmA/s4096/PAAI4330.JPG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggtX-wA7CTeFgihVpDfXxYGfUzbtEEC-Ss6Uni5W47hft5s9K_S2ts_5jHws7s1QULlvXMuwzXNffKsmnnGLt1mgK_3Qxp-WzjIkhAq64Psg09Vc1rhzDGLXsTUgqjhuQQlHhNMUc8-6pBzbPxawU4CaiLTwk9kaIA6nWKTKD-g9O7qlR-mlankR8pdmA/w640-h640/PAAI4330.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdT7KLyeP4v0D8opmFs3qOV8qCMf6zBIlYapG_NgrFrVWKmabzptu5hwSB_waslkeEly1x0st_yM06DYtS6TUBmkfjaTwzmBbG1Yah16TiczttjgwG3f9wH-DC6XDvPYeudw4pftJVZAhwgemZG6jdSO9ObhV_7ou6MotMZ9XbA9dc4-yyj-RweXt7dwo/s4096/QDVZ2584.JPG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdT7KLyeP4v0D8opmFs3qOV8qCMf6zBIlYapG_NgrFrVWKmabzptu5hwSB_waslkeEly1x0st_yM06DYtS6TUBmkfjaTwzmBbG1Yah16TiczttjgwG3f9wH-DC6XDvPYeudw4pftJVZAhwgemZG6jdSO9ObhV_7ou6MotMZ9XbA9dc4-yyj-RweXt7dwo/w640-h480/QDVZ2584.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">We walked around the stadium, took photos with the mascots, and saw the Babe Ruth monument.</span><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"> Hanshin </span><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Koshien Stadium is an iconic sports mecca in the Kansai Region. It was built in 1924 and is the oldest baseball stadium in Japan. It hosts the</span></span><span style="text-align: left;"> National High School Baseball Championship every summer. We entered the stadium from gate 5.</span></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVtQspUArwkkLdybxfw4cnqTXBzt_HAeg72oDYmrtFl4sgTEhsDMjhcby_ZZgrIEqRZiyBlPAz3a9HRDDfqnM7N5v7NB8OfNyHHh1_xzsRg9OfANYkePshOdUrLvIsQCWqnb7QxjIbWm6fDSCoruLtsnlMapskRUUw-lZkc-FBNfoV-W8YsrZwKlYhFLA/s4096/RMJO1588.JPG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVtQspUArwkkLdybxfw4cnqTXBzt_HAeg72oDYmrtFl4sgTEhsDMjhcby_ZZgrIEqRZiyBlPAz3a9HRDDfqnM7N5v7NB8OfNyHHh1_xzsRg9OfANYkePshOdUrLvIsQCWqnb7QxjIbWm6fDSCoruLtsnlMapskRUUw-lZkc-FBNfoV-W8YsrZwKlYhFLA/w640-h480/RMJO1588.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">After entering the stadium at 5.20pm, we walked around to check out the food options. Koshien </span><span style="font-family: "Open Sans";">stadium offers an extensive food selection, there were stalls selling s</span><span style="font-family: "Open Sans";">ushi, yakisoba, yakitori, takoyaki, pizza, ice cream, beer, etc.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDyyuIe0iMVtIsi0317w-w2FZOMUJBFuI9Qfi-MzAYmHM-XeId8uqpPpeT2LaI0DqEyZ_NCwkMEKboXV2ZbYOJtNdNj6U9fcBowMZ8EBvd132uD5Gau6gOhIUIjgSZ1mq8bwxhqaheI5Cr-_ZLouVtZZxZ8j1YWC44bsGcxN4qSXf3tu8TtBSNb-8D5m8/s4096/AFET7319.JPG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDyyuIe0iMVtIsi0317w-w2FZOMUJBFuI9Qfi-MzAYmHM-XeId8uqpPpeT2LaI0DqEyZ_NCwkMEKboXV2ZbYOJtNdNj6U9fcBowMZ8EBvd132uD5Gau6gOhIUIjgSZ1mq8bwxhqaheI5Cr-_ZLouVtZZxZ8j1YWC44bsGcxN4qSXf3tu8TtBSNb-8D5m8/w640-h640/AFET7319.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">We bought two player-themed bentos and Asahi beers for dinner. </span><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">I chose #5 Chikamoto bento with octopus, while hubby chose</span></span><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"> #0 Kinami with hamburger patty. </span></span><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">The bentos had a very nice presentation but it looked better than it tasted. Throughout the game, we bought some chicken skewers and a few more beers, and spent a total of </span><span style="font-family: "Open Sans";">¥9,600 ($72). We used credit card to pay for the food at the stalls, but used cash for the beer girls.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4OzfEoUi9c-sAyAQQ3rsEIYk7CAoHiQALElagut92lXVxXe6LpP3vT0fjZmjvQRhwnati6ZvkR2RXXxkdSt5pC0Jc6hQciwME_uzswq-N2kBngBhboNmpBXOl8TG1RvdUDuXUHXLgJMrsVZuwzJG87UZ9q1_2GyMyTAY3MGpxGLZlkxk3EIYBGzHk4wU/s4096/OHUM5522.JPG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4OzfEoUi9c-sAyAQQ3rsEIYk7CAoHiQALElagut92lXVxXe6LpP3vT0fjZmjvQRhwnati6ZvkR2RXXxkdSt5pC0Jc6hQciwME_uzswq-N2kBngBhboNmpBXOl8TG1RvdUDuXUHXLgJMrsVZuwzJG87UZ9q1_2GyMyTAY3MGpxGLZlkxk3EIYBGzHk4wU/w640-h640/OHUM5522.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Our seats (29段 55 & 56) cost a bit more because it was in the covered section (right field by 1st base) and was more comfortable with backrest, and flip table for food & drinks. </span><span style="font-family: "Open Sans";">It rained a lil' at the beginning of the game</span><span style="font-family: "Open Sans";"> so we were glad we chose these seats.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1RZgH8LITcyQWBwDCNMg05GVQcDjdn_TVAoKE40TvU8kHoKO5RLxwucDgXPeXyyDvjmZqX5iCPJoS6a1rGEoafxZlweXRDq1gwdT65ljPIMq32HrFPgt8ceDekqhotdRMfGiCYsWMx-i1zf5NirOIAFs9XGNpFcN2Iqtt3hV-KtssKIn7QCMQODIp0S8/s4096/TUXE8035.JPG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1RZgH8LITcyQWBwDCNMg05GVQcDjdn_TVAoKE40TvU8kHoKO5RLxwucDgXPeXyyDvjmZqX5iCPJoS6a1rGEoafxZlweXRDq1gwdT65ljPIMq32HrFPgt8ceDekqhotdRMfGiCYsWMx-i1zf5NirOIAFs9XGNpFcN2Iqtt3hV-KtssKIn7QCMQODIp0S8/w640-h480/TUXE8035.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">The crowds started arriving as it got closer to game time</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ5I2XM2t0-0npISJ9hT-WRm60R1fTl4o5mHeHF5NPuve50So7CCepf1ItfUlJZkcWWtf3aMrcCzjGX5n1eSD8Rkz_eOkgmYUv2WfxKr89S5Vau_Wf1L2wYKdF8LUH_cueAw9llscQYj-2Y-7zWTCk8M-YRHOefT1Kj5y0AlkWafUr6wTGoWWPKLDmfmk/s4096/KYRT9599.JPG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ5I2XM2t0-0npISJ9hT-WRm60R1fTl4o5mHeHF5NPuve50So7CCepf1ItfUlJZkcWWtf3aMrcCzjGX5n1eSD8Rkz_eOkgmYUv2WfxKr89S5Vau_Wf1L2wYKdF8LUH_cueAw9llscQYj-2Y-7zWTCk8M-YRHOefT1Kj5y0AlkWafUr6wTGoWWPKLDmfmk/w640-h640/KYRT9599.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">The stadium was full by 7pm. We were actually surprised the stadium was completely full as it was a Tuesday and most people had to go to school/work. We saw many fans who came straight from work in suit. Tigers fans are amazing! </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyZSvPv_wTURqF0Nra0b147qXcP8zTNBuuulJH54GbKznkkVP3_q-C2nzPD0CNgz43TB149lKVfbORrULPRjivntiuWMoK9qQnC5zw1PvV-hTIUwmFuuAbqbq7xsK7bTPdS55KBCphMm4PRnIHRtuGcb8VYhPdWEJtVN_kGvaeT08wc5Z9wcAlWuChyphenhyphenqs/s4096/TWIN1559.JPG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyZSvPv_wTURqF0Nra0b147qXcP8zTNBuuulJH54GbKznkkVP3_q-C2nzPD0CNgz43TB149lKVfbORrULPRjivntiuWMoK9qQnC5zw1PvV-hTIUwmFuuAbqbq7xsK7bTPdS55KBCphMm4PRnIHRtuGcb8VYhPdWEJtVN_kGvaeT08wc5Z9wcAlWuChyphenhyphenqs/w640-h640/TWIN1559.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">The atmosphere throughout the 3-hour game was absolutely incredible with the Tigers' fans cheering, chanting, and singing all night long. The coordinated cheers and 'karaoke' went on for the whole game (whenever Tigers was batting) with a different cheer song for each player. We were so glad to sit in front of a kid who is a big fan as he was singing along every single song. </span><span style="font-family: "Open Sans";">I don't know much about baseball game so I actually enjoyed the crowd more than the game coz the fans' energy and enthusiasm were ecstatic! </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Open Sans";"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Open Sans";">It was 0-0 for most of the game and Tigers was trailing 0-1 until the very end. It was the bottom of the 9th inning, all bases were loaded, 2 strikes 2 outs, foul balls 4 times to stay alive, and Tigers won with the very last swing! As you can imagine, the entire stadium went crazy celebrating the victory! </span><span style="font-family: "Open Sans"; text-align: center;">You've gotta watch the <a href="https://youtu.be/2JliFWyqrNI" target="_blank">video</a> to 'feel' the atmosphere.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCyqgRMc3Cz7UAcZRmzHd1ajYJLzN8hyphenhyphenRlE0fWQAPQsBkBTylV-Iu4r33qEYix2voDp73u66ksUc-EX4oa8pNLs-o0C06P77yW6sNInRrGqMkJ0tbS0nZAo4aG1YpAVXXgMzi-KB4lk3B8csrAVlC6rtShd333qx35Lx2T1Avl-9_wo8o8x339D803jVE/s4096/GROE9559.JPG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCyqgRMc3Cz7UAcZRmzHd1ajYJLzN8hyphenhyphenRlE0fWQAPQsBkBTylV-Iu4r33qEYix2voDp73u66ksUc-EX4oa8pNLs-o0C06P77yW6sNInRrGqMkJ0tbS0nZAo4aG1YpAVXXgMzi-KB4lk3B8csrAVlC6rtShd333qx35Lx2T1Avl-9_wo8o8x339D803jVE/w640-h480/GROE9559.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">The game ended around 9pm and we took the train/subway for 30 minutes back to Osaka. The train station and train were crowded but it was very organized and orderly. We didn't even have to wait at all for the train back to Osaka.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Our first Japanese baseball game was such a great and fun experience. </span><span style="font-family: "Open Sans";">We definitely recommend everyone to watch a Japanese baseball game if they visit Japan, even for those who doesn't know baseball. On a side note, w</span><span style="font-family: "Open Sans";">e were so glad we saw the Hanshin Tigers, coz they just won the Central League Championship for the first time in 18 years!</span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://khaishing.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default</div>khaishing.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05154189313956844355noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3659547063209051949.post-22463383932701573052023-09-30T14:59:00.008-05:002023-11-03T02:54:37.032-05:00Japan 2023 ✈ Oh Deer Nara<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>We had originally planned to visit Japan in June 2020. Over the last 3 years, we had cancelled and rebooked this trip multiple times as Japan was one of the last few countries to reopen its borders to tourism post-Covid. After waiting for 3 years, we were glad to finally make this trip happen this year! This trip has been 3 years in the making and I must say Japan certainly lived up to our anticipation!</i></div><div><br /></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/mcXxx5V4wbI?si=S75xqUBn8e2YlUdF" title="YouTube video player" width="640"></iframe></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="font-family: "Open Sans"; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><i><b>7D6N in Japan - Osaka, Kyoto, Kobe, Nara</b></i></span></div><div style="font-family: "Open Sans"; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><a href="https://www.khaishing.com/2023/09/japan-2023-journey-to-japan.html" target="_blank"><i>15-16 April 2023: Journey to Japan</i></a></span></div><div style="font-family: "Open Sans"; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><a href="https://www.khaishing.com/2023/09/japan-2023-osaka-cup-noodles-museum.html" target="_blank"><i>17 April 2023: Cup Noodles Museum, Yamazaki Distillery, Umeda Sky Building</i></a></span></div><div style="font-family: "Open Sans"; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><i><a href="https://www.khaishing.com/2023/09/japan-2023-oh-deer-nara.html" target="_blank">18 April 2023: Nara</a></i></span></div><div style="font-family: "Open Sans"; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><i><a href="https://www.khaishing.com/2023/09/japan-2023-hanshin-tigers-baseball-game.html" target="_blank">18 April 2023: Hanshin Tigers Baseball Game</a></i></span></div><div style="font-family: "Open Sans"; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><i><a href="https://www.khaishing.com/2023/10/japan-2023-kobe-beef-in-kobe.html" target="_blank">19 April 2023: Kobe Beef in Kobe</a></i></span></div><div style="font-family: "Open Sans"; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><i><a href="https://www.khaishing.com/2023/10/japan-2023-kyoto.html" target="_blank">19-20 April 2023: Kyoto</a></i></span></div><div style="font-family: "Open Sans"; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><i><a href="https://www.khaishing.com/2023/11/japan-2023-osaka.html" target="_blank">21 April 2023: Osaka</a></i></span></div><div style="font-family: "Open Sans"; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><i><a href="https://www.khaishing.com/2023/11/japan-2023-sayonara-japan.html" target="_blank">22 April 2023: Journey Home</a></i></span></div><div style="font-family: "Open Sans"; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>18 Apr 2023 (Tues): Osaka - Nara - Koshien Stadium - Osaka</b></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlpW__YHIVjgM3MBIlIK_76BEe8Hotfybkh_WCOcGHT-wnH7PlwyDyHdgpHDfpMBUHIlV7l8AIXNUDTXSJUEtWbps-9Q3wMDYHzAmz7keCtofaIOtCmtk8zK6dpNaXntqkvpxpjhtIt_yE9qYYaXVmC-IXWqc7yNx_3t4yE3Md3FFY06bAylt1hqw26gI/s4096/DGSO0287.JPG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlpW__YHIVjgM3MBIlIK_76BEe8Hotfybkh_WCOcGHT-wnH7PlwyDyHdgpHDfpMBUHIlV7l8AIXNUDTXSJUEtWbps-9Q3wMDYHzAmz7keCtofaIOtCmtk8zK6dpNaXntqkvpxpjhtIt_yE9qYYaXVmC-IXWqc7yNx_3t4yE3Md3FFY06bAylt1hqw26gI/w640-h480/DGSO0287.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Our 2nd morning in Japan started slightly later at 9.15am with another sumptuous free breakfast at the hotel before heading out for sightseeing at 10am.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDf3xGINxaCPdfs5jtKNwuk4tqjzxEZ6c406-C6G3kmaLHFXE2nmYkM7gTFBmhIhpMsJbOqwd1XLZVGmXL6eAq-Vq4EOIpz6ruATE4bYThjGWqFE2Cj5aBAuLVuJJ_8MVds-NGOFg5-NrkePRpyYx8_fDcqYKr73Z97M5MSwQ5T5vksNaFzoB_0jbEhhY/s4096/LLXB9691.JPG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDf3xGINxaCPdfs5jtKNwuk4tqjzxEZ6c406-C6G3kmaLHFXE2nmYkM7gTFBmhIhpMsJbOqwd1XLZVGmXL6eAq-Vq4EOIpz6ruATE4bYThjGWqFE2Cj5aBAuLVuJJ_8MVds-NGOFg5-NrkePRpyYx8_fDcqYKr73Z97M5MSwQ5T5vksNaFzoB_0jbEhhY/w640-h480/LLXB9691.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div> Took the subway from Hommachi to Namba station. Used day #1 of our 3-day Kansai Thru Pass as we were traveling quite a distance to Nara. Besides, the Kansai Thru Pass is very easy to use as it covers many different train lines (excluding all JR trains) which covers majority of the public transportation lines in the Kansai region.</div><div><br /></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjws5amUMuzUiXS8AQEEHhc8sRH5TXL3uwjwDo2H1zL2r9oaBEI_D6Va4voaQiNNGAn3xW4aI7YDseKQDh8GhSWYqGIee5BSvXdclnAtmmML0yFr4FqsX6s7le3ohBPSJRb91Ktt_GKllaehW0rylq2kFUZSeHhaEWvBqs2UPnCJw1J9XSvTrcpEDf_ImI/s4096/NWYF2604.JPG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjws5amUMuzUiXS8AQEEHhc8sRH5TXL3uwjwDo2H1zL2r9oaBEI_D6Va4voaQiNNGAn3xW4aI7YDseKQDh8GhSWYqGIee5BSvXdclnAtmmML0yFr4FqsX6s7le3ohBPSJRb91Ktt_GKllaehW0rylq2kFUZSeHhaEWvBqs2UPnCJw1J9XSvTrcpEDf_ImI/w640-h640/NWYF2604.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div>Followed the Nara signs at Namba station to connect to the Kintetsu Nara Line. There were signs on the floor to indicate where to board the train from but I am pretty sure most tourists don't follow these instructions...lol!</div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMfUTvM1Py44QLD2cEeRAGbumBNAfHHMURpxgx9RpACHYpblolz-Okl8_PglDP6nERzNsGAVFFvbDKuQEIyIfTquyq5M7OmbWQpSB-lWZBRl2RlC2vZScWgyjeiN_7nO5GVzmVSNEPlRfjrJc0cL3xoFRs8kIANBeKTJatbL16SpTqRExFUHzFLLkNC_E/s4096/OVIC2421.JPG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMfUTvM1Py44QLD2cEeRAGbumBNAfHHMURpxgx9RpACHYpblolz-Okl8_PglDP6nERzNsGAVFFvbDKuQEIyIfTquyq5M7OmbWQpSB-lWZBRl2RlC2vZScWgyjeiN_7nO5GVzmVSNEPlRfjrJc0cL3xoFRs8kIANBeKTJatbL16SpTqRExFUHzFLLkNC_E/w640-h480/OVIC2421.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div>We boarded at the first stop so there were plenty of space to sit for the 40 min train ride.</div><div><br /></div></span></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQyzIlHX3zv4235RE55uOyKGu5Hy3-C_dPryPXLpsvlPQdaibWr6lhyphenhyphenqXQky6Cr1Ms77BaxxPcP8rNcIguB0TFuJRf32AvouZlWGFbC8vC27JurGXJTrLikssSNehKvHSuAu5uFsa61fFShjlZXfyz4Edo0T_MlGdgA8pHXWyZSMr-4oEFASEGjXWyIrY/s4096/SZXH8386.JPG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQyzIlHX3zv4235RE55uOyKGu5Hy3-C_dPryPXLpsvlPQdaibWr6lhyphenhyphenqXQky6Cr1Ms77BaxxPcP8rNcIguB0TFuJRf32AvouZlWGFbC8vC27JurGXJTrLikssSNehKvHSuAu5uFsa61fFShjlZXfyz4Edo0T_MlGdgA8pHXWyZSMr-4oEFASEGjXWyIrY/w640-h640/SZXH8386.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie82wSq1BTL8GQyMOiH0qAV_20ZE27D03oEyeCrgmGvUAHcSjXwyKPUvyaLBjtrsbYCY7zZ1w4MO6CKumhUCZsx9DAetjOe-XlXTGTBjAhbRc8dM782NAwdBeNlWGzskFoUzqzxXgB2IUMxQkODJymfl-H5ne-71A9FqatlwLMJ4ScnzZhWvg-QCvNS80/s4096/CMEL0047.JPG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie82wSq1BTL8GQyMOiH0qAV_20ZE27D03oEyeCrgmGvUAHcSjXwyKPUvyaLBjtrsbYCY7zZ1w4MO6CKumhUCZsx9DAetjOe-XlXTGTBjAhbRc8dM782NAwdBeNlWGzskFoUzqzxXgB2IUMxQkODJymfl-H5ne-71A9FqatlwLMJ4ScnzZhWvg-QCvNS80/w640-h480/CMEL0047.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div>Arrived Kintetsu Nara Station at 11am. Welcome to Nara! </div></span></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLH8a9j5oEw-FkafsMKGYKtLsGSbeCx4kEJRPbVZdQuyhzpiGuAm2XZ6fs-fReoGhIPuvqGSQO7oH_NtNrrBKrCRAIBggmmTZvs1e-fhRC0sMXpj1oupzmdcYg1Vi2btoR3NISMTkxipFucxmSQdwJatVunphE2FiIH58Iv5e83I9VBGivpm4pXpHv0Wo/s4096/CPIC4055.JPG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLH8a9j5oEw-FkafsMKGYKtLsGSbeCx4kEJRPbVZdQuyhzpiGuAm2XZ6fs-fReoGhIPuvqGSQO7oH_NtNrrBKrCRAIBggmmTZvs1e-fhRC0sMXpj1oupzmdcYg1Vi2btoR3NISMTkxipFucxmSQdwJatVunphE2FiIH58Iv5e83I9VBGivpm4pXpHv0Wo/w640-h640/CPIC4055.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Nara is known for the deers and indeed, we spotted deers everywhere just a short 5 minutes walk from the train station. The deers at Nara Deek Park roam around freely. These 'Japanese' deers are very well-mannered and kept bowing to request for crackers. They certainly are not afraid of people at all and we even saw one headbutting a kid who got too close to it. Most of the deers were chill and polite, but there were signs reminding tourists to be careful as the deers are wild animals and can attack people occassionally. :)</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwOq7p0e2aJUBRBzKCtFnvyBmGvkBvlerCbjLzu8_yveD9fcfYiFdaELkOUCytRdhB56N2U17vcnR8AK0HsQFB-eUZVWhIm_nYcLrBobMOrl8SMCVNaGBGup8NvNH35UO-U_pZeoAaMk7hBUrgCwvZL5I6ONm7H49-A1U0w71vYZwwqjwRZBBok9DmCsc/s4096/PUST0555.JPG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwOq7p0e2aJUBRBzKCtFnvyBmGvkBvlerCbjLzu8_yveD9fcfYiFdaELkOUCytRdhB56N2U17vcnR8AK0HsQFB-eUZVWhIm_nYcLrBobMOrl8SMCVNaGBGup8NvNH35UO-U_pZeoAaMk7hBUrgCwvZL5I6ONm7H49-A1U0w71vYZwwqjwRZBBok9DmCsc/w640-h640/PUST0555.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">As you can see, we kept our distance from the deers but the deer would just walk up close to us...lol!</span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjQ-5w-ujc1YuPEcT2qIjTm2V0Zv-6tP7OJA1UBsTEhHDBn_V2ZwD7LkwY5ta7nqvDiDiDX9eoaKBk4dpUVgXjq9ekq_whoP3dZ4B3M_X3Y7MXj1WSz_tCNaFIV2-E52khGtzeq24Jhiu60w2vw8UE_jXtoqTQO7VJkDsBjL_JjMOr92yu8bttJgjICbE/s4096/POQA2577.JPG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjQ-5w-ujc1YuPEcT2qIjTm2V0Zv-6tP7OJA1UBsTEhHDBn_V2ZwD7LkwY5ta7nqvDiDiDX9eoaKBk4dpUVgXjq9ekq_whoP3dZ4B3M_X3Y7MXj1WSz_tCNaFIV2-E52khGtzeq24Jhiu60w2vw8UE_jXtoqTQO7VJkDsBjL_JjMOr92yu8bttJgjICbE/w640-h640/POQA2577.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguvfaTdgmVXI4fdFs8py63zt8HDwV_6zpBwuf3X3XafAoDBVuBaHdArZ_tclO1YCM-TTCZMFmAzFohVd_f7J1T1SueKp7_mDfIfYWhdN7dR8wIVwzTB_3JxJf7r540sJg1LPnHkdcegvzfJRcf-eIIIFU8rrPSn_tXgSOUkXGa254t56K23WPT3O9sE3I/s4096/QEGE9184.JPG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguvfaTdgmVXI4fdFs8py63zt8HDwV_6zpBwuf3X3XafAoDBVuBaHdArZ_tclO1YCM-TTCZMFmAzFohVd_f7J1T1SueKp7_mDfIfYWhdN7dR8wIVwzTB_3JxJf7r540sJg1LPnHkdcegvzfJRcf-eIIIFU8rrPSn_tXgSOUkXGa254t56K23WPT3O9sE3I/w640-h426/QEGE9184.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div>We (intentionally) missed the cherry blossom season to avoid the crowd by traveling in April but was lucky to still see some cherry blossom trees blooming in Nara.</div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhawQew14vnRQjv0McWZybkf2f74jrDLFU4BzE1vcHV7VA2dynD2u1J8GRFGLEjRS8AL7LuO4x8yyJWl748BXntlh-bnZ8K-ALr23p-S-4r8zS9ZgmkGEKmkGzNppd9mD65_eQmfzJoRXiMNXG8JYsJPkrHSgnE35RMKJnt9NCs3zj_xw4Bkdu2M_HHg9g/s4096/OETM2781.JPG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhawQew14vnRQjv0McWZybkf2f74jrDLFU4BzE1vcHV7VA2dynD2u1J8GRFGLEjRS8AL7LuO4x8yyJWl748BXntlh-bnZ8K-ALr23p-S-4r8zS9ZgmkGEKmkGzNppd9mD65_eQmfzJoRXiMNXG8JYsJPkrHSgnE35RMKJnt9NCs3zj_xw4Bkdu2M_HHg9g/w640-h640/OETM2781.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div>After getting entertained by deers for about 30 minutes, we continued our sightseeing at Todai-ji Temple. This temple is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and it also serves as the Japanese headquarters of the Kegon school of Buddhism.</div></span></div></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLLb5H23m-eyblEd01ab4LXZu_q_MVeW6B1HzoWmi_I3O9IXY2NjHRoA0UClSmgx3x_h5F7t7TZxkjlqWKAAdRFtLwKnfu7sS0wTc39W4xWHMSssjSBCGKpmpbv6Rxnviv4LSIuLxMywTxtfUccnzTSymFl01JjX51kBCxRu9vxC-x1JGC-In_8T5drQM/s4096/MUKL5816.JPG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLLb5H23m-eyblEd01ab4LXZu_q_MVeW6B1HzoWmi_I3O9IXY2NjHRoA0UClSmgx3x_h5F7t7TZxkjlqWKAAdRFtLwKnfu7sS0wTc39W4xWHMSssjSBCGKpmpbv6Rxnviv4LSIuLxMywTxtfUccnzTSymFl01JjX51kBCxRu9vxC-x1JGC-In_8T5drQM/w640-h480/MUKL5816.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Entered the Todai-ji temple complex from the Nandai-mon Gate, with </span><span style="font-family: "Open Sans";">two huge guardian figures on both sides.</span></div><div><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK0KbGI0tFzm4LahzC4J8fq6OGPubsuiTpyfCxJZM74OU5C2U3IFlWxCt-3wDvD_onmP283w0TOUZlEnzpyCbnCukHxKbTbtas3z5IJRfZ7i1q_xZgVUtwRwxR_2cpDN170FgceAwrz8nk-rOgL7j1rPt8BZvaEG50P-borJ-GSgTpBOzbL4FAf3WqzNE/s4096/ROIY7794.JPG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="960" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK0KbGI0tFzm4LahzC4J8fq6OGPubsuiTpyfCxJZM74OU5C2U3IFlWxCt-3wDvD_onmP283w0TOUZlEnzpyCbnCukHxKbTbtas3z5IJRfZ7i1q_xZgVUtwRwxR_2cpDN170FgceAwrz8nk-rOgL7j1rPt8BZvaEG50P-borJ-GSgTpBOzbL4FAf3WqzNE/w639-h960/ROIY7794.JPG" width="639" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-uWT3VqgPHixYItC841sncR1q-WBWfkC_FLz4gKj26X_BWuWZnmJgZ2MvTi6jm3spcdoYudB7du-R3M1xByaz3NYqL6uFWHHKR3dNqT-MxvTR3Eu3rhq-WuCFyvxdVFIjMqedZaRC805uJHDX8bBSu6uPelY_NMLzeF0UXN_yDYl8yjQcwlbJsuyXMG0/s4096/AVEW7847.JPG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-uWT3VqgPHixYItC841sncR1q-WBWfkC_FLz4gKj26X_BWuWZnmJgZ2MvTi6jm3spcdoYudB7du-R3M1xByaz3NYqL6uFWHHKR3dNqT-MxvTR3Eu3rhq-WuCFyvxdVFIjMqedZaRC805uJHDX8bBSu6uPelY_NMLzeF0UXN_yDYl8yjQcwlbJsuyXMG0/w640-h426/AVEW7847.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div></span></div></span></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Todai-ji is a Buddhist temple complex made up of several buildings. One of the main building is the</span><span style="font-family: "Open Sans";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Open Sans";">Great Buddha Hall (Daibutsuden), which houses the world's largest bronze statue of the Buddha. </span><span style="font-family: "Open Sans";">There is a ¥600 admission fee to enter but it was good enough to see it from the outside so we decided to skip it.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5fii9WqdJLXQNUwcLcN_JX9wIYEufGLjq0JT2ueuAkCyPzZhgQpzqsN5QxzURZU5OuzHN45WnwWvQEZ18Xc3KiiQ0EtBFHZZh0ZUnAimuqk-YGbq-ajEBdTY52EMe0ePTwfvgN20oeIvmfM1kTZajc7mJ0AfeMgasyu3TQihH6rPqFeQuGJr9z3KG8Bo/s4096/SIXX4308.JPG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5fii9WqdJLXQNUwcLcN_JX9wIYEufGLjq0JT2ueuAkCyPzZhgQpzqsN5QxzURZU5OuzHN45WnwWvQEZ18Xc3KiiQ0EtBFHZZh0ZUnAimuqk-YGbq-ajEBdTY52EMe0ePTwfvgN20oeIvmfM1kTZajc7mJ0AfeMgasyu3TQihH6rPqFeQuGJr9z3KG8Bo/w640-h640/SIXX4308.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Todai-ji temple was a big complex indeed, and the deers are roaming around here too! These deers are the smart ones hanging around right next to the cracker vendor...lol!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx_t3v8UmwyPzePSRWt82rc9Or4avj_7O5W7B-urxlleSBljMH1rpBsTqfzs3BwvwIcp4bLAsrdqoD1cHgRG3xbfmUzBqlfLTlgXiLU041j6lBgnVkl3e9NcKy9pD-GeTGCh5hJmJGBC43vUGUwqLsIQptqJSvX6urATYRvmefg4phRoINXG6emO4Qapw/s4096/PZYJ4260.JPG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx_t3v8UmwyPzePSRWt82rc9Or4avj_7O5W7B-urxlleSBljMH1rpBsTqfzs3BwvwIcp4bLAsrdqoD1cHgRG3xbfmUzBqlfLTlgXiLU041j6lBgnVkl3e9NcKy9pD-GeTGCh5hJmJGBC43vUGUwqLsIQptqJSvX6urATYRvmefg4phRoINXG6emO4Qapw/w640-h480/PZYJ4260.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Todai-ji Shoro (Bell Tower)</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHeMMWtbOKH89fhzb3eU8RNRZ4-mH21FXahsH8JYorGDUzaRypO4yud9vmoFcdWYa7mIawVlsEHlhnWF0S8RNBYVHZ_HE9Y6funeOsp1swXXopKSiJqhNNsamjp6_E3yGhoFBooqLtJzYgfN341LylP8Dzk2RzYx7nGV8ukOR1cL-TcITFkG6M_A0-cUU/s4096/OZBO4769.JPG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHeMMWtbOKH89fhzb3eU8RNRZ4-mH21FXahsH8JYorGDUzaRypO4yud9vmoFcdWYa7mIawVlsEHlhnWF0S8RNBYVHZ_HE9Y6funeOsp1swXXopKSiJqhNNsamjp6_E3yGhoFBooqLtJzYgfN341LylP8Dzk2RzYx7nGV8ukOR1cL-TcITFkG6M_A0-cUU/w640-h480/OZBO4769.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Cool buildings as we walked along the path to Nigatsu-do Hall.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLGnbFUrVgp0gc8cxxntP5pxAvWjIHwsHyRCbiRWAIbKjSaSpMluIZvCrSCwl74zYlDpZhWV8OBX8cPlvR6EhEE6C3gZpABXwJVxkWZVJ3l4cFv-JNsDtMRhKOJH6N82D1W71vhjtamBIz0zreP7RoS5WGm6cxyGKkPPbSKReVyghxife9cmeOvyB3BNI/s4096/AXDO3212.JPG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="841" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLGnbFUrVgp0gc8cxxntP5pxAvWjIHwsHyRCbiRWAIbKjSaSpMluIZvCrSCwl74zYlDpZhWV8OBX8cPlvR6EhEE6C3gZpABXwJVxkWZVJ3l4cFv-JNsDtMRhKOJH6N82D1W71vhjtamBIz0zreP7RoS5WGm6cxyGKkPPbSKReVyghxife9cmeOvyB3BNI/w631-h841/AXDO3212.JPG" width="631" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Nigatsu-do Hall is located on the hillside of Mount Wakakusa wih a good view of Nara. There are big white lanterns hanging around the temple.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihWDPxipmwy4d_nehtJirn6nLix4_0m6xk-U2OQ708gw8BWTTF0kqnfYUoFBHrp8jCZj3Jy12rVZeeC-88id-gYxZvuYMr_WWwNojBmijdc2PH48-l1MKFTMkY6ZA56nTdP_rcRL-I9iQWkROWcV8Jfh-FUIgDjkKDpperLdfaNZR33Ibozocto7u-Ueo/s4096/UMDT3637.JPG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="861" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihWDPxipmwy4d_nehtJirn6nLix4_0m6xk-U2OQ708gw8BWTTF0kqnfYUoFBHrp8jCZj3Jy12rVZeeC-88id-gYxZvuYMr_WWwNojBmijdc2PH48-l1MKFTMkY6ZA56nTdP_rcRL-I9iQWkROWcV8Jfh-FUIgDjkKDpperLdfaNZR33Ibozocto7u-Ueo/w646-h861/UMDT3637.JPG" width="646" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyWHGY8byJ_8JGgrE5J1-9NUOoDo-ce0b77ZnxjfVc_EDHGGJ7mkvfIVuu37eln1IvTPNEITiXId-Hf3pibJA4OQoeCSAfpo3j_qLeuF8hoN-lqTksMsr0dIs1SmgUmSeKSJK-PqKAfxcpp_o6cQfTAPyk3PE20ybcbsqbgrYPlZUIHFR7rGP1yqi8GH0/s4096/WSTK4704.JPG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyWHGY8byJ_8JGgrE5J1-9NUOoDo-ce0b77ZnxjfVc_EDHGGJ7mkvfIVuu37eln1IvTPNEITiXId-Hf3pibJA4OQoeCSAfpo3j_qLeuF8hoN-lqTksMsr0dIs1SmgUmSeKSJK-PqKAfxcpp_o6cQfTAPyk3PE20ybcbsqbgrYPlZUIHFR7rGP1yqi8GH0/w640-h426/WSTK4704.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Even though we had to walk quite a bit around the Todai-ji temple complex, many pathways were shaded with trees, which made it a pleasant walk. We were also there during spring so the weather was nice and cool. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGnxlrEiknnNEKySMviDw2vxkIaEvLtHDCiQqQAZR3cYIE3yfoXsH7286Z0dHugeYo-BCOZ3-sLOvWDLWIOGcYGMoUkmHpDCx-QRu_Xx966lqKrmVp_eoA3WGB0npdd-xGsYdEdzPN_swtU1j8yy8KEQvYm3yJDbIjrs0hqVqKSJopfC01m5N_D1Z-EoY/s4096/DGON3192.JPG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="847" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGnxlrEiknnNEKySMviDw2vxkIaEvLtHDCiQqQAZR3cYIE3yfoXsH7286Z0dHugeYo-BCOZ3-sLOvWDLWIOGcYGMoUkmHpDCx-QRu_Xx966lqKrmVp_eoA3WGB0npdd-xGsYdEdzPN_swtU1j8yy8KEQvYm3yJDbIjrs0hqVqKSJopfC01m5N_D1Z-EoY/w635-h847/DGON3192.JPG" width="635" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Deers everywhere in Nara...literally!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbWhgHTmXVwADIkdbsVoYWIQm0iUv_qVAbg-QPTIn-gFOPxxVb-XaBbdkN7jnxRJE7M1AKYWm4jszZ0QQWDjzSsdp3W2S_si-ujWaapNylopE2qHirQ9tnLMZLbbRp8tcbqnqSxOgnA4XS5KkbEyafL2vMMlpAd4LuNSlqZAGnVODaYD2HZTVMriU1H_A/s4096/FWYG4388.JPG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="856" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbWhgHTmXVwADIkdbsVoYWIQm0iUv_qVAbg-QPTIn-gFOPxxVb-XaBbdkN7jnxRJE7M1AKYWm4jszZ0QQWDjzSsdp3W2S_si-ujWaapNylopE2qHirQ9tnLMZLbbRp8tcbqnqSxOgnA4XS5KkbEyafL2vMMlpAd4LuNSlqZAGnVODaYD2HZTVMriU1H_A/w641-h856/FWYG4388.JPG" width="641" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">The Kasuga-Taisha 'orange' shrine with many hanging gold and bronze lanterns.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPK7G3XedyHLf5gAuu1BC5K_sg_czqnpTyeCn7Qifh25gc3dJe-eteyeyHKbzi_oZPecm9nYSVPbbkuWRL6hBWnL-df4KffR89biTvfcneGAiDDN6bK33rG-8plZTi3b6zMZYq2ahl3pPgEvck1CpEqci0ZdqcEBq9-DoLHw5KAgzk2bY5WPSZwrZ_Rh4/s4096/RNUE3945.JPG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPK7G3XedyHLf5gAuu1BC5K_sg_czqnpTyeCn7Qifh25gc3dJe-eteyeyHKbzi_oZPecm9nYSVPbbkuWRL6hBWnL-df4KffR89biTvfcneGAiDDN6bK33rG-8plZTi3b6zMZYq2ahl3pPgEvck1CpEqci0ZdqcEBq9-DoLHw5KAgzk2bY5WPSZwrZ_Rh4/w640-h480/RNUE3945.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Stone lanterns around Kasuga-Taisha shrine. Entering through the Keiga Gate, there is a wisteria tree called "Sunazuri-no-Fuji" (wisteria flowers dropping down to reach the ground). The wisteria flowers bloom from late April until early May.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div><br /></div></span></div></span></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI0uTmNTklBOZD3Dj3DyAiQtJWeF5aqHqivECVVshnk592XSosXq9Bfw6MDJIwXkGa5TpuhqtsgiY5sUWMKN0c2zRXCl2HloUqukZD1mBTNP_3Aj6TxZEh7c54fPQgZnl8B-ueFVwJgZr7Da-gCbuygqrSrfPZ6YrekBrIJPi2pP8KT2AFgmtRhW809-4/s4096/LTYH0193.JPG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="850" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI0uTmNTklBOZD3Dj3DyAiQtJWeF5aqHqivECVVshnk592XSosXq9Bfw6MDJIwXkGa5TpuhqtsgiY5sUWMKN0c2zRXCl2HloUqukZD1mBTNP_3Aj6TxZEh7c54fPQgZnl8B-ueFVwJgZr7Da-gCbuygqrSrfPZ6YrekBrIJPi2pP8KT2AFgmtRhW809-4/w637-h850/LTYH0193.JPG" width="637" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">After spending about 2.5 hours walking around Todai-ji, we wrapped up our tour of Nara with a final stop at Kofuku-ji Temple around 2.20pm.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div> <div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5vEKDA0f_PZusDCOjIzWJ98xLQiTAYKGC4Ikwiewb1ZxyAFwA4N1wpUiV1Pmvk9e_JZQiH9zte9yLry6RCgQ6EIouqYnVjx5ggUTvBXHNq1fOX3fy8-6y9J7yV45jWoDa95Vc5Weyks62EeNnlQ0-qgNhjsI6DUgkrZbHEfm1uz-pIKv_4RzEvCtKUTk/s4096/XDMP2478.JPG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5vEKDA0f_PZusDCOjIzWJ98xLQiTAYKGC4Ikwiewb1ZxyAFwA4N1wpUiV1Pmvk9e_JZQiH9zte9yLry6RCgQ6EIouqYnVjx5ggUTvBXHNq1fOX3fy8-6y9J7yV45jWoDa95Vc5Weyks62EeNnlQ0-qgNhjsI6DUgkrZbHEfm1uz-pIKv_4RzEvCtKUTk/w640-h640/XDMP2478.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">We saw a few big groups of students in Nara... was it school field trip season?</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdlZk3On-FXK6LWWrpCIHUg-KkBsgu3ntuR-_dEwfhTGoxbHWF7fuCRf1I6j4XevnpmLu0Cf5_3pjZK3KYhESStRl0nPy4eDUt6nMElJMCbk47LtoF732xHIUa_RdG5p7QQVMFeXmv2k6WqJXhBwLM29BFQHQF41suPZZ_dazrfFEgAFK24zBQCBRjxzc/s4096/THPJ0527.JPG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdlZk3On-FXK6LWWrpCIHUg-KkBsgu3ntuR-_dEwfhTGoxbHWF7fuCRf1I6j4XevnpmLu0Cf5_3pjZK3KYhESStRl0nPy4eDUt6nMElJMCbk47LtoF732xHIUa_RdG5p7QQVMFeXmv2k6WqJXhBwLM29BFQHQF41suPZZ_dazrfFEgAFK24zBQCBRjxzc/w640-h640/THPJ0527.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">That's a wrap for our 4 hours visit of Nara. Time to hop back onto the train for an hour to our next destination...Hanshin Koshien Stadium for our first Japanese baseball game! I guess schools ended around 3pm as we saw quite a lot of students on the train. The elementary school students looked cute in their uniforms and school bags. Also spotted a Hanshin Tigers fan on the train. We were confused by his fashion initially but found out later that he's just a big fan of Hanshin Tigers...lol! </span></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://khaishing.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default</div>khaishing.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05154189313956844355noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3659547063209051949.post-47695571642429362542023-09-25T02:30:00.006-05:002023-11-03T02:54:47.456-05:00Japan 2023 ✈ Osaka - Cup Noodles Museum, Yamazaki Distillery, Umeda Sky Building<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>We had originally planned to visit Japan in June 2020. Over the last 3 years, we had cancelled and rebooked this trip multiple times as Japan was one of the last few countries to reopen its borders to tourism post-Covid. After waiting for 3 years, we were glad to finally make this trip happen this year! This trip has been 3 years in the making and I must say Japan certainly lived up to our anticipation!</i></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/yiki89BUHOs?si=SEDDAyT_vk2PfD0Z" title="YouTube video player" width="640"></iframe></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><div><div style="font-family: "Open Sans";"><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><i><b>7D6N in Japan - Osaka, Kyoto, Kobe, Nara</b></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><a href="https://www.khaishing.com/2023/09/japan-2023-journey-to-japan.html" target="_blank"><i>15-16 April 2023: Journey to Japan</i></a></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><a href="https://www.khaishing.com/2023/09/japan-2023-osaka-cup-noodles-museum.html" target="_blank"><i>17 April 2023: Cup Noodles Museum, Yamazaki Distillery, Umeda Sky Building</i></a></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><i><a href="https://www.khaishing.com/2023/09/japan-2023-oh-deer-nara.html" target="_blank">18 April 2023: Nara</a></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><i><a href="https://www.khaishing.com/2023/09/japan-2023-hanshin-tigers-baseball-game.html" target="_blank">18 April 2023: Hanshin Tigers Baseball Game</a></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><i><a href="https://www.khaishing.com/2023/10/japan-2023-kobe-beef-in-kobe.html" target="_blank">19 April 2023: Kobe Beef in Kobe</a></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><i><a href="https://www.khaishing.com/2023/10/japan-2023-kyoto.html" target="_blank">19-20 April 2023: Kyoto</a></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><i><a href="https://www.khaishing.com/2023/11/japan-2023-osaka.html" target="_blank">21 April 2023: Osaka</a></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><i><a href="https://www.khaishing.com/2023/11/japan-2023-sayonara-japan.html" target="_blank">22 April 2023: Journey Home</a></i></span></div></div></div><div style="font-family: "Open Sans";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><i><br /></i></span></div></div></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>17 Apr 2023 (Mon): Cup Noodles Museum - Yamazaki Distillery - Umeda Sky Building</b></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb2HCRXCbnUmGJ7ZawMLGKiNxZsnHgGm5Ta88JGKc6YKwdWCxP2o3sqXUA7MmnTs6s-3ww2k18kZFN2yppr5WUrKbY6I0epWN0jAFgO3bwdLDaJ-mc57nS_VFrykQQNXyNHT8kt0uPeho-ptVkCCSX1w8Rwhc2FQOvRa5wMolQo9vktfewGmFJ31U-LA4/s4096/HBRS9673.JPG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb2HCRXCbnUmGJ7ZawMLGKiNxZsnHgGm5Ta88JGKc6YKwdWCxP2o3sqXUA7MmnTs6s-3ww2k18kZFN2yppr5WUrKbY6I0epWN0jAFgO3bwdLDaJ-mc57nS_VFrykQQNXyNHT8kt0uPeho-ptVkCCSX1w8Rwhc2FQOvRa5wMolQo9vktfewGmFJ31U-LA4/w640-h480/HBRS9673.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Open Sans";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Open Sans";">After a good night's rest, we started our day at 8.45am with breakfast in the hotel on our first day in Japan. The daily free breakfast from 7am-10am was o</span><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">ne of the main reasons I chose to stay at a Holiday Inn Express instead of the other IHG hotel options in Osaka.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOotIGTSwTGXrS3Wkjvw3r68_wqrsd9FVgAn-sJvpEsxZ8WBcpDVyc59M2huNW7X9_U97Q3h0ybap8f072n917m_NBv3N8QfSVeEyTPq1ByDc_v65yy0IH9LNtzsEb9-1dNKPvfi0Oqm414H_qZjMwmLNBosrD3hp2SuVMyEf8vwkF9PhdOLEJwejc64k/s4096/SEJB8013.JPG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOotIGTSwTGXrS3Wkjvw3r68_wqrsd9FVgAn-sJvpEsxZ8WBcpDVyc59M2huNW7X9_U97Q3h0ybap8f072n917m_NBv3N8QfSVeEyTPq1ByDc_v65yy0IH9LNtzsEb9-1dNKPvfi0Oqm414H_qZjMwmLNBosrD3hp2SuVMyEf8vwkF9PhdOLEJwejc64k/w640-h640/SEJB8013.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">The buffet options were much better than the ones offered in HiX in the US...salads, fruits, bread and pastries, yoghurt, sausage, scrambled eggs, mapo tofu, grilled fish, rice, stir fried veggies, lotus root, okra, kimchi, pickled dishes, seaweed, miso soup, etc. </span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifxJmzsSpvqjITKaxz3IisgAI_XyG4C_O0rUJBo6ki9URNci2GXWmH07YhUpIGrFAm-Iu-IJJzesSMlBSaBuqn9oVYYifdhGqRZ6rFO6Q8LhwGRS7dh-OOsoPOV6NmkvtyWkiYIe1Ny0S-yjuJ2OvZgzemPShsR2dXTTvdUv5Ol8CYU7PUmASI9VM9aC8/s4096/VEZD5237.JPG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifxJmzsSpvqjITKaxz3IisgAI_XyG4C_O0rUJBo6ki9URNci2GXWmH07YhUpIGrFAm-Iu-IJJzesSMlBSaBuqn9oVYYifdhGqRZ6rFO6Q8LhwGRS7dh-OOsoPOV6NmkvtyWkiYIe1Ny0S-yjuJ2OvZgzemPShsR2dXTTvdUv5Ol8CYU7PUmASI9VM9aC8/w640-h640/VEZD5237.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">I absolutely enjoyed the oriental breakfast options while hubby opted for the western options as usual. This breakfast was actually brunch for us. =P </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC_Mc27wWXfcwpvcpHKBMPelEl_K8_8-Ye9fzTnSKE4bXsyM9r-peFh0nnqqjiUjHLFdvjUbjl4FH8NgW3ah1ZpEEJr-QERxN_tuk80wQ8i_Rorm-OQerVVDte5FISNbM3k4IQAwQVtF33TmSHxYSQh0K6TpG0gkVet4PF1XC6-GjEshv8cu3jVGqVWyE/s4096/YCNB5877.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4096" data-original-width="2728" height="955" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC_Mc27wWXfcwpvcpHKBMPelEl_K8_8-Ye9fzTnSKE4bXsyM9r-peFh0nnqqjiUjHLFdvjUbjl4FH8NgW3ah1ZpEEJr-QERxN_tuk80wQ8i_Rorm-OQerVVDte5FISNbM3k4IQAwQVtF33TmSHxYSQh0K6TpG0gkVet4PF1XC6-GjEshv8cu3jVGqVWyE/w636-h955/YCNB5877.JPG" width="636" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">After breakfast, it was time to begin our sightseeing using Japan's convenient rail/subway system. Thankfully, Google Map made it super easy to </span><span style="font-family: "Open Sans";">navigate. Hommachi station was a short 5 minutes walk from our hotel. Even though there are 3 different subway lines (i.e. Midosuji, Chuo, Yotsubashi) that goes through Hommachi station, the Midosuji (red) line was the one we used the most. We took the 9.50am subway from Hommachi to Umeda Station, which was a short 5 min (2 stops) subway ride. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ_E520q5ZDT596nNOOJ527vd-W3p30QaSrccGUV4jkyK4a3VA1O55g3sH2Lsaq1rOgQ-o3KUksAjamxMmDnaFTPF1vDwaSyUPoxIMAwd7pUMrErZTMIZXllgKA3Ywk41r2eEWb4P8xuM77KmIP3UrDQPIOe0s9u4sB9tthel6QRSU4NFR-_sqOC0I4iU/s4096/WNXS7144.JPG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ_E520q5ZDT596nNOOJ527vd-W3p30QaSrccGUV4jkyK4a3VA1O55g3sH2Lsaq1rOgQ-o3KUksAjamxMmDnaFTPF1vDwaSyUPoxIMAwd7pUMrErZTMIZXllgKA3Ywk41r2eEWb4P8xuM77KmIP3UrDQPIOe0s9u4sB9tthel6QRSU4NFR-_sqOC0I4iU/w640-h640/WNXS7144.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Umeda station is a big station with several train/subway lines running through it.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzkaPc3acrzpx-vE50BuhiNm9hvxOOu7PwbHwrJp88FMGxvs54LzTlBdTXmWE7JOCN9n8Gn_Hc8Z4KuAujbbHsm63_NN0Qtxx4o-r-Qjug0E1UL2bURET9s-S9T-Q4pktzM8qkZuhvw_xBhFFTuiW_DaBRbg7IWmF1_Rwl5iYRHu3JzV6TrSKANra5wXk/s4096/MVQK1256.JPG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzkaPc3acrzpx-vE50BuhiNm9hvxOOu7PwbHwrJp88FMGxvs54LzTlBdTXmWE7JOCN9n8Gn_Hc8Z4KuAujbbHsm63_NN0Qtxx4o-r-Qjug0E1UL2bURET9s-S9T-Q4pktzM8qkZuhvw_xBhFFTuiW_DaBRbg7IWmF1_Rwl5iYRHu3JzV6TrSKANra5wXk/w640-h480/MVQK1256.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPHvAAUuzlakjoStZOHftoMV3jJFIOP9G3bfZrKe8P4Lb1WvwkhWB3LWPe9zNgMBtZIrGyMbQqZdHA8WPUWp7YFR_VwKQNGGI_xgs_KxFu2O4VDWMg4DV4iFTDd0fiqrySTkhgTOwaVr4qquTkuxRuTPZdOrUOohznlinyjhXwvVNpqrPvsdBziEv77lU/s1920/IMG_1316.JPG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPHvAAUuzlakjoStZOHftoMV3jJFIOP9G3bfZrKe8P4Lb1WvwkhWB3LWPe9zNgMBtZIrGyMbQqZdHA8WPUWp7YFR_VwKQNGGI_xgs_KxFu2O4VDWMg4DV4iFTDd0fiqrySTkhgTOwaVr4qquTkuxRuTPZdOrUOohznlinyjhXwvVNpqrPvsdBziEv77lU/w640-h320/IMG_1316.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">We made a quick stop at Umeda station to pick up our 3-day Kansai Thru Pass at the Osaka Metro Commuter pass sales counter in Umeda station. We bought this on <a href="https://www.klook.com/en-US/activity/1329-kansai-thru-pass-osaka/" target="_blank">Klook's website</a> for $40.35 per person. It was very easy to purchase this on Klook and redeem it at one of the many locations listed. Best of all, we could use credit card to purchase. If we had purchased this pass in Japan, we'd have to use cash. Our plan is to use this pass for our travels on the next 3 days to Nara, Kobe, and Kyoto. My 'cost analysis' showed that it</span><span style="font-family: "Open Sans";"> would be cheaper to use this pass than to pay for each train separately. =)</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo8BrKwzvSr8BPsOeirKdj_AN1dDoQfcuWntUfoqfiwGNAe5LXl6wPJgq8dTewwuIPC30uIUBHapU-75SoMyKJcQMYVsqy8iL0nk4S032r5YN4grcJVeMMFJ-PB0gAqQHQvYOjuWf916MPjcAnY-TgBk2Yx7kefyb_Wmg1GgaQmGkMH79rfBDbqk3NKCA/s4096/MVZW5942.JPG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo8BrKwzvSr8BPsOeirKdj_AN1dDoQfcuWntUfoqfiwGNAe5LXl6wPJgq8dTewwuIPC30uIUBHapU-75SoMyKJcQMYVsqy8iL0nk4S032r5YN4grcJVeMMFJ-PB0gAqQHQvYOjuWf916MPjcAnY-TgBk2Yx7kefyb_Wmg1GgaQmGkMH79rfBDbqk3NKCA/w640-h480/MVZW5942.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">After collecting our pass, we took the 10.20am Hankyu train to Ikeda station. I love the old school train design and the velvet seats. Since we boarded at the first stop, there were plenty of seats for this 20 min ride. We navigated our way around Japan with Google Maps coz it has so much information and was super accurate! </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhttmMWyhC5t_OJYBqoP1wnLtFnaFoy63BRTGZoZ8l1Jbymj5WPXuXnA91h0pO-onQkxTfopAAbJ-HsYExVOoeFoKCdWUfchyul6-6sSUH59Di_UJ0S0Sy4EJrrQ7p_wsybcgxYz_u0zJNJt57KXo5W3OZe8H5n_GY88hXufJYFFNNGQEJYxpiEslZRIRg/s4096/CJEW0849.JPG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhttmMWyhC5t_OJYBqoP1wnLtFnaFoy63BRTGZoZ8l1Jbymj5WPXuXnA91h0pO-onQkxTfopAAbJ-HsYExVOoeFoKCdWUfchyul6-6sSUH59Di_UJ0S0Sy4EJrrQ7p_wsybcgxYz_u0zJNJt57KXo5W3OZe8H5n_GY88hXufJYFFNNGQEJYxpiEslZRIRg/w640-h640/CJEW0849.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">From Ikeda station, we walked about 5 min (400m) to the Cup Noodles Museum. Entrance to the museum is free and you can purchase tickets for ¥500 if you want to make your own cup noodles, which we didn't. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRtsWGw3oENkwwEAFUPSxP2oN2NKzEnnhb8-amXOTiwZwtI3kZ2W_sg7ImIMSXqOcQfSJw_amTzHd1gp-qKH15j8HseRxpWOFa0_Vc2Kfg8AC-MQP9iY_Aigz11nYdRR61VdXILIlxWcniQLl2K3YJzigdkrHY6fvas1E54FTuIA9s3PHxl8ymoErtcfM/s4096/CCQD8492.JPG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRtsWGw3oENkwwEAFUPSxP2oN2NKzEnnhb8-amXOTiwZwtI3kZ2W_sg7ImIMSXqOcQfSJw_amTzHd1gp-qKH15j8HseRxpWOFa0_Vc2Kfg8AC-MQP9iY_Aigz11nYdRR61VdXILIlxWcniQLl2K3YJzigdkrHY6fvas1E54FTuIA9s3PHxl8ymoErtcfM/w640-h640/CCQD8492.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">We walked around the museum but everything was in Japanese only and honestly there weren't much to see at the museum.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu0-smLnJDsl5kMmpDQYsveWX7MxPjU5dRBwfGUBppitbvsdeD7WvZkjwkitJwAPyZ6CdvucyW3AWaJXIrBW6cQRjy8uFU-qoRSf0mDDLSNILk0pIZHpWJGkd1Rx99zF0PAVzklP7Z3qnlPv6vH7Amj2K4iqCTwB1cubhapG3g10a2ao2y3AjmqkRx0LE/s4096/EEAQ1311.JPG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu0-smLnJDsl5kMmpDQYsveWX7MxPjU5dRBwfGUBppitbvsdeD7WvZkjwkitJwAPyZ6CdvucyW3AWaJXIrBW6cQRjy8uFU-qoRSf0mDDLSNILk0pIZHpWJGkd1Rx99zF0PAVzklP7Z3qnlPv6vH7Amj2K4iqCTwB1cubhapG3g10a2ao2y3AjmqkRx0LE/w640-h480/EEAQ1311.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">We went to the 2nd floor to watch the noodle-making workshop instead. It was actually more fun to watch how quickly and efficiently the staff cleaned up...lol!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhECtx5quVC0dvJvOJUL95NW3ALe26SqIXr3sQ4Qc1FnlSGpJUWQkSbwR911ecBCnddWJ12ipi4m7Ezl72YEBGD2Dvm-O768vN_fVx9VqTKIVLQHR_arqZcqcqgLPmOYGrcUnO-776va7xEjLLydN6tJ7gwNMAdsHXXbuNVAUsX_QG4y86feVFz1u8T7bw/s4096/BKFO4243.JPG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhECtx5quVC0dvJvOJUL95NW3ALe26SqIXr3sQ4Qc1FnlSGpJUWQkSbwR911ecBCnddWJ12ipi4m7Ezl72YEBGD2Dvm-O768vN_fVx9VqTKIVLQHR_arqZcqcqgLPmOYGrcUnO-776va7xEjLLydN6tJ7gwNMAdsHXXbuNVAUsX_QG4y86feVFz1u8T7bw/w640-h640/BKFO4243.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">After spending 45 minutes at the museum, we hopped back on the train at 12.10pm to our next stop. Looked like we were the only tourists on the train. When changing train at Juso station, we noticed that not only do everyone stood in line here, they even stood in the 'correct' line for the different trains...wow! It took a minute for us to figure out where to stand but we made sure to do as the Japanese do...haha! </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqmqDpCKCSZwuO49yzkpkaDbbjaShiI-Gwls47l5crH2bZS2W18wPKMYnhW8w3p22Hv19XuuDkbaoKOipVVvDENjJR43b-ehIWVHIDxPPOZEHJhxxDdEgm9MovHI989AGiGbF_yIYW7AvRnLMXpm3eVRIx-Nu0LzJt2YCEuK3mRWM7aClxoHJFZq6oaB4/s4096/GYGZ7145.JPG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqmqDpCKCSZwuO49yzkpkaDbbjaShiI-Gwls47l5crH2bZS2W18wPKMYnhW8w3p22Hv19XuuDkbaoKOipVVvDENjJR43b-ehIWVHIDxPPOZEHJhxxDdEgm9MovHI989AGiGbF_yIYW7AvRnLMXpm3eVRIx-Nu0LzJt2YCEuK3mRWM7aClxoHJFZq6oaB4/w640-h480/GYGZ7145.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Arrived Oyamazaki station at 1pm and walked 12 min (1km) through a residential area to our 2nd stop for the day....Suntory Yamazaki Distillery.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqd05jdAN8fqbpiNW7sMxxlmtkB8RylV2amJwa0IywqXqKDTV09B0pFh_9Fbyg9wG0fqc3QkNsK5h6nhFHSVB2d_hDuVIS-MV9BA1d0rbzyOWA9bV3VhOdW8JqAKpUHkQEiy7-KMWvK1wc1Fla4DyduNiif0uu8FARq-HpULRGdVuFI9i2tgpNzsySrCA/s4096/KBBA4032.JPG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqd05jdAN8fqbpiNW7sMxxlmtkB8RylV2amJwa0IywqXqKDTV09B0pFh_9Fbyg9wG0fqc3QkNsK5h6nhFHSVB2d_hDuVIS-MV9BA1d0rbzyOWA9bV3VhOdW8JqAKpUHkQEiy7-KMWvK1wc1Fla4DyduNiif0uu8FARq-HpULRGdVuFI9i2tgpNzsySrCA/w640-h640/KBBA4032.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Visiting this place was not easy as only visitors with reservations were allowed to enter. Even getting a reservation to visit was like trying to get concert tickets. When they opened the reservation system on March 5 for April's reservation, there were 4000+ people in the queue and by the time I got into the reservation system after waiting for an hour, there were only few spots left for the museum. The Distillery Tour was already fully booked. We were glad to at least get a reservation for the Yamazaki Whisky Museum free tour as the distillery would be closed for visit starting May 2023 till Nov 2023. We were lucky after all.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7UFtOgFdQWjrFBLiLIl1rj06N0QhitERrJYnfnYRI09h16xvD3Od1x1K_8FmqzKgX_NI55IixtGH0CZz8Korjzz-34o-mIrv0H39vzi1-3H0iILNGa0syVVoVTF21EWAjvABqTW0MOoU2whmQiY5Z9z0aZ_4FlSbjPz0Xzl-puMn8o_0ufoK6OQGnTRo/s4096/BQCS9523.JPG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="850" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7UFtOgFdQWjrFBLiLIl1rj06N0QhitERrJYnfnYRI09h16xvD3Od1x1K_8FmqzKgX_NI55IixtGH0CZz8Korjzz-34o-mIrv0H39vzi1-3H0iILNGa0syVVoVTF21EWAjvABqTW0MOoU2whmQiY5Z9z0aZ_4FlSbjPz0Xzl-puMn8o_0ufoK6OQGnTRo/w638-h850/BQCS9523.JPG" width="638" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">After a quick check-in at the security gate, we were given a tag for our visit to the museum. Our reservation was for 2pm, but they allowed us to enter earlier at 1.15pm.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXF29CTgFXixKL8eGZMg5In3IvoFUxmbKC8RLukqnKFLzpVr0bOdozv5yeUCJ7qX_Ju0xpgAXpu-tUIWI6PoghEQ8V2_4vkYeyV5w5AltAVFsVR8bnWHyLu9X9oiroCsFxDk3GcJo0pZ7FDihFxrXhxXDWBQ6G8pRnlJZ9Zp-zI_fCuyP4TjMeRXPjXXc/s4096/KBDZ2836.JPG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="846" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXF29CTgFXixKL8eGZMg5In3IvoFUxmbKC8RLukqnKFLzpVr0bOdozv5yeUCJ7qX_Ju0xpgAXpu-tUIWI6PoghEQ8V2_4vkYeyV5w5AltAVFsVR8bnWHyLu9X9oiroCsFxDk3GcJo0pZ7FDihFxrXhxXDWBQ6G8pRnlJZ9Zp-zI_fCuyP4TjMeRXPjXXc/w635-h846/KBDZ2836.JPG" width="635" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">If you're wondering why this place is so popular, Yamazaki is where Japanese whisky was born in 1923, and t</span><span style="font-family: "Open Sans";">his year is the 100th year since the history of Japanese whisky began. Another reason why this place is so popular is </span><span style="font-family: "Open Sans";">because Suntory is home to award-winning Japanese whiskies - Yamazaki, Hibiki, and Hakushu. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFba3gRQ5v6kiENjc3o2k1RsCAiShPldNlYuSbUfqUa0Z1uzIvjpC2qsqC6dlU_sXtvxPNkoOB2Ba_9XSSvXnvBEwlaJoa2_5oYNsVXnYBXjrfKTfYlFTopcvn2mTCKuPzwR3StJlc-SIq52G0vkXQcTZ_3iqyIWErmDP4lw0_5aw4bG9VLOmBWDEgVA0/s4096/KEVP8205.JPG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFba3gRQ5v6kiENjc3o2k1RsCAiShPldNlYuSbUfqUa0Z1uzIvjpC2qsqC6dlU_sXtvxPNkoOB2Ba_9XSSvXnvBEwlaJoa2_5oYNsVXnYBXjrfKTfYlFTopcvn2mTCKuPzwR3StJlc-SIq52G0vkXQcTZ_3iqyIWErmDP4lw0_5aw4bG9VLOmBWDEgVA0/w640-h480/KEVP8205.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">I am not a whiskey connoisseur but I know Hibikis are one of the most popular Japanese whisky. We couldn't find them in any stores and they weren't sold in here either. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoTQXdsByTLD93itBk61PIuFlXtR4HxlZCJEmKoaXrzuogHjP6r0UzcBTs77oIzyxHfoAPuxH-wkVkajWNoc9oBtzG3FC5pEiqagVfXvQb-M3ALt2ivpUK7RdJ7A5O_rPgrKJ6y_-1KFy8PRWVQcEx2s6H7fBWn-9uCxtEGx0oxnxr_3kf8DhC8wIKKtY/s4096/TQVF7644.JPG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoTQXdsByTLD93itBk61PIuFlXtR4HxlZCJEmKoaXrzuogHjP6r0UzcBTs77oIzyxHfoAPuxH-wkVkajWNoc9oBtzG3FC5pEiqagVfXvQb-M3ALt2ivpUK7RdJ7A5O_rPgrKJ6y_-1KFy8PRWVQcEx2s6H7fBWn-9uCxtEGx0oxnxr_3kf8DhC8wIKKtY/w640-h426/TQVF7644.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Open Sans";">Yamazaki is the most sought-after Japanese whisky brand on the market. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div><br /></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD2LxewdxXf5nJchxKhfZW98QORgtYj-1YFxwpJyjFHiXmqE-KHlau4S5L8BBCItHjy--XhWTfOo3zbu-rx4ctKl494ZuKn9gt1DhekISEMFhV4sf_vZDRrQd5_5KaUdTWppdydQrF2KrVHr5xZ0JSH5cLBI1uUKtQaR-kF5bgHqN8iNZvJS8ifkJ4jLc/s4096/JNUR2888.JPG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD2LxewdxXf5nJchxKhfZW98QORgtYj-1YFxwpJyjFHiXmqE-KHlau4S5L8BBCItHjy--XhWTfOo3zbu-rx4ctKl494ZuKn9gt1DhekISEMFhV4sf_vZDRrQd5_5KaUdTWppdydQrF2KrVHr5xZ0JSH5cLBI1uUKtQaR-kF5bgHqN8iNZvJS8ifkJ4jLc/w640-h640/JNUR2888.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div>After learning about the history of Japanese whisky, we proceeded to the whisky tasting area.</div><div><br /></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF6Qr7GxTA1ZuKkVBUsTEE-e7xDHlRob1VkBwAinO7pGrVSyK3_31HjfX2lyQ3bEeOPBeHJv9Pmu0DZwqhs2PX-KPfUby2_OY91knXiSBg3X9ET2MojFKK_wDgbUnsxs1WtH_fwDfaE2XOlHtVMSQOuPsJ0bkTb4fFJbEIBkNIL_XQKrBYo4PQ4O7O6ag/s4096/GWET1672.JPG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="1135" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF6Qr7GxTA1ZuKkVBUsTEE-e7xDHlRob1VkBwAinO7pGrVSyK3_31HjfX2lyQ3bEeOPBeHJv9Pmu0DZwqhs2PX-KPfUby2_OY91knXiSBg3X9ET2MojFKK_wDgbUnsxs1WtH_fwDfaE2XOlHtVMSQOuPsJ0bkTb4fFJbEIBkNIL_XQKrBYo4PQ4O7O6ag/w638-h1135/GWET1672.JPG" width="638" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div>The whisky tasting menu. We opted for the ¥1,100 Yamazaki Brand lineup set (Yamazaki Distiller's Reserve, Yamazaki 12 Years Old, Yamazaki 18 Years Old) and the ¥2,400 Long matured whisky set (Yamazaki 18 Years Old, Hakushu 18 Years Old, Hibiki 21 Years Old). For the more serious whisky fans, the Hibiki 30 Years Old, Yamazaki 25 Years Old, and Hakushu 25 Years Old were also available for tasting at ¥3,700 each.</div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxvkLH7FP8y8DgiU-mUYVDCgAUyf-rbnk1zmBtaVajrv09xLhyMPkN3KsxGrzeg-FAd8g84S7r-_rDDxFbOKXGjTK3cy8iaKvjdV-p7EsAnuhpOGJmV4cmC5dBM6X0SQ_CD0gW_OHnxQUFjgFGHQkwOcyqHTqeoC1EnWjA3fHRbbp6vw0Rgo6jHSn-JSI/s4096/DAZB5190.JPG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="959" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxvkLH7FP8y8DgiU-mUYVDCgAUyf-rbnk1zmBtaVajrv09xLhyMPkN3KsxGrzeg-FAd8g84S7r-_rDDxFbOKXGjTK3cy8iaKvjdV-p7EsAnuhpOGJmV4cmC5dBM6X0SQ_CD0gW_OHnxQUFjgFGHQkwOcyqHTqeoC1EnWjA3fHRbbp6vw0Rgo6jHSn-JSI/w638-h959/DAZB5190.JPG" width="638" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div>The staff nicely lined up the whisky bottles for us to take photos. =)</div></span></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzuufTCsE4wdDSc_rYtGPzYtjPwacYGaZhVGTflKksFwWo8Sopdbn8OkFMjzEoHxpAg0hWaakryiJHANzzyYBA_wQKyh5XLthpYUl63zgKPV9SPQm2ZeDHVzp0R5gjUYW4i89jKI6u_dG4kgya6NHZ5dvRtUGCuXuyRU5MvmMyPSNFP0_3G4Hjb0L9oc4/s4096/CFJC4192.JPG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="856" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzuufTCsE4wdDSc_rYtGPzYtjPwacYGaZhVGTflKksFwWo8Sopdbn8OkFMjzEoHxpAg0hWaakryiJHANzzyYBA_wQKyh5XLthpYUl63zgKPV9SPQm2ZeDHVzp0R5gjUYW4i89jKI6u_dG4kgya6NHZ5dvRtUGCuXuyRU5MvmMyPSNFP0_3G4Hjb0L9oc4/w642-h856/CFJC4192.JPG" width="642" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div>Conclusion from our whisky tasting....Hibiki 21 was the best among the ones we tried.</div></span></div></span></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3tEDykkqckZpJqKjzobYqLK6ciMEy3q9oXDUu3sDOBr5c2tcIEVO0NMVuHw7UlOfh097jyx9Fdcqvopyk6mNCFaftBUX7WKILQmvNNpirTS90B39cjFWw35i5dpcU2RiBc6glb5nEu6k7oace3hnzYMBg0e799yPTYHyEvk_E5FW0oxNfNmk4uqIbcpw/s4096/KGXF4665.JPG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3tEDykkqckZpJqKjzobYqLK6ciMEy3q9oXDUu3sDOBr5c2tcIEVO0NMVuHw7UlOfh097jyx9Fdcqvopyk6mNCFaftBUX7WKILQmvNNpirTS90B39cjFWw35i5dpcU2RiBc6glb5nEu6k7oace3hnzYMBg0e799yPTYHyEvk_E5FW0oxNfNmk4uqIbcpw/w640-h640/KGXF4665.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div>We wrapped up our tour with a visit to the gift shop to buy souvenirs. Each person can buy one of the Yamazaki Distillery limited gift set for ¥3,468 ($26), which includes a 300ml Suntory Single Malt Whiskey Yamazaki Distillery Limited, a box of chocolate, and a Yamazaki Distillery-exclusive glass, packed in a nice bamboo paper bag. We bought 2 sets of the gift sets and the 180ml Yamazaki whisky and chocolate set for ¥2,477.</div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvjo2ohhxD6e2gl6pV3JK0oz8M_qr8kD7RPqlO4JT2Mpn2rgKL8Vm8sN2XbDYmFFpdZa73CJ61OK2qKgL28G-LaKJ4MmBRS6XPuDNceeoWkueqsFegHX_ufsuBY_RsJPARmGDVNKRDYOaUdvFmeaPqEMnQPo_B_mepv2UHiMOX3ciILaPCl6mhuwBKdJE/s4096/PRVY7101.JPG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="852" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvjo2ohhxD6e2gl6pV3JK0oz8M_qr8kD7RPqlO4JT2Mpn2rgKL8Vm8sN2XbDYmFFpdZa73CJ61OK2qKgL28G-LaKJ4MmBRS6XPuDNceeoWkueqsFegHX_ufsuBY_RsJPARmGDVNKRDYOaUdvFmeaPqEMnQPo_B_mepv2UHiMOX3ciILaPCl6mhuwBKdJE/w639-h852/PRVY7101.JPG" width="639" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">After spending about 2 hours at Yamazaki, we headed back to Osaka Umeda station to have early dinner at Ichiran next to Umeda station. There were no lines at 4pm.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj6YACWG3eE8E1WDBOEf0SxSlgTGPAC79d5NkfX6Oxmx-3K5kqETcZndCklsFLMeRcMjsBuo4UGOy2NySCGhQ1vwC7ZG9L00-3-ZtqoCGNYgDSe8Wv6lxDke3BAF8TGrdqIS18nHjH0nOyVS3WPAw8WdBulfasi7j0cV9fgYVqXzYvg7u3kh8Q-PlulaU/s4096/NUCK5836.JPG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj6YACWG3eE8E1WDBOEf0SxSlgTGPAC79d5NkfX6Oxmx-3K5kqETcZndCklsFLMeRcMjsBuo4UGOy2NySCGhQ1vwC7ZG9L00-3-ZtqoCGNYgDSe8Wv6lxDke3BAF8TGrdqIS18nHjH0nOyVS3WPAw8WdBulfasi7j0cV9fgYVqXzYvg7u3kh8Q-PlulaU/w640-h640/NUCK5836.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Ichiran is one of hubby's favorite asian food so we were happy to be here again.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho80aArfGdZDV38Z2_x29t7JAkE-bva86eU25G4SF7F0amu-bu_KgKpXOsp2_zWx9f487aaKBokjKz1zSoRFZunHw4fMjsK_buOVqMiYT5Ztqav3qqk5kuJnMiIyNrDaLgO4okbI4uMOHZE9dhZ8uPR9_fnYpFuHwrI0AlrT6VynEA4w2EuMO_zCx1CuY/s4096/WLBZ0746.JPG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho80aArfGdZDV38Z2_x29t7JAkE-bva86eU25G4SF7F0amu-bu_KgKpXOsp2_zWx9f487aaKBokjKz1zSoRFZunHw4fMjsK_buOVqMiYT5Ztqav3qqk5kuJnMiIyNrDaLgO4okbI4uMOHZE9dhZ8uPR9_fnYpFuHwrI0AlrT6VynEA4w2EuMO_zCx1CuY/w640-h480/WLBZ0746.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Such a simple and satisfying meal as always, perfect after whisky tasting...lol! </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjezDmIYLK77S_VrVU6Ue2d2RBcKqVo8PoppyS8x0N69xRNb8RMJOsLv17wsO-Qc9LI_aYYvkzJtmVRLe-JhtHUTG87wGEDiYVbA1uTR1J-w141yh0Q5_j0nHJmApE1XrVEPH_VyY9r9rwGv41LwkrPS0yS4nyX5Xisf2v59ZXsATvAZIi85zrOwGF0ezo/s4096/RHWI0557.JPG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjezDmIYLK77S_VrVU6Ue2d2RBcKqVo8PoppyS8x0N69xRNb8RMJOsLv17wsO-Qc9LI_aYYvkzJtmVRLe-JhtHUTG87wGEDiYVbA1uTR1J-w141yh0Q5_j0nHJmApE1XrVEPH_VyY9r9rwGv41LwkrPS0yS4nyX5Xisf2v59ZXsATvAZIi85zrOwGF0ezo/w640-h426/RHWI0557.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Walked 10 minutes from Umeda station to the Umeda Sky Building.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzRATnVBmm8Xrf69emsB3Rl0_kKCe2V3k8T9qT-0o61SJRtAwXMDQUSha2yxsSMAu6GZPAZB_qqd_9RI1gy1ekOCnUoyhNSQYL8d03tpBGlY7zQaMHnlwUVJBTtsKsHYlcBYNZqEF7yRxCzRFfwJ7b0bWPehIdZ5vxFjQVrI36CeuicFwzNDvSCTSEBDU/s4096/BFCU2325.JPG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzRATnVBmm8Xrf69emsB3Rl0_kKCe2V3k8T9qT-0o61SJRtAwXMDQUSha2yxsSMAu6GZPAZB_qqd_9RI1gy1ekOCnUoyhNSQYL8d03tpBGlY7zQaMHnlwUVJBTtsKsHYlcBYNZqEF7yRxCzRFfwJ7b0bWPehIdZ5vxFjQVrI36CeuicFwzNDvSCTSEBDU/w640-h480/BFCU2325.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">The main reason we came here was for this cool glass tube-like mid-air escalator. </span><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">We took the elevator up to 38th floor to get to the escalator. There are ticket machines selling tickes to the Floating Garden Observatory one level above, but we didn't go.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT8eLtVFfzVeL4BLivZhPLI4P5STiKZptHrKgWGk7AG4mv95fTyqpAQCDeO5ORojVNV3wHXSA_zcNE1E3ZggcCnzqT6-lInaHR9XJNFHevQreeGqs9ipllhXtnpU4kQVcrqB4vbDeQ0NG_PqwoX_dadT4bU__bxRXRF5lGr8IqbO4mRKMN7vFE7xWgl4s/s4096/XVTH7911.JPG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="970" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT8eLtVFfzVeL4BLivZhPLI4P5STiKZptHrKgWGk7AG4mv95fTyqpAQCDeO5ORojVNV3wHXSA_zcNE1E3ZggcCnzqT6-lInaHR9XJNFHevQreeGqs9ipllhXtnpU4kQVcrqB4vbDeQ0NG_PqwoX_dadT4bU__bxRXRF5lGr8IqbO4mRKMN7vFE7xWgl4s/w646-h970/XVTH7911.JPG" width="646" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Headed back to Umeda station at 6pm to take the subway to Shinsaibashi station. It was rush hour so the train was packed.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiohUo_MXPeFp-5Mz9TDtKBwLquK8VJXtEN8Z70rQD1tdajM-dz2M0qVcu7ipQ6jATxBdTik81eKhg-6ViKa_dYVJFSx5oK6xfly73EWYEWgJwbhWIpEwa9Nigme3-Y-ZRx-3gPyddyT74kJpS4vSYbQue54Sqr4fIpgLzAEy2vpXgFK1AL2jHClnf8cbo/s4096/UMYR4283.JPG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="960" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiohUo_MXPeFp-5Mz9TDtKBwLquK8VJXtEN8Z70rQD1tdajM-dz2M0qVcu7ipQ6jATxBdTik81eKhg-6ViKa_dYVJFSx5oK6xfly73EWYEWgJwbhWIpEwa9Nigme3-Y-ZRx-3gPyddyT74kJpS4vSYbQue54Sqr4fIpgLzAEy2vpXgFK1AL2jHClnf8cbo/w638-h960/UMYR4283.JPG" width="638" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">We went to the Capcom store but hubby was disappointed with what they had there. We then walked through the covered walkway to Bon Repas whisky store and was disappointed again coz they didn't have any Hibiki available. We also bought Uncle Rikuro's cheesecake and took it back to the hotel. Honestly, I felt this was a bit overrated.</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">That's a wrap for day 1 in Japan. Next post, we will be heading to Nara to see lots of deers and watch our first ever Japanese baseball game.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://khaishing.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default</div>khaishing.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05154189313956844355noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3659547063209051949.post-81637002980478301312023-09-24T20:10:00.009-05:002023-11-03T02:54:57.642-05:00Japan 2023 ✈ Journey to Japan<div style="text-align: justify;"><i><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><span>We had originally planned to visit Japan in June 2020. Over</span> the last 3 years, we had cancelled and rebooked this trip multiple times as Japan was one of the last few countries to reopen its borders to tourism post-Covid. After waiting for 3 years, we were glad to finally make this trip happen this year! This trip has been 3 years in the making and I must say Japan certainly lived up to our anticipation!</span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-jRH_7Z8nsE?si=26TejncU-ULfx_3p" title="YouTube video player" width="640"></iframe></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><div style="font-family: "Open Sans";"><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><i><b>7D6N in Japan - Osaka, Kyoto, Kobe, Nara</b></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><a href="https://www.khaishing.com/2023/09/japan-2023-journey-to-japan.html" target="_blank"><i>15-16 April 2023: Journey to Japan</i></a></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><a href="https://www.khaishing.com/2023/09/japan-2023-osaka-cup-noodles-museum.html" target="_blank"><i>17 April 2023: Cup Noodles Museum, Yamazaki Distillery, Umeda Sky Building</i></a></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><i><a href="https://www.khaishing.com/2023/09/japan-2023-oh-deer-nara.html" target="_blank">18 April 2023: Nara</a></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><i><a href="https://www.khaishing.com/2023/09/japan-2023-hanshin-tigers-baseball-game.html" target="_blank">18 April 2023: Hanshin Tigers Baseball Game</a></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><i><a href="https://www.khaishing.com/2023/10/japan-2023-kobe-beef-in-kobe.html" target="_blank">19 April 2023: Kobe Beef in Kobe</a></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><i><a href="https://www.khaishing.com/2023/10/japan-2023-kyoto.html" target="_blank">19-20 April 2023: Kyoto</a></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><i><a href="https://www.khaishing.com/2023/11/japan-2023-osaka.html" target="_blank">21 April 2023: Osaka</a></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><i><a href="https://www.khaishing.com/2023/11/japan-2023-sayonara-japan.html" target="_blank">22 April 2023: Journey Home</a></i></span></div></div></div><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><i><br /></i></span></div></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><b>Trip Planning</b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">This Japan trip was certainly one that took the longest to plan coz we had started planning and booking this trip since October 2019. The best part of our 'original' planned trip was flying on the amazing JAL First Class. We had only flown in economy prior to this and since I had a good amount of Alaska miles, we decided to 'splurge' on a fancy First Class flight on this trip.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKSnAbjd8DdC5bpMQ-gi52lA_W5RQcxQUCPyTqPAPYJeUtM9qzVzx1x05Ty8SxpgKuFZwkd9qyN8Np_MxjnWuItC_uHXW9nRVBGxXRO2xR0bg4DTrg_UBA2cNKCJgaJIt-BsMfFvi5g34nqr4YrWc-MiazqnFBBXbq4zNVe4AEcAQp2GXaCvKGF8VXLMg/s4096/XZMO1896.JPEG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="998" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKSnAbjd8DdC5bpMQ-gi52lA_W5RQcxQUCPyTqPAPYJeUtM9qzVzx1x05Ty8SxpgKuFZwkd9qyN8Np_MxjnWuItC_uHXW9nRVBGxXRO2xR0bg4DTrg_UBA2cNKCJgaJIt-BsMfFvi5g34nqr4YrWc-MiazqnFBBXbq4zNVe4AEcAQp2GXaCvKGF8VXLMg/w562-h998/XZMO1896.JPEG" width="562" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">We had our First Class flights ticketed for 3 times (June 2020, Dec 2020, May 2022), but had to cancel all of them (thanks Covid). Unfortunately, I wasn't able to find any First Class availability this time around and even worse, Alaska Airlines devalued the award redemptions for JAL in March 2023, so our hopes of traveling JAL First Class were gone. :( </span></div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="348" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzLjHES6YfSZdi9RZGf-HMwRBleLi8pEE4qMv5udtb0qYsoBHyLe7iWUdJeHFBs5cyx16n_2xgKDtti5pgzl6A2YJOY1bEGSnGxztcz4aQT9P2HXDdYlk45j1wlvf-Lld5OoCuMtHxAxJ6lJ9CyC5KPtSYFwxHAxU6OkecMUUOY1NK4gUAbLA-FIw5h1E/w640-h348/Japan%20Awards.jpg" width="640" /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">We had our rough itinerary planned out previously, so we only had to finalize the flights and accommodation. I used points and miles for our flights and accommodation on this trip. We had to book 2 different return tickets as I was continuing my journey to Malaysia while hubby was returning to the US after the trip. Even though we didn't get to fly First Class, we booked a Business Class flight for hubby on his return trip.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">As for our accommodation, we kept it simple and decided to stay in 1 hotel throughout the trip. I was able to book 6 nights at the Holiday Inn Express Osaka Midosuji for only 63,000 IHG points in total using the IHG 4th night free benefit, which was pretty good. </span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div><b><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">15-16 Apr 2023 (Sat-Sun): Huntsville - Dallas - Los Angeles - Osaka Kansai</span></b></div></div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMDx4AvQ5BfOiVQVioCmrnh1VQavVZL8hJ3r7dMs7RpuarLEunhANupDbBKmC5dJNGELsZ9IlGI6QflMyl8MlZuhF-U0Rs1jMmGUUyfD0woVEF26o2iL2MQzSLbbUeNEKFto-RiU7ovX8msIF4s7ebCyu7v68HeMSP2D2RNeH7V2HU1r-Bbglsk84snVg/s4096/JTAO6246.JPG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="846" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMDx4AvQ5BfOiVQVioCmrnh1VQavVZL8hJ3r7dMs7RpuarLEunhANupDbBKmC5dJNGELsZ9IlGI6QflMyl8MlZuhF-U0Rs1jMmGUUyfD0woVEF26o2iL2MQzSLbbUeNEKFto-RiU7ovX8msIF4s7ebCyu7v68HeMSP2D2RNeH7V2HU1r-Bbglsk84snVg/w635-h846/JTAO6246.JPG" width="635" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Started our day early and took Uber to the airport at 4am. Once again, this was not a 'pack light' trip as I was contunuing my journey to Malaysia for a month after Japan. Maximized the 50lb weight allowance for the bag I was bringing to Malaysia with gifts. Both luggages also had a carry-on size luggage hidden inside for extra space if needed. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Hubby's flight reservation was all the way through to Osaka but my flight reservation was split in two with a break in LA. My initial thought was to check in both bags under hubby's name so that I don't have to waste time retrieving mine in LA in case of flight delay. However, I mistaken that all flights to Asia allow 2 check-in baggages. Hubby could only check-in one bag so I had no choice but to retrieve my bag in LA and recheck it.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmSZr6ceNxAuynIzfzq-BqVd4KjTCoVGH94pQshZcNXz3beNOxS-El_56akRB1SZ3W4w6Gz0LPxTlJ7HqmsJ-3dg01qqjFHZU5IlYl_lNCdEy85hmvi2SozALDGHV_6OdxrdvyHKQfxURwdQGOt8lnh3qmm0qd6MueW4Pli32Eof56DqxZvR_U9V4-_5Q/s1920/IMG_1290.JPG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmSZr6ceNxAuynIzfzq-BqVd4KjTCoVGH94pQshZcNXz3beNOxS-El_56akRB1SZ3W4w6Gz0LPxTlJ7HqmsJ-3dg01qqjFHZU5IlYl_lNCdEy85hmvi2SozALDGHV_6OdxrdvyHKQfxURwdQGOt8lnh3qmm0qd6MueW4Pli32Eof56DqxZvR_U9V4-_5Q/w640-h640/IMG_1290.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBBi2WtNtAeqKhhKe1si-B2q2QXs1naunztQESYjwpAhTlptl3-xg8e5gJFU4a1wQvTgJEPUfh67ccGC7vr_m7jO0TxACumnkJaCtXXwcqAps1NvQZFN9qsFqIgsUZi-h5kfUZOeGR7PfcETPZAi5ywMfy8Q8X1TKU-NV5KA_hMAIBIMo07-iwQ05xYR8/w640-h480/HYIF9781.JPG" width="640" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Open Sans";">First 2 legs of our flights from Huntsville-Dallas-LA were on time and uneventful, which was great. My biggest worry about connecting on 2 separate tickets was flight delay on the first 2 flights. Our transit time in LA was 4 hours so we built in some buffer as well. Thankfully, everything went smoothly, definitely a good start for our trip.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR3TctEwosH_6_nDVRo-0jAQ_3vPTuFjSVpgHaUd9k-hSHB9dROAkv2c_licHd0ZXMvrv3xfDRFP0sDMGsim2wrlo6bcyZPYT4A0aTvpqDlXri2teOk0ICVGKO3XEgSE4iY4qFwbn4U6hGYS5Sx7Gys82evxFQmayyRhgoJwJ0hIZAllWLjCi2GHiBcdY/s4096/CYCV4959.JPG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR3TctEwosH_6_nDVRo-0jAQ_3vPTuFjSVpgHaUd9k-hSHB9dROAkv2c_licHd0ZXMvrv3xfDRFP0sDMGsim2wrlo6bcyZPYT4A0aTvpqDlXri2teOk0ICVGKO3XEgSE4iY4qFwbn4U6hGYS5Sx7Gys82evxFQmayyRhgoJwJ0hIZAllWLjCi2GHiBcdY/w640-h640/CYCV4959.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Arrived LAX on time at 10.30am. Hubby walked from Terminal 4 to the international terminal via airside connectors, while I quickly headed to baggage claim to retrieve my luggage. I got my luggage at 10.45am (thanks to priority baggage handling with my AA Platinum Pro), then walked 10 minutes to the Tom Bradley International Terminal.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeZ7P2uPHd6C_63ltGWzAZ98iGrmEzz6h72jQ570vXUEDZ_evXLaM484kvDKo5FQUHO9tN-hkb6w0paJChPDTxjcfmd4qDcGyWiK1Dz-WjJPYQirqeTfHeQB0nv7BWSODVYDK4N7gJDnqF59Wrr_ilQski1JFkQiam11Ef8H8kbsfpCMRGvfzHq5eyqxY/s1920/IMG_1288.JPG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeZ7P2uPHd6C_63ltGWzAZ98iGrmEzz6h72jQ570vXUEDZ_evXLaM484kvDKo5FQUHO9tN-hkb6w0paJChPDTxjcfmd4qDcGyWiK1Dz-WjJPYQirqeTfHeQB0nv7BWSODVYDK4N7gJDnqF59Wrr_ilQski1JFkQiam11Ef8H8kbsfpCMRGvfzHq5eyqxY/w640-h640/IMG_1288.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"> Everything went smoothly and I made it </span>to the JAL check in counter at 10.55am, with 3.5 hours to spare before our flight at 2.25am. The JAL counter was quite empty and even though I was traveling in economy, I was able to use the JAL First Class check-in counter with my oneworld emerald status. I completed my check-in within 3 minutes...Japanese efficiency at its best! I received my boarding pass with a F Class Lounge sticker (for First Class lounge access) and my check-in luggage was also tagged with First Class (for priority baggage hadling). Gotta love these oneworld emerald benefits! I was surprised that there was no line at all at the TSA pre-check lane, especially for LAX international airport!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6UmHFmFtU7KMQf5ZANgtKxuYWbE5Hf3cart_hMw7N-xoYyoNGRtQi_dHiKGg8B3UmPGnSAkJi3F-t9RGmk3-Mc8rHLnOBEZlIGZC-VHwU4APDGMbLEdVtf6-Hq23wtDsgsCFOnLiJm-O8sz2cIsKa8WORuRhv8mDSMcaW-ku3p8Fp7PrUvZXwJG-u3C4/s4096/YEYO4973.JPG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6UmHFmFtU7KMQf5ZANgtKxuYWbE5Hf3cart_hMw7N-xoYyoNGRtQi_dHiKGg8B3UmPGnSAkJi3F-t9RGmk3-Mc8rHLnOBEZlIGZC-VHwU4APDGMbLEdVtf6-Hq23wtDsgsCFOnLiJm-O8sz2cIsKa8WORuRhv8mDSMcaW-ku3p8Fp7PrUvZXwJG-u3C4/w640-h640/YEYO4973.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">After clearing security at 11.15am, I met up with hubby at the Qantas First Lounge on the 5th floor. This lounge can be accessed by oneworld emerald members traveling in any cabin or passengers traveling in oneworld international first class. The JAL staff at check-in informed me that I could access this lounge with my oneworld and provided a map of where the lounge is located. I was also allowed to bring one guest. =) </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjufQpaQjKwcH6sQdSjPSBg0PK_O1-Rq31srZBeYs32dBd0_76tWrfKJrI5r3ViGPplbU9OWmOmWBnumV6XeDst_mWGw9enWx2P5JIRGZSTNSvK2yVGaRkSmA65StoIZZ0HYwL1xyakmQu6l9PWmuYl2PWBQ96aoi7CNaR33qGQQ4eQP--A52zDfXLsZoM/s4096/UUEW1255.JPG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjufQpaQjKwcH6sQdSjPSBg0PK_O1-Rq31srZBeYs32dBd0_76tWrfKJrI5r3ViGPplbU9OWmOmWBnumV6XeDst_mWGw9enWx2P5JIRGZSTNSvK2yVGaRkSmA65StoIZZ0HYwL1xyakmQu6l9PWmuYl2PWBQ96aoi7CNaR33qGQQ4eQP--A52zDfXLsZoM/w640-h640/UUEW1255.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">The lounge was pretty empty when we were there. It is quite spacious (for US lounge standards), with plenty of seats, including some seats overlooking the airport concourse. There was shower facilities at this lounge but we didn't use it.</span></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1vdtjnkXzHEoXGeIdy6FQIiOXkQXO8PFMRPLxT5DcxsUFCG0zabCVq1xBfEmeayDhw8f-LdUuWDhyVvBZQTqugGwJiXtDfXW_GsNyoBpQcXPjnEfq3WaKzSZUULW5E3hyFVTLEZbj_aeFZRXh8cbk9nrpIcaGT6Ih8_cKo2Ph3Ohig3a94GsqGxOOmHU/s4096/JLAC1121.JPG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1vdtjnkXzHEoXGeIdy6FQIiOXkQXO8PFMRPLxT5DcxsUFCG0zabCVq1xBfEmeayDhw8f-LdUuWDhyVvBZQTqugGwJiXtDfXW_GsNyoBpQcXPjnEfq3WaKzSZUULW5E3hyFVTLEZbj_aeFZRXh8cbk9nrpIcaGT6Ih8_cKo2Ph3Ohig3a94GsqGxOOmHU/w640-h640/JLAC1121.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Several drink stations around the lounge with self-serve wines and coffee/tea.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-MvgHb1QBMWpJa1zzWzpxInmLkpW-_8ZCy6hhwdFepoSLh5PN_c0RrHfuLmDt4lHB2C2g4xeY-sb1v06bPb_-LvgZ7qsSv6H1YwPWs-JbFTS4oz7k6NQLj-UO3yqMANYGKb9--OzcCXml5uR5SYLtFBWaBY41K6zt6I3QyAaRlJxcEj4oteLTR1jSPwE/w640-h480/Qantas%20First%20Lounge%20menu.jpg" width="640" /></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Unlike most lounges where the food are served buffet style, the Qantas First Lounge has an a la carte restaurant with table service. They were still serving the breakfast menu when we arrived at 11.15am, so we were able to order from both the breakfast and lunch menu while we were there. The lunch menu started at 12pm.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbB0RGSois97mFe2mFsxQtNTIvI4EQRxFuJOLz4yfMMt5Qu7Bv1UF41WpT-3HNMEhq2VY16cgJl0izkJzNFPd43fhLvriF1rrWhDzrZnnXzNoAfljiQZ-HgHDNHTgf3QEIZcaYgjSIJlymlOA9WZEtJFhKT2gf2GJBx3mnO6iqgbT7ZHSl31eIu-UA_SQ/s4096/MCGY9370.JPG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbB0RGSois97mFe2mFsxQtNTIvI4EQRxFuJOLz4yfMMt5Qu7Bv1UF41WpT-3HNMEhq2VY16cgJl0izkJzNFPd43fhLvriF1rrWhDzrZnnXzNoAfljiQZ-HgHDNHTgf3QEIZcaYgjSIJlymlOA9WZEtJFhKT2gf2GJBx3mnO6iqgbT7ZHSl31eIu-UA_SQ/w640-h640/MCGY9370.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">For breakfast, I ordered the Avocado toast, cappucino and champagne, while hubby ordered granola, bread and Boston lager. For lunch, I ordered the </span><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">seared Baja bass with herb salad and </span></span><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">the signature salt and pepper squid, while hubby ordered the classic beef cheesburger and salad. The food and drinks were great and we spent all our time in the lounge slowly enjoying the food! Felt like we went to a restaurant instead of a lounge...lol!</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq5GujVglZPrh6FUG033iJzEbf-z4nh2eiIaLadsUL4EfeLf2wVfp4PeG6MSTVL2PKqOAAYOxY3YuonbduLvjZhwbWINBG5LgEddtxxQOAfGYvCDCv76qKWP3qKCxdLF_zessd96OSdoYhvNYOhGPM99ZpRYERYWPXgH6HdfqHbdi42ao-xWq6bqGWRVQ/s4096/GPBL0359.JPG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq5GujVglZPrh6FUG033iJzEbf-z4nh2eiIaLadsUL4EfeLf2wVfp4PeG6MSTVL2PKqOAAYOxY3YuonbduLvjZhwbWINBG5LgEddtxxQOAfGYvCDCv76qKWP3qKCxdLF_zessd96OSdoYhvNYOhGPM99ZpRYERYWPXgH6HdfqHbdi42ao-xWq6bqGWRVQ/w640-h640/GPBL0359.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">After spending 2.5 hours 'feasting' in the lounge, we headed over to the gate at 1.55pm. Boarding started on time at 2pm. Even though I had group 1 priority boarding, we intentionally waited to board last. Once again, I was impressed by Japanese efficiency as boarding was completed within 10 minutes!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpzG4h6vtsZGUShjSiAX9twRF4hkcfB5sPt-fUngdeSF-2awKEQxFw5j9CUmsnPNpsf0cTTyV-W2hrmipuN5Bz9W1r6RwYOnfP6HlVBpmTxngECel4u3lsXcmAXZ8vGnq-bwE0OMX8fVmv7ePwrY3qcNW6ciOueAFu_9NndoKEIjCViu5k6I4WILtD9pg/s4096/QRNY7650.JPG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpzG4h6vtsZGUShjSiAX9twRF4hkcfB5sPt-fUngdeSF-2awKEQxFw5j9CUmsnPNpsf0cTTyV-W2hrmipuN5Bz9W1r6RwYOnfP6HlVBpmTxngECel4u3lsXcmAXZ8vGnq-bwE0OMX8fVmv7ePwrY3qcNW6ciOueAFu_9NndoKEIjCViu5k6I4WILtD9pg/w640-h640/QRNY7650.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Open Sans";">The flight was about 50-60% full so there was plenty of space for this 12.5 hours flight from LA - Osaka KIX. </span><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">My seat selection strategy was 'partially successful' as I was hoping to get a row of 4+2 to ourselves. However, a Japanese guy was sitting on the other aisle seat in my row so I asked if he'd switch seat with hubby so that we could have a whole middle row of 4 to ourselves, while he'd have the row of 2 to himself...that's a win win. =) </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNI20IyMEckRDkigk-0K4Q6WrhJ1C_e4DMTjvD9qHOTBg1hhfh9V4iQphaCk5g0hStiLm873JPGpZjir_O0v9_F72-I_SCLW8dYQUZz8z5UFybY9T_01_Du63gQdseeTMrCvjJi9ORJqaH1x8YWxJ8lf2_45a3MvWBYmi3XKi2jwKRIaLdK2i9_vUd8Y0/s4096/HGZL0254.JPG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNI20IyMEckRDkigk-0K4Q6WrhJ1C_e4DMTjvD9qHOTBg1hhfh9V4iQphaCk5g0hStiLm873JPGpZjir_O0v9_F72-I_SCLW8dYQUZz8z5UFybY9T_01_Du63gQdseeTMrCvjJi9ORJqaH1x8YWxJ8lf2_45a3MvWBYmi3XKi2jwKRIaLdK2i9_vUd8Y0/w640-h480/HGZL0254.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">The benefit of getting a whole row of 4 to ourselves...I get to make myself comfortable and made own economy 'lie-flat' seat. =P Even though we were bummed that we didn't get to experience JAL First Class on this trip, I was happy with my economy 'lie-flat' seat and saved my miles for another free trip instead.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1nuQDriOGpfk-jT4xKdpUQdYofzn7CH2BscCQ_QbyQ08yTO2lznQq0J7p99cWupGpsY4vHydtWNJ85SQjeVz8iLTZs87qE4o8FemCP5B6Bn-39d3Dj8ser3xrmEt6rzR97Xiww483Y0iXxmI98gCOJeOrO_SgBxxEbxKlBL6fHuF7rnH4771Ps7YOgUE/s4096/IVUL5998.JPG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1nuQDriOGpfk-jT4xKdpUQdYofzn7CH2BscCQ_QbyQ08yTO2lznQq0J7p99cWupGpsY4vHydtWNJ85SQjeVz8iLTZs87qE4o8FemCP5B6Bn-39d3Dj8ser3xrmEt6rzR97Xiww483Y0iXxmI98gCOJeOrO_SgBxxEbxKlBL6fHuF7rnH4771Ps7YOgUE/w640-h480/IVUL5998.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Another benefit of traveling economy, I could dress more casually/comfortably without having to 'dress nicer' for premium cabins. Btw, JAL's airplane lavatory has a bidet.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9SGuVxwZ6qk53zQfp-erUpGDxglzoMB7do5u6lnLjw94_L3tweR3h3e-CXy-tQge5YIZSn1dMRPbXwMghf6K7bvDsNecEGcYjElZ7AuXHGyJYnqLIOsNd-CfQeZf0Qs-AOgtRlaSBMCv9LZq3vZsOPjQVykTa2UZfWgDeTkK7a8rqXMk66Uqn9KQKzkI/s4096/GHBF4869.JPG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9SGuVxwZ6qk53zQfp-erUpGDxglzoMB7do5u6lnLjw94_L3tweR3h3e-CXy-tQge5YIZSn1dMRPbXwMghf6K7bvDsNecEGcYjElZ7AuXHGyJYnqLIOsNd-CfQeZf0Qs-AOgtRlaSBMCv9LZq3vZsOPjQVykTa2UZfWgDeTkK7a8rqXMk66Uqn9KQKzkI/w640-h640/GHBF4869.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">2 meals were served on our flight. I chose the hashed beef with steam rice for my first meal, and bacon & asparagus fried rice for my pre-arrival meal.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6K55znjGqnExwmNVL1kMK8XdHZklqzC11IGR44RMfEX4SoBFW8qKWQJH0dnG7fqKl_H4T97brdL_doIDJ_7j396uKZhUkhyNFgvaaZhxZn6KuEeoWFvwS2S7PEEp1gNwDGuaBSf2ny-eoxjgpvAQEdkI74JTWj7e-oIHwE4ba0_Uk6Usl7RHiCEGagJc/s4096/RZUL1130.JPG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6K55znjGqnExwmNVL1kMK8XdHZklqzC11IGR44RMfEX4SoBFW8qKWQJH0dnG7fqKl_H4T97brdL_doIDJ_7j396uKZhUkhyNFgvaaZhxZn6KuEeoWFvwS2S7PEEp1gNwDGuaBSf2ny-eoxjgpvAQEdkI74JTWj7e-oIHwE4ba0_Uk6Usl7RHiCEGagJc/w640-h640/RZUL1130.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div><span style="font-family: "Open Sans";">Thanks to my 'lie flat' seat, </span><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">I was able to sleep for about 6 hours. Whitney Houston movie marathon on the flight with "I Wanna Dance with Somebody" and "The Bodyguard".</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbRS6k5yqTeCtW2UNIv7My-_uDJCIXKkU-bA-_QdH_usL5WBJoQE4d_xFN1X6SAeUsCsYKXoNtEG9cEyoi3avpd2VUiukLReg0FZV7B8vHZw8ODjrp4lVbwtFlITcnBPoJRxnX5DnBc3iz_7kd0Vn5PuM97D-ifha3z_buTCVPccko113aA0t9hiu70pY/s4096/OIIN3740.JPG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbRS6k5yqTeCtW2UNIv7My-_uDJCIXKkU-bA-_QdH_usL5WBJoQE4d_xFN1X6SAeUsCsYKXoNtEG9cEyoi3avpd2VUiukLReg0FZV7B8vHZw8ODjrp4lVbwtFlITcnBPoJRxnX5DnBc3iz_7kd0Vn5PuM97D-ifha3z_buTCVPccko113aA0t9hiu70pY/w640-h640/OIIN3740.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Arrived Osaka Kansai ariport at 7.15am, 20 minutes behind schedule. At the time of our trip (April 2023), we were still required to fill out our arrival and vaccination information. We had all our information filled out before arrival and had our QR codes ready, which enabled us to get through immigration within 10 minutes after deplaning, and got our luggages by 7.45pm. Sooo efficient and fast!!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHo8UJFcwFlVRRIjyo2D10VM_zsBcmABAP7EI4vScsctSapKIiTe6odm3AbZ-XGGAV0OVvfZ30oSf6CduEnDaGhqMTO5irru2mrhHZlLEU7vtVV0kADR6mQk61MAiR5M76fzqP1keliQ7bfAmtkv2qK1Cs5bS5bKsLGx5Y_WtNuA1bJINxPRf4nijCZIA/s4096/QEEE6313.JPG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHo8UJFcwFlVRRIjyo2D10VM_zsBcmABAP7EI4vScsctSapKIiTe6odm3AbZ-XGGAV0OVvfZ30oSf6CduEnDaGhqMTO5irru2mrhHZlLEU7vtVV0kADR6mQk61MAiR5M76fzqP1keliQ7bfAmtkv2qK1Cs5bS5bKsLGx5Y_WtNuA1bJINxPRf4nijCZIA/w640-h640/QEEE6313.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">It was about 8pm when we got to the Nankai train station at the airport. It costs ¥1,120 ($8.50) per person for the train and subway from Kansai airport to our hotel. To make it easy to travel around Japan, I added Suica transit card on Apple Pay and reloaded it with credit card before arriving Japan. As such, our Suica cards were ready for use upon arrival and we didn't have to worry about withdrawing cash at the atm to purchase the tickets. The best part about using Apple Pay is the ability to reload using credit card, whereas you can only use cash to reload if you have the physical card.</span></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4IWwb5WVL3lhrMFpa83wN_wumxmdnehvTIW8gUsV82k94zuH0DtSJYrjCFZiuwpifpJGxQTvI8y-k7af1J6qgQEDBQrPYzZcMIruRa2qdFR7-IevQvF2WdJJ9yaEaPIzy_z7L-8GZIwJQnqM18mnBhD2n7YZNrVcHL4XSv5syj7mLNaYiD8SemtjUMfQ/s4096/IQHC8286.JPG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4IWwb5WVL3lhrMFpa83wN_wumxmdnehvTIW8gUsV82k94zuH0DtSJYrjCFZiuwpifpJGxQTvI8y-k7af1J6qgQEDBQrPYzZcMIruRa2qdFR7-IevQvF2WdJJ9yaEaPIzy_z7L-8GZIwJQnqM18mnBhD2n7YZNrVcHL4XSv5syj7mLNaYiD8SemtjUMfQ/w640-h640/IQHC8286.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">It took about an hour to get to our hotel...47 min from Kansai airport to Namba station via Nankai line, transferred to the subway at Namba station, 4 min from Namba station to Hommachi station via Midosuji Line, and a 6 min walk to our hotel. We couldn't figure out where the elevator at Hommachi station was so we carried our luggages up the stairs. =.=</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqg92l2OKd0F7aYhaaKD1Dy9XZ5uW6lsw07dWihUubTIhRwAM8GgTv307T8ugYgii0sXS-P9ISe8uCmNLUXP3mbvGQolL1USNG1mUbE2S3veO-U8XkY8JsWoSDhO_GwEeXFOFoUiSAWTOruFo0aZlTwq64RZz3skCRK7mGfYnqeP9jxGyrxt7v_sZ2dQQ/s4096/OCFX1268.JPG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="848" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqg92l2OKd0F7aYhaaKD1Dy9XZ5uW6lsw07dWihUubTIhRwAM8GgTv307T8ugYgii0sXS-P9ISe8uCmNLUXP3mbvGQolL1USNG1mUbE2S3veO-U8XkY8JsWoSDhO_GwEeXFOFoUiSAWTOruFo0aZlTwq64RZz3skCRK7mGfYnqeP9jxGyrxt7v_sZ2dQQ/w636-h848/OCFX1268.JPG" width="636" /></span></a></div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Finally made it to our hotel, Holiday Inn Express Osaka City Centre - Midosuji, at 9.15pm. Check-in was pretty quick. We booked 6 nights here for 63,000 IHG points.</span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHCzcn0EwlOuEEZO-R2fE_dH0df0ePTfsw-txwWt0pz4qZFsIRtLGG-P61g5r055IQktDRJm5OEdIjZ6Iee1_ojIEfdq7Hoo3wAXwlep6ThfmVRWAgaRu8QeMmSuXy7WTRe1Xc3MCDPn-wR1kEFTiOubxINyv-DjbwmX-8TLhdzRIQ6gdiIhCoht01Mgs/s4096/AKHK0746.JPG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHCzcn0EwlOuEEZO-R2fE_dH0df0ePTfsw-txwWt0pz4qZFsIRtLGG-P61g5r055IQktDRJm5OEdIjZ6Iee1_ojIEfdq7Hoo3wAXwlep6ThfmVRWAgaRu8QeMmSuXy7WTRe1Xc3MCDPn-wR1kEFTiOubxINyv-DjbwmX-8TLhdzRIQ6gdiIhCoht01Mgs/w640-h480/AKHK0746.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Our room (2114) was at the highest floor.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQUTrn4D6okceNJZ__NvVT5jni-9kOtFllxK2HRrRbwUVu-1DAgg1yM3weQ1k-Pbs82oBPSi_IiqlwXm60elXjDBiEs6DweYgzpPzOISuU-3JLE1h5J22_zQhmg_kzAli_EWwFksi-89IARJPdVCIinErEEelQgWRorcCP9VwbNqw1BeG9kyjIIs10lYY/s4096/NFAP8534.JPG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQUTrn4D6okceNJZ__NvVT5jni-9kOtFllxK2HRrRbwUVu-1DAgg1yM3weQ1k-Pbs82oBPSi_IiqlwXm60elXjDBiEs6DweYgzpPzOISuU-3JLE1h5J22_zQhmg_kzAli_EWwFksi-89IARJPdVCIinErEEelQgWRorcCP9VwbNqw1BeG9kyjIIs10lYY/w640-h480/NFAP8534.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Like many hotels in Japan, the room was not big, but it was equipped with everything we needed. The design of the room was well thought out to optimize the limited space. There was a queen bed, a desk to put our random stuffs, place to hang our clothes, and extra space under the bed for luggages.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-NAXGpp-snBDdh0c2YHCjR04MWIwjVB-uT2-KfmhVzokgT2X4vY6SrCAPtiJ5xOKGB8K5ftS9uPk98c3UCpndbw3PDkW5hoMqSuiRdTGOaHSwkJ25BZoEEfK7fExRzpi11dvsW1wxQyzwhL-kecYHaL7biFiZWNsdYBwIJT7VmHs9oiha3q3CTk9U-ZE/s4096/AGLI0814.JPG" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-NAXGpp-snBDdh0c2YHCjR04MWIwjVB-uT2-KfmhVzokgT2X4vY6SrCAPtiJ5xOKGB8K5ftS9uPk98c3UCpndbw3PDkW5hoMqSuiRdTGOaHSwkJ25BZoEEfK7fExRzpi11dvsW1wxQyzwhL-kecYHaL7biFiZWNsdYBwIJT7VmHs9oiha3q3CTk9U-ZE/w640-h640/AGLI0814.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">The room was equipped with a fridge, air purifier, kettle with complimentary coffee and tea, bottled water, clock by the bed, usb/power plugs above the bed, slippers/shoe horns.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM973ETd35Ptjb5wmWjUM75p9PqaLvwHrt6lhtWxMooB6LfPTq18r8TMtaKUwknth5RJOGDf6EbSBoT-dl9n5-rfb9Dh3QplIr6Oid_EKjqNHvlyJEbNiFVniYcb8V-ebxuokHZxNQpcuJoSfU9xAYpobzgosJJA5ZvKVVLs4NygBXrzao4GOXx9vviz4/s4096/QTAV1337.JPG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM973ETd35Ptjb5wmWjUM75p9PqaLvwHrt6lhtWxMooB6LfPTq18r8TMtaKUwknth5RJOGDf6EbSBoT-dl9n5-rfb9Dh3QplIr6Oid_EKjqNHvlyJEbNiFVniYcb8V-ebxuokHZxNQpcuJoSfU9xAYpobzgosJJA5ZvKVVLs4NygBXrzao4GOXx9vviz4/w640-h640/QTAV1337.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div>The bathroom had a separate walk-in shower with fancy shower heads. It was so fancy it required instructions to operate...lol! Toto toilet bowl (of course), and I liked the toilet paper holder with space to put our phones lol! There were also 2 sets of pajamas in the bathroom, which is pretty standard for all Japanese hotels. </div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPif8hQrcF8pePmflVcySkh_JnqAy5EH0WKtfDjDycL7slcatu7Vno0o_pEff95qiVtD1ObUqDzG3RUbBoPkdcEzaiHJmHXRqiWNx1fsnIaguB6ClHGQvNTJzFQy_d6XevAcbjYPeyuzSh6pWSoiI_4zCCXiLr8dM4bmBdMqVyl-VgixVK5a7VYRWHT9k/s4096/AOLG2897.JPG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="852" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPif8hQrcF8pePmflVcySkh_JnqAy5EH0WKtfDjDycL7slcatu7Vno0o_pEff95qiVtD1ObUqDzG3RUbBoPkdcEzaiHJmHXRqiWNx1fsnIaguB6ClHGQvNTJzFQy_d6XevAcbjYPeyuzSh6pWSoiI_4zCCXiLr8dM4bmBdMqVyl-VgixVK5a7VYRWHT9k/w639-h852/AOLG2897.JPG" width="639" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">We had fun posing with the pajamas. It was comfortable and we wore it every night. =)</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigANu21DMRA3fxulMky7oiiCUKsigss6krqGB41soibmVi5vKWQd4zRdb1vqDzUKm67HBgLDIj0vReRADW3V7VVBqh5oQyOhhZ_jDQcb6t6bTAEjylgyl6ajfz16IRVhZm7YcBNAU6k8FjuSepK6EVhsiKJlMQw25It7DrpEb6R5c_jk29sjAztw17B6A/s4096/PMVH1775.JPG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigANu21DMRA3fxulMky7oiiCUKsigss6krqGB41soibmVi5vKWQd4zRdb1vqDzUKm67HBgLDIj0vReRADW3V7VVBqh5oQyOhhZ_jDQcb6t6bTAEjylgyl6ajfz16IRVhZm7YcBNAU6k8FjuSepK6EVhsiKJlMQw25It7DrpEb6R5c_jk29sjAztw17B6A/w640-h640/PMVH1775.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">It was already 9.45pm by the time we settled in so we decided to walk over to the nearby 7-11 to grab some food for dinner. There were so many food options to choose from...noodles, bento set, rice rolls, sandwiches, salads, etc. We bought some sandwiches, rice rolls, and some drinks for our first dinner in Japan.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisfTjH2T9skQNGfyL0YGpyC6fBIScLrK-BVQyG39SJYJAb3BwIjzOhhMHMZgOXbQTkIyNWIxkceHWpyBWrJkHsaLGhmLBag73OZFPV1NJI5v3vWWxXBy8KYmxpA3I83DPJbZRxHpR2XM_RZmIe2M6t-bvoS8UJMlHDbHW0Qy98mIc6gAz6XctR3cc9UXQ/s4096/VCIF9263.JPG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisfTjH2T9skQNGfyL0YGpyC6fBIScLrK-BVQyG39SJYJAb3BwIjzOhhMHMZgOXbQTkIyNWIxkceHWpyBWrJkHsaLGhmLBag73OZFPV1NJI5v3vWWxXBy8KYmxpA3I83DPJbZRxHpR2XM_RZmIe2M6t-bvoS8UJMlHDbHW0Qy98mIc6gAz6XctR3cc9UXQ/w640-h480/VCIF9263.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Convenient stores in Japan are awesome. They have all sorts of beverages and snacks.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">That's a wrap of our 24-hours journey from US to Japan. In the next post, we'll be exploring a few places outside of Osaka city for our day 1 in Japan.</span></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://khaishing.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default</div>khaishing.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05154189313956844355noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3659547063209051949.post-68887923580171173162023-09-18T03:53:00.004-05:002023-09-18T03:54:40.526-05:00India Work Trip 2023 ✈ Kolkata with Mom<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div><i>Following my 2-month work trip to India at the end of 2022, I was given the opportunity to travel to India again this year f</i><i>or round 2 of secondment. This trip was slightly shorter (1.5 months) but I was excited to return and see all the familiar faces again. I was glad mom was able to come visit me for a staycation despite the last minute planning.</i></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Ncjt68t6G0Y?si=7847qLFiExJWUKab" title="YouTube video player" width="640"></iframe></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><b>Trip Planning</b></span></div><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">When I was in India for 2 months last year, I thought about asking mom to come visit me since it's only a 4-hour flight from KL to Kolkata. However, due to visa requirements, family events, and caregiving for dad, she wasn't able to make it work last year. This year, my travel dates were confirmed much earlier in February so we had more time to plan for mom's visit. However, </span><span style="font-family: "Open Sans";">as we had to make sure that the helper/caregiver was around to help take care of dad while mom was away,</span><span style="font-family: "Open Sans";"> it wasn't until the end of May when we were 100% certain that mom could make the trip. </span></div></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEimXpsDbIlhxjweyhpZ0Bd9OiLtLcBp-2CowEwTbv5w1D0kz2TRJ0fUN4g6Hn3x5boijzQ986yXHqqFi99gjVLmRlk-7-hX38FOCRlRuv05IVFqNkPTg3uGYiI_cdJy-6-Bg2PtZZpfG0jyq7MvX--lMQ7H7dqECb0EUPExGC89HYRE4gUQ3Rj2GFM3ulc" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img data-original-height="358" data-original-width="761" height="189" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEimXpsDbIlhxjweyhpZ0Bd9OiLtLcBp-2CowEwTbv5w1D0kz2TRJ0fUN4g6Hn3x5boijzQ986yXHqqFi99gjVLmRlk-7-hX38FOCRlRuv05IVFqNkPTg3uGYiI_cdJy-6-Bg2PtZZpfG0jyq7MvX--lMQ7H7dqECb0EUPExGC89HYRE4gUQ3Rj2GFM3ulc=w400-h189" width="400" /></a></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Open Sans";">I'm impressed we managed to book 2 trips for her (India and Bhutan) within 10 days from departure, especially with both India and Bhutan requiring visa for Malaysians.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmbQ0bGYWR0EFRpH8Ywr3cK5r0aOCf57ORYdGCZk34mw4YCaBEr6AWGF7NEkB0FL5e9_fgO3fgke-WSN4WO_LxT13qvPe57LIctpgD10VxrWhjO6Qd_-5UABThQcRz9jKtdJLEhcNN8Z5z7oCCHau0vxOOdOxmsXAz-y3GRYA55XakkEdjM4Ftv_1Kbo4/s1920/IMG_1256.JPG" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmbQ0bGYWR0EFRpH8Ywr3cK5r0aOCf57ORYdGCZk34mw4YCaBEr6AWGF7NEkB0FL5e9_fgO3fgke-WSN4WO_LxT13qvPe57LIctpgD10VxrWhjO6Qd_-5UABThQcRz9jKtdJLEhcNN8Z5z7oCCHau0vxOOdOxmsXAz-y3GRYA55XakkEdjM4Ftv_1Kbo4/w480-h640/IMG_1256.JPG" width="480" /></span></a></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Kudos to mom for figuring out the India visa application quickly. Somehow it was significantly more expensive to apply for e-visa online (USD 114) as compared to applying it in-person at the India Visa Center in Penang (MYR 150 / USD 32). The staff at the IVC was also very helpful and sent my mom a copy of her passport via Whatsapp when we needed her passport copy for the Bhutan visa application (she didn't take a photo of it before submitting it for the visa application).</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><b>8-14 June 2023 (Thurs-Wed): Mom's staycation in JW Marriott Kolkata</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><b><br /></b></span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrKU5kBLHjSW749q3ckRbFGKTOCfcbz7YNtxfZDquOm8dWLXd06uxzicnJzo5YIGw-OCXy3QWFAGx-WrXkDc9JC8skCgQwmTrSaCQDTA1TMYnJ0hkBPswm4lmunilpZCM8uKyKGuyBWyWzsUq3xiX5udijU-5q9VVYyn_4TuPllMXAMf-_5NpwX7TkcFM/s4096/WDQU9695.JPG" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrKU5kBLHjSW749q3ckRbFGKTOCfcbz7YNtxfZDquOm8dWLXd06uxzicnJzo5YIGw-OCXy3QWFAGx-WrXkDc9JC8skCgQwmTrSaCQDTA1TMYnJ0hkBPswm4lmunilpZCM8uKyKGuyBWyWzsUq3xiX5udijU-5q9VVYyn_4TuPllMXAMf-_5NpwX7TkcFM/w640-h640/WDQU9695.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><b>8 June 2023: </b>Mom's flight was scheduled to arrive Kolkata at 12.10am, but her flight was delayed 1.5 hours so I left the hotel at 1am to go to the airport with the hotel driver, Zia.</span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRYjotHECm6WnLRrYR6iSFk7ZJ65cBSTu2nsRPbuSxVR7klkdbdYWk38b9QPFS8KHBYZK_ENrq49drxI3oyDeU4k9XfE0sqSps4-dXxlicjyGYXAke9T-tCbg_iKteECc3e91TviDzG834BQUPYmm-QH8iUylXKQan8JjczVGL0NueYZNeuqFuG-CEy9A/s4096/SVXT3210.JPG" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRYjotHECm6WnLRrYR6iSFk7ZJ65cBSTu2nsRPbuSxVR7klkdbdYWk38b9QPFS8KHBYZK_ENrq49drxI3oyDeU4k9XfE0sqSps4-dXxlicjyGYXAke9T-tCbg_iKteECc3e91TviDzG834BQUPYmm-QH8iUylXKQan8JjczVGL0NueYZNeuqFuG-CEy9A/w640-h640/SVXT3210.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div>There was no traffic and we arrived the airport at 1.30am. Everytime I arrived Kolkata airport, the hotel staff had always been there waiting for me. This was the first time I saw where the drivers parked while they waited for me. I asked Zia to wait for me in the parking deck while I went to the arrival area to wait for mom. I found out that mom's flight landed at 1.16am but I figured it'd still take awhile to get through immigration.</div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxeLc8ZzK2wPcAKx9qDhIstuIYhXZBB0cDN0ecM6xqR82TH3VQMxKj07s0ox0W-xUBGHviSHi9y1MP8vaYQDMF3C_fzWjQeKkNyryUWjLWYSYzh8BiWM85VCu4vTaWPI-jElfnEg_kP51DzNILmSvRtA30fwSQ_fAPp5ulkogU5d80oTMkrid1jocY5n8/s4096/LIRD0494.JPG" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxeLc8ZzK2wPcAKx9qDhIstuIYhXZBB0cDN0ecM6xqR82TH3VQMxKj07s0ox0W-xUBGHviSHi9y1MP8vaYQDMF3C_fzWjQeKkNyryUWjLWYSYzh8BiWM85VCu4vTaWPI-jElfnEg_kP51DzNILmSvRtA30fwSQ_fAPp5ulkogU5d80oTMkrid1jocY5n8/w640-h480/LIRD0494.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div>Only passengers are allowed in all airports in India so I had to stand and wait outside of the airport. After waiting for 30 minutes, Mom finally came out of the airport at 2am! Now I feel bad for the hotel drivers who had to stand outside for a long time waiting for us, especially when our flights were delayed. We made it back to the hotel at 2.30am.</div></span></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmkqppCFaq1rRrBDrwm9xUssbwXj4uB-7X8tOwPwLCtjLzOpfzL3qcE7Bv39Cbasw8Oa2G5cdJUzCRCrYyEjGQaF1VPCurbT3JQKgO96LE-YTwH5kohonW4ynQFrSsxX5X-PFnCK25JLF5tfATLQXlhwQLEZn13NtapN4FMK8i6eu93_IkGLunya9dJvk/s4096/PXXI2777.JPG" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmkqppCFaq1rRrBDrwm9xUssbwXj4uB-7X8tOwPwLCtjLzOpfzL3qcE7Bv39Cbasw8Oa2G5cdJUzCRCrYyEjGQaF1VPCurbT3JQKgO96LE-YTwH5kohonW4ynQFrSsxX5X-PFnCK25JLF5tfATLQXlhwQLEZn13NtapN4FMK8i6eu93_IkGLunya9dJvk/w640-h480/PXXI2777.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div>Welcome mommy to JW Marriott Kolkata! As mentioned, this was a staycation so the 'itinerary' was for mom to chill and enjoy the hotel. =P </div></span></div></span></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimXxWzONHOBlufMlPM_8A-UGTlYNOLJ9iMe7jBGu1E4Z9-FGkqQ-YWIsYQHuNnBzzQW-Hh1dTXt1w9FgqpK2hjpfZkBer6axyHcU2LBISMLi4eQB_b51RkbeNDJPkCGkXKtFqnTHnHiXGgX6M0GA8CVRsVks6Hc0pRrIF6QM8uMjYegtIZ1FjXqaXz2A0/s4096/XWVU2978.JPG" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="849" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimXxWzONHOBlufMlPM_8A-UGTlYNOLJ9iMe7jBGu1E4Z9-FGkqQ-YWIsYQHuNnBzzQW-Hh1dTXt1w9FgqpK2hjpfZkBer6axyHcU2LBISMLi4eQB_b51RkbeNDJPkCGkXKtFqnTHnHiXGgX6M0GA8CVRsVks6Hc0pRrIF6QM8uMjYegtIZ1FjXqaXz2A0/w637-h849/XWVU2978.JPG" width="637" /></span></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div>Our housekeeper, Baban, was also super nice and made towel animals everyday, which I specifically requested to leave them in the room for my 'animal kingdom'...lol!</div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtdvv7o3T7USPTRKGvyXPVpv6q7qk4z0YgZmHDcIv5FVLGE320_JTIA8_0BmQ6VqA2oRAyDfnXUEGzLZRuQPP5WU8IVgC_geJytzF_kZCjTMAY_1ns4F68N2ZamAx3uxpNMmJ21d2WTjt6RBL_uurBTpR7pCzeZlg3nn4b1nj7BwCiUapxd35WnWF8Imk/s4096/WOTA0760.JPG" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtdvv7o3T7USPTRKGvyXPVpv6q7qk4z0YgZmHDcIv5FVLGE320_JTIA8_0BmQ6VqA2oRAyDfnXUEGzLZRuQPP5WU8IVgC_geJytzF_kZCjTMAY_1ns4F68N2ZamAx3uxpNMmJ21d2WTjt6RBL_uurBTpR7pCzeZlg3nn4b1nj7BwCiUapxd35WnWF8Imk/w640-h640/WOTA0760.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div>Started the day with buffet breakfast at JW Kitchen before I went to the office.</div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhRcMFFZYW0VZvwDltBleGv-MA1RWb1m6NQRbgy0kKtH_XtYZ53U_4OSJCEAq9o1QD4Xt2AeLOp4EO2CJmHDT6kbA9CM0r7jzDoU2vlUDnWr5_rlPhMT5Anqh9N2T-sL7iP0t5S1Thnr0TMqrG8o_pqmSklqyzdM7Ce6XDD9cvVhqVJP6WCatIvggURd8/s4096/AVTS9779.JPG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="965" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhRcMFFZYW0VZvwDltBleGv-MA1RWb1m6NQRbgy0kKtH_XtYZ53U_4OSJCEAq9o1QD4Xt2AeLOp4EO2CJmHDT6kbA9CM0r7jzDoU2vlUDnWr5_rlPhMT5Anqh9N2T-sL7iP0t5S1Thnr0TMqrG8o_pqmSklqyzdM7Ce6XDD9cvVhqVJP6WCatIvggURd8/w642-h965/AVTS9779.JPG" width="642" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div>Room service for lunch (while I was at work).</div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN-UZxokxLyNw0nJNBAHHxIoAiiZGdmz9rLn5q-I8jqmonsCYsdHR_zpbRs-6oCpUdBbjlzJTQ4jM04OQ-sN55bJkzNrASNPu_9FyFRBxRespBuC5lxz8iwgwVGdRdL4YdBqkj7bPDEaLeYMbsBjL5G5MtG6TrGB2jjCIu6Br5o_Goj8PpZjuQuieyhQc/s4096/WLRU7816.JPG" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN-UZxokxLyNw0nJNBAHHxIoAiiZGdmz9rLn5q-I8jqmonsCYsdHR_zpbRs-6oCpUdBbjlzJTQ4jM04OQ-sN55bJkzNrASNPu_9FyFRBxRespBuC5lxz8iwgwVGdRdL4YdBqkj7bPDEaLeYMbsBjL5G5MtG6TrGB2jjCIu6Br5o_Goj8PpZjuQuieyhQc/w640-h640/WLRU7816.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div>While I was at work, mom enjoyed browsing the internet in the room. She also went to the spa twice during the stay. Then after I got back from the office, we went to the gym.</div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-oKmM0nCx4IYTNQ8AUoV6oSLkMLqTkHXeCPxnVl8jmBCT57YsHhE6mSsGtPmpT5mvTFnIWXNkGuggFYuNyw-ufferNRtOKsXB1mKPUbalUqy7gkNCTIkLNTe1BdzNkoeYT6zxbxJHnNiasDbKUxuQLzCD7KbXSaHuUP8LTCS6imabNk7dg8W-FIhmecM/s4096/QWYE5638.JPG" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="855" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-oKmM0nCx4IYTNQ8AUoV6oSLkMLqTkHXeCPxnVl8jmBCT57YsHhE6mSsGtPmpT5mvTFnIWXNkGuggFYuNyw-ufferNRtOKsXB1mKPUbalUqy7gkNCTIkLNTe1BdzNkoeYT6zxbxJHnNiasDbKUxuQLzCD7KbXSaHuUP8LTCS6imabNk7dg8W-FIhmecM/w641-h855/QWYE5638.JPG" width="641" /></span></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div>At 6pm, we went up to the Executive Lounge for the Happy Hour before dinner.</div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsIWVBtPLMG3ScnLwW5WPS8VtXp-bUmgw-LFLIBP7JROlTECZLZwmW_Aytm_WCO1d3gXDnFhSbFjlKUDwxAKF_mEiS6-b98HOdp_CRw-zo8BAbed8VJ-tWcObWsGFU2lehc-PZsbiqjlg6A6uMEFyAPMEpOXuOYiXIuQ4dTCl9RIggDhR8jOJXfvSJcxM/s4096/OTZG7131.JPG" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="850" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsIWVBtPLMG3ScnLwW5WPS8VtXp-bUmgw-LFLIBP7JROlTECZLZwmW_Aytm_WCO1d3gXDnFhSbFjlKUDwxAKF_mEiS6-b98HOdp_CRw-zo8BAbed8VJ-tWcObWsGFU2lehc-PZsbiqjlg6A6uMEFyAPMEpOXuOYiXIuQ4dTCl9RIggDhR8jOJXfvSJcxM/w637-h850/OTZG7131.JPG" width="637" /></span></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh55EuUBYyIGez9hIUlYY9UFjc_KYA94igcRg61yFDKfAmZp4nvzi-RdI9ugVAAroXVqJPFHgd4KIav9M2M9wViuJu5zt_fk5WkWosK-pd8lGwADeC_Wo1M2dQEoVQgsZDX1gPd_S8evg8f5S24R0lhskBWxAvBpglVKTxzzZOiRIAzYCm29Aeff3FwYzA/s4096/BPVI6165.JPG" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh55EuUBYyIGez9hIUlYY9UFjc_KYA94igcRg61yFDKfAmZp4nvzi-RdI9ugVAAroXVqJPFHgd4KIav9M2M9wViuJu5zt_fk5WkWosK-pd8lGwADeC_Wo1M2dQEoVQgsZDX1gPd_S8evg8f5S24R0lhskBWxAvBpglVKTxzzZOiRIAzYCm29Aeff3FwYzA/w640-h640/BPVI6165.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div>Then we had dinner at the hotel's restaurant, Vintage Asia. </div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="848" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhJrrKNm2o-YmWs3NcIr82JWp_9fvRLPBs0tU34w1yM5ZTuNBe7t1li8uq1jmvOKz4ZPo0xHjfJ13H-mhNaeP-4bqnOhKPYUpyxQUA4cjvbF2Sl2X4LDI7od_t4dR8JYAOaECnkwLe3K1BrbIIbzvDS6Js-KiEJf_9Rm5AGrItQu_JdjodR98UTrzFEM4/w636-h848/QKKJ7302.JPG" width="636" /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhJrrKNm2o-YmWs3NcIr82JWp_9fvRLPBs0tU34w1yM5ZTuNBe7t1li8uq1jmvOKz4ZPo0xHjfJ13H-mhNaeP-4bqnOhKPYUpyxQUA4cjvbF2Sl2X4LDI7od_t4dR8JYAOaECnkwLe3K1BrbIIbzvDS6Js-KiEJf_9Rm5AGrItQu_JdjodR98UTrzFEM4/s4096/QKKJ7302.JPG" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div>We went out to Decathlon on Saturday to buy some stuffs for our Bhutan trip. Will share more about our Bhutan trip in a separate post.</div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuo7Jrhny029sh6CalKcRfR9bunrMConWuuJLOTj-LjlNCueZ3LKPLZGk4MR2OSnKhnQ9j8aT5_jAgH3smiu7Gj_1EZSXpXuGRVt-9oyMuSPaNvD0gpWrh_7MDhqlUD2kWDw8LRcL_oabXtzdUAw9e1CNN4RQoKGz8QzBtbMty_HguZCs4pGTvSwMmD2g/s4096/BLTO3063.JPG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="842" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuo7Jrhny029sh6CalKcRfR9bunrMConWuuJLOTj-LjlNCueZ3LKPLZGk4MR2OSnKhnQ9j8aT5_jAgH3smiu7Gj_1EZSXpXuGRVt-9oyMuSPaNvD0gpWrh_7MDhqlUD2kWDw8LRcL_oabXtzdUAw9e1CNN4RQoKGz8QzBtbMty_HguZCs4pGTvSwMmD2g/w631-h842/BLTO3063.JPG" width="631" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div><b>14 June 2023:</b> Time to say goodbye to mom after spending a week together. I'm pretty sure we were laughing about mom's 'combat' outfit with her pants and boots...lol! </div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg65vRWKLNy7L9xufgU01UyZBHJWTkRWF5dUUmuEEMsxQ0hvHgo5eXmcYY9MK9ZvJDLQMKvK7d6ejilDx5VZGPsAcEy4fXzLgPopfaYX3_n_iBZllxo_00Gzlx98zbx4a_i07rcc1OFY7BdbL6uSxfjJWSA1TeSqsIypVNU2hq2dHCWVARQxzS23OwOXt0/s4096/GIWJ8827.JPG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg65vRWKLNy7L9xufgU01UyZBHJWTkRWF5dUUmuEEMsxQ0hvHgo5eXmcYY9MK9ZvJDLQMKvK7d6ejilDx5VZGPsAcEy4fXzLgPopfaYX3_n_iBZllxo_00Gzlx98zbx4a_i07rcc1OFY7BdbL6uSxfjJWSA1TeSqsIypVNU2hq2dHCWVARQxzS23OwOXt0/w640-h640/GIWJ8827.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="text-align: justify;">We left the hotel at 9.30pm and when we arrived the airport at 10pm, we saw fire trucks, police cars, ambulance, police outside of the airport. Everyone was also evacuated out of the airport. The hotel driver, Naba, told us that there was a fire in the airport 30 minutes ago. The fire was put out but there was still smoke in the airport so everyone was just waiting outside the airport. Nobody knew how long we'd have to wait so I'm thankful Naba found a good spot to park and waited with us while I tried to figure out the situation and next steps. I wasn't sure how long we'd have to wait, and didn't want to leave mom alone at the airport in case we needed to go back to the hotel. Fortunately, they started letting passengers enter the airport at 10.30pm and mom was able to get into the airport quickly (kiasu for the win). Thankfully, she got on her flight on time and made it back home safely. Pheww... what a way to end her trip!</div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div> <div class="blogger-post-footer">http://khaishing.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default</div>khaishing.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05154189313956844355noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3659547063209051949.post-73087083139553066882023-08-26T23:34:00.002-05:002023-08-26T23:34:22.906-05:0050 Hours Journey from Malaysia to US - Qatar Qsuite<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div><i>After spending <a href="https://www.khaishing.com/2023/05/homecoming-trip-2023-malaysia.html" target="_blank">4 weeks home in Malaysia</a>, it was time to begin my long 50-hours journey back to the US. The long journey was mainly because I intentionally built in a 19-hours overnight transit in Doha, to take advantage of the transit tour and visit one more new country. I am quite used to long flights and transits at this point, but this experience was certainly a much more pleasant one traveling in business class and having lounge access. Thankful to be able to travel in Qatar Qsuite again. :)</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/za8CmQB6p68" title="YouTube video player" width="640"></iframe></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>19 May 2023 (Fri): Penang - KL - Doha</b></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2zg2A_lgtIQM-puqus4pehj-9mWoMPLQiUIL7oUMzauRzTrZrMilSJ6pZCPHR6ZuOLYBEJlq0YOychGupChtkWmIcfx8fDF51H7OrfesvYAQeC0pGxnRw9P4szMFmE-UVN_s2GvFsikPaXlu1NKl2sfM9x9rmsPMIVKkKKTYrBianr7KDObnRT88ez-0/s1920/IMG_0552.JPG" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2zg2A_lgtIQM-puqus4pehj-9mWoMPLQiUIL7oUMzauRzTrZrMilSJ6pZCPHR6ZuOLYBEJlq0YOychGupChtkWmIcfx8fDF51H7OrfesvYAQeC0pGxnRw9P4szMFmE-UVN_s2GvFsikPaXlu1NKl2sfM9x9rmsPMIVKkKKTYrBianr7KDObnRT88ez-0/w640-h640/IMG_0552.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div>Thanks mom for waking up early to take me to the airport at 4.30am for my 6.35am flight. My route for this trip was Penang - KL - Doha - Atlanta, all booked as a single itinerary via Qatar Airways. The MAS check-in agent was only able to issue the tickets for my first 2 flights and asked me to collect my Doha - Atlanta ticket in Doha. </div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_BsukGFcZxTExj4-x1lBYCcI2iM1KjhgkK_OqATcu6e3f-KbKUvXxziSrwU_NC38DF101IuRXUH0lpLplYpJSukP-p5bGgbunXUYCJ0t8e-IEU3Ph-F2CeoUlugXvEY1g3ccjcsB68esaCnpwVg7n5TU2Qgvd_X5Rtv8igW17y-kRl0LfdzZhcxXGx-E/s1920/IMG_0554.JPG" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_BsukGFcZxTExj4-x1lBYCcI2iM1KjhgkK_OqATcu6e3f-KbKUvXxziSrwU_NC38DF101IuRXUH0lpLplYpJSukP-p5bGgbunXUYCJ0t8e-IEU3Ph-F2CeoUlugXvEY1g3ccjcsB68esaCnpwVg7n5TU2Qgvd_X5Rtv8igW17y-kRl0LfdzZhcxXGx-E/w640-h480/IMG_0554.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"> Check-in was quick and I got access to Plaza Premium Lounge with my business class ticket. This domestic lounge was small and had some food. I wasn't hungry so I only had light refreshment.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGCYmXYKDfR8jKWTILilKEBs0sLabUHb_xq55LV-2tfRbW-iLr2-y7sWiJwBy1Qzws8PTT1pMJIGaGhnH3OkGY9liEA2u6DyuFt4Qr1QcqtopEAnYVJYicm69ZyZkfYiJEyMG26_9VbRGOtWO8HX3MSWAGFLDZNN4HLy-tZvcKUng59QPhnGNR-wLj8J0/s4096/RCFR4811.JPG" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="856" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGCYmXYKDfR8jKWTILilKEBs0sLabUHb_xq55LV-2tfRbW-iLr2-y7sWiJwBy1Qzws8PTT1pMJIGaGhnH3OkGY9liEA2u6DyuFt4Qr1QcqtopEAnYVJYicm69ZyZkfYiJEyMG26_9VbRGOtWO8HX3MSWAGFLDZNN4HLy-tZvcKUng59QPhnGNR-wLj8J0/w641-h856/RCFR4811.JPG" width="641" /></span></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;">My first flight from Penang to KL was operated by Malaysia Airlines (Qatar codeshare). This was my first time flying business class on MAS. It was only a 1-hour flight so there wasn't much difference from economy. Just more leg space, wider seats, and less people (nobody beside me)...</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC6k_AStf_TEkbXvKNx3hB3h6H0fYNfBHtL2GEXYgG8jHTduOfNaENZwvTcruVyzBBwOw6B2irVtE5yi7xNQ_9M3wFFGmZwPblQoAE3AUIqrhQIvaZHqCB2VfUy8J8oZydccHOT2r1oJbUkhBPd8Ar2A80__Xp7zyqZckFI2VHSIHaBELdFNToVv4-tQo/s4096/PBYZ3939.JPG" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC6k_AStf_TEkbXvKNx3hB3h6H0fYNfBHtL2GEXYgG8jHTduOfNaENZwvTcruVyzBBwOw6B2irVtE5yi7xNQ_9M3wFFGmZwPblQoAE3AUIqrhQIvaZHqCB2VfUy8J8oZydccHOT2r1oJbUkhBPd8Ar2A80__Xp7zyqZckFI2VHSIHaBELdFNToVv4-tQo/w640-h640/PBYZ3939.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;">...and a nicely presented breakfast. Caught a beautiful sunrise from the flight as well.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPcqVRSEPHl2Yz-Lh-vqx9ZC_cZ3j-IKsXelIK6p30URA60fG7eRJGwOH67v3nSm7Rr4vMTxeohpZS-Ok2Ghjb17VdUF4x-iyMmRzEreofs0cL4P_ZHzxyz_jLzMwCsJqumcJPjUi0OEkjxRdkG4AkR7sjmJI0yHOwJFqP5rNZcZCvSck03EI3LRGPLjM/s1920/IMG_0558.JPG" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPcqVRSEPHl2Yz-Lh-vqx9ZC_cZ3j-IKsXelIK6p30URA60fG7eRJGwOH67v3nSm7Rr4vMTxeohpZS-Ok2Ghjb17VdUF4x-iyMmRzEreofs0cL4P_ZHzxyz_jLzMwCsJqumcJPjUi0OEkjxRdkG4AkR7sjmJI0yHOwJFqP5rNZcZCvSck03EI3LRGPLjM/w640-h640/IMG_0558.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div>Landed KLIA on time at 7.35am and got the invitation pass for Plaza Premium First lounge at the Qatar transfer desk. Plaza Premium First was just opened in March 2023, so I was glad to be able to check it out. Plaza Premium Lounge and Plaza Premium First was located just next to each other but the 'First' was much smaller (and exclusive I guess).</div><div><br /></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv6E_uA9YvXyHM7kFVd-ox5zQvq85aQ51qXWQYbAqYjjhpl7eXqhqsEvjLGQSOeIqWs4Pje9qOUou96PANIFr6OwO8KZ2IcGJWPTJ_hKHOaUwDgwtS1VOfLiApX0lheIPRvLikXhs9ejr6OdsymbPkKMyKj9sCV7PfgJu7hHulMVR9-x5gG8DksjLMxD8/s4096/LHKI9840.JPG" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv6E_uA9YvXyHM7kFVd-ox5zQvq85aQ51qXWQYbAqYjjhpl7eXqhqsEvjLGQSOeIqWs4Pje9qOUou96PANIFr6OwO8KZ2IcGJWPTJ_hKHOaUwDgwtS1VOfLiApX0lheIPRvLikXhs9ejr6OdsymbPkKMyKj9sCV7PfgJu7hHulMVR9-x5gG8DksjLMxD8/w640-h640/LHKI9840.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div>Apart from the size of the lounge, the main difference between both lounges is the food offerings. Plaza Premium First has an à la carte menu via the app while Plaza Premium Lounge offers a buffet. I had some congee as I was too lazy to order anything and wanted to save space for airplane food. </div></span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6S-KPLGwF6X_FMcd4NgncBU5EqgvZnx3-toR-HPHZuDw6iT4DCk9CvVXd_tIl1XfifZW5Xxz4fFD26V5eia6YiJxdsM3nV2UmN4eIhaaV18Wu-suGhioZK8NO3qVhastOtgJo9Qy8tBDM5dssDxG3CS9Lk7bgIUWVvE6rp2jOjOrwKoqoR0QrTzqPoQ4/s1920/IMG_0561.JPG" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6S-KPLGwF6X_FMcd4NgncBU5EqgvZnx3-toR-HPHZuDw6iT4DCk9CvVXd_tIl1XfifZW5Xxz4fFD26V5eia6YiJxdsM3nV2UmN4eIhaaV18Wu-suGhioZK8NO3qVhastOtgJo9Qy8tBDM5dssDxG3CS9Lk7bgIUWVvE6rp2jOjOrwKoqoR0QrTzqPoQ4/w640-h640/IMG_0561.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><div><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div>After spending about 1.5 hours in the lounge, it was time for boarding. I usually board last but boarded early at 9.10am for this 9.55am flight coz I wanted to maximize my time in business class. =)</div></span></div></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGpAN587i3vcuqRjVczUr-f8WV5tsu_3CMeTGZIMgH5CL6gqW38v6JtIszqGYkGxC0sPKidJNC9ZRsPvoAWhhvf_qaUXcZqZNUGyakcBmBmoay0eRk4uKtJ6mR8MmHiN7uNti3HWJCxvd8j47jrBxnsyNH0nkAK7eD2cuaGnxgniNWEJEumYWwTav34es/s4096/CRVM3701.JPG" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGpAN587i3vcuqRjVczUr-f8WV5tsu_3CMeTGZIMgH5CL6gqW38v6JtIszqGYkGxC0sPKidJNC9ZRsPvoAWhhvf_qaUXcZqZNUGyakcBmBmoay0eRk4uKtJ6mR8MmHiN7uNti3HWJCxvd8j47jrBxnsyNH0nkAK7eD2cuaGnxgniNWEJEumYWwTav34es/w640-h480/CRVM3701.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><div><div><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div>Qatar has 3 flights daily from KL - Doha, and I chose this morning flight as it was the only one operated by Qatar. The other 2 flights are operated by MAS. I also got lucky with this flight coz it was originally the old 2-2-2 layout when I made the booking, but was swapped to a Qsuite flight. =) Certainly glad to have my 'anti-social' suite with door and a champagne to start off this 7-hour flight.</div></span></div></div></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL6Vh78RYAvm48uoiqjPCPtW8IQ0J0-orRCg0XvWUetPTuLCbnikbjmpso22Du8s9htKNEycH-s3gyWjmXtoZk71ugwnKfzLNpxthjzc1uiFoKq5ZeSb5qqELos6HwNdtj9lzzYVBGKZuhhaKQoyrLzA8QV2fsv6s4ZdvYJK4dNji39xpoHJBHGGhnNTM/s4096/ODLK3371.JPG" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL6Vh78RYAvm48uoiqjPCPtW8IQ0J0-orRCg0XvWUetPTuLCbnikbjmpso22Du8s9htKNEycH-s3gyWjmXtoZk71ugwnKfzLNpxthjzc1uiFoKq5ZeSb5qqELos6HwNdtj9lzzYVBGKZuhhaKQoyrLzA8QV2fsv6s4ZdvYJK4dNji39xpoHJBHGGhnNTM/w640-h640/ODLK3371.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><div><div><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div>This was my 2nd time traveling in Qsuite but I was as excited as the 1st time. Definitely thankful for the opportunity to travel in one of the world's best business class again. Unlike the last time when I wasn't able to select my seat coz I booked it via American Airlines, I was able to pre-select my seats this time and chose the backward-facing seat 10A as the sitting area was closer to the window. Btw, business class for this flight was 100% full.</div><div><br /></div></span></div></div></div></span></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqpJUf32J26YxvtnuZzjzUjBWjLvH7Cfna4vOxp0_uX5XVfOeUq6yh0htwI308yJXx5sv63rSgecmIPrrvOpeyfG2ASabWFN7_yWVq7-ImY_iXtWIQfKGXtaNhxh07Pu12wIeN1YiD6arf00klbaEfyAAdsKHp3I304zdAvFj7KBh5kil-Lg57aflbDkc/s4096/SVSE8640.JPG" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="849" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqpJUf32J26YxvtnuZzjzUjBWjLvH7Cfna4vOxp0_uX5XVfOeUq6yh0htwI308yJXx5sv63rSgecmIPrrvOpeyfG2ASabWFN7_yWVq7-ImY_iXtWIQfKGXtaNhxh07Pu12wIeN1YiD6arf00klbaEfyAAdsKHp3I304zdAvFj7KBh5kil-Lg57aflbDkc/w637-h849/SVSE8640.JPG" width="637" /></span></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div><div>Qatar's busines class dining is awesome because it's A la carte, and I could order anything from the menu and dine at any time. Learning from my last experience, I looked through the menu quickly and placed my order with the flight attendant before take-off.</div><div><br /></div></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_pVlwCSP5ggQg4inQmO8FgU7D9OzWPbcIGyYlMSvivpIYOqu2CYGnZ5S40TKYQ4yC5ihhlMeNCTDzYQp5kHOY5Eq-S0HDV3nhaoSvbNZU0wEn-LBHZCpFlL1tC6BCrYnsz86dB-IRXlFKj1OoZOp9TKX_g6CypLJ9vUIlX7XKWPhjxo927PG6AcyPsXg/s4096/FWMG4959.JPG" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_pVlwCSP5ggQg4inQmO8FgU7D9OzWPbcIGyYlMSvivpIYOqu2CYGnZ5S40TKYQ4yC5ihhlMeNCTDzYQp5kHOY5Eq-S0HDV3nhaoSvbNZU0wEn-LBHZCpFlL1tC6BCrYnsz86dB-IRXlFKj1OoZOp9TKX_g6CypLJ9vUIlX7XKWPhjxo927PG6AcyPsXg/w640-h640/FWMG4959.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div>I requested for my meal to be served after take-off, as I wanted nap for the rest of the flight. I ordered the Classic Arabic mezze with pita bread, spiced grouper with frarant rice and pineapple relish, gourmet ice-cream, crisps, and more champange. </div><div><br /></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNCPGws_xXjx5-lCBGT_B1IpOdTcPU7Bx5eA6jVSATg6HZ0DFjrm9YoDGv1NdmnEiNnpArraMUom_1LhT_wXTYs5xGhc3wVMwzzk0H071g9yi8Foy7BwDzGK9_Smn4a45iTA2kPQMG-u-oYxr9uGD0ZXMqvzOna9EDNxsrLZehPxEoxyRlRnRemziWN2E/s4096/VDNN1686.JPG" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNCPGws_xXjx5-lCBGT_B1IpOdTcPU7Bx5eA6jVSATg6HZ0DFjrm9YoDGv1NdmnEiNnpArraMUom_1LhT_wXTYs5xGhc3wVMwzzk0H071g9yi8Foy7BwDzGK9_Smn4a45iTA2kPQMG-u-oYxr9uGD0ZXMqvzOna9EDNxsrLZehPxEoxyRlRnRemziWN2E/w640-h640/VDNN1686.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div>This was a day-time flight so they didn't provide a pyjamas. However, I asked the flight attendant if I could get one, and he gladly brought me one. =) I had a long way to go so I wanted to keep my clothes clean as long as possible. On a side note, the flight attendant, Jian, was super nice. Found out that he is also a Penangite, and was home to visit his dad before working on this flight. </div><div><br /></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglr2dDIDsPoBms2jwJA6yyYDmR0xyDGE559sJi1YpuqSR6YM_orpVqcFBk7TJNp1WuljAs2tuIYZQyGsrVU_IoIRrsinALlFgEW9eFxon5ychLvCeUhnmljSZWtYZxeLMnDiEoHRpA--H4hvetwWsc58G3D2grYKQim6kov8D4nsuyvGoI8wtHvptgPpI/s4096/PJGT0659.JPG" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglr2dDIDsPoBms2jwJA6yyYDmR0xyDGE559sJi1YpuqSR6YM_orpVqcFBk7TJNp1WuljAs2tuIYZQyGsrVU_IoIRrsinALlFgEW9eFxon5ychLvCeUhnmljSZWtYZxeLMnDiEoHRpA--H4hvetwWsc58G3D2grYKQim6kov8D4nsuyvGoI8wtHvptgPpI/w640-h480/PJGT0659.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div>Woke up after napping for 4-hours, and landed in Doha at 12.30pm.</div><div><br /></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7QyGH0TCZK9HwbKSnMkBC6yK3IO46aa1RGryjvdsQokVNYsmfofD91Z8G2ksSoD4MmFXF_7jpXnRfekZv-0khE1ysrVgoqusLalKAeXpL98nmYIt6omqD-DQEjz8K-6yng6W4-JrpPs74Brj7uraaZB3j8kwnJRDqAi3G7cm3mRHr62xCA6K6eHdmZ50/s4096/OHIG5294.JPG" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="851" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7QyGH0TCZK9HwbKSnMkBC6yK3IO46aa1RGryjvdsQokVNYsmfofD91Z8G2ksSoD4MmFXF_7jpXnRfekZv-0khE1ysrVgoqusLalKAeXpL98nmYIt6omqD-DQEjz8K-6yng6W4-JrpPs74Brj7uraaZB3j8kwnJRDqAi3G7cm3mRHr62xCA6K6eHdmZ50/w638-h851/OHIG5294.JPG" width="638" /></span></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div>Even though I've transitted through Doha airport 4 times prior to this, I've only been to the 'Teddy Bear' terminal and this was my first time in the new 'Orchard' terminal, which was just opened in November 2022. The indoor garden made me feel like I was in Changi airport. </div><div><br /></div><div>With 19 hours to spend in Doha (my next flight wasn't until 7am the next morning), I decided to sign up for the 3-hour <a href="https://www.khaishing.com/2023/08/qatar-2022-doha-transit-tour.html" target="_blank">Doha Transit Tour</a> at 3pm. </div><div><br /></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqrEHw6AQrrfPvUXnb-3hiC6QeZjvSIP2dFJxfzPORRexZzb0YJ3X8kSgl-v0ZTldFixzJT6JgkApPy9rhsv8XLnRgFF2fTFrrN7ACx3QOUDcsJ0D2PoRxi49ARQCKKjDshWz2-8ufotCeGEIr3omgT5uAv_zhIfCVV3kH7cip8Rogl7igcgT3LImT9ps/s4096/TDAY6334.JPG" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqrEHw6AQrrfPvUXnb-3hiC6QeZjvSIP2dFJxfzPORRexZzb0YJ3X8kSgl-v0ZTldFixzJT6JgkApPy9rhsv8XLnRgFF2fTFrrN7ACx3QOUDcsJ0D2PoRxi49ARQCKKjDshWz2-8ufotCeGEIr3omgT5uAv_zhIfCVV3kH7cip8Rogl7igcgT3LImT9ps/w640-h640/TDAY6334.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div>I had about 30 minutes before the tour meeting time so I went to check out the Al Mourjan Business Lounge at the main terminal. I've seen videos about this lounge and it was indeed huge! That big 'pool' was kinda useless but I guess it made the lounge looked fancier?</div></span></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcaz4eP6CPG90hY8F_bul41m7Ca3kAX3OWL9drry5LDJeSz6C9p7P-V1u7uaqEU9Q4e20Dd8x72gSXuw_loHP87Nk3o365PD0LWUUhAOQfGrr4HB4cpocUZNWmiY-bRdbLEKcXLk5KWTh8imEuOhiRaN4LU3hfKK3mGzbLRJZxtAaPCzFsV3l83N-s_cs/s4096/EQBC9490.JPG" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcaz4eP6CPG90hY8F_bul41m7Ca3kAX3OWL9drry5LDJeSz6C9p7P-V1u7uaqEU9Q4e20Dd8x72gSXuw_loHP87Nk3o365PD0LWUUhAOQfGrr4HB4cpocUZNWmiY-bRdbLEKcXLk5KWTh8imEuOhiRaN4LU3hfKK3mGzbLRJZxtAaPCzFsV3l83N-s_cs/w640-h640/EQBC9490.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div>The lounge was huge and very empty when I was there around 1pm.</div><div><br /></div></span></div></span></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCFYQEJnSc18IYCUO3JhHc08HogeSL0mC2AQz1P53Khg9wg9w3C1MKaamAJe7nFx9UQTdPD3dle-xOJP8yUWBSsPXUwN1_chE6gDf1J9ZTKE4WmL0lGfLnK1awnP8qT3UXsU5LKph3vOiZy6c8Q67QrEDODWFFY1EeIcItza2iemNM--9laPlcerl014Q/s4096/MKME7007.JPG" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCFYQEJnSc18IYCUO3JhHc08HogeSL0mC2AQz1P53Khg9wg9w3C1MKaamAJe7nFx9UQTdPD3dle-xOJP8yUWBSsPXUwN1_chE6gDf1J9ZTKE4WmL0lGfLnK1awnP8qT3UXsU5LKph3vOiZy6c8Q67QrEDODWFFY1EeIcItza2iemNM--9laPlcerl014Q/w640-h640/MKME7007.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div>Went upstairs to the dining area to grab lunch before the tour. There are a la carte options as well but I didn't have much time so I just grabbed some food from the buffet.</div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/uvIq--Jik2o" title="YouTube video player" width="640"></iframe></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><span> Discover Qatar - </span>Doha Transit Tour</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnfQ8oXS6rIb7huOspXtrzOQ7x6cvmBqo7mmKPef2JolED2sK1KZ_Hx9pDcPigSut-ySrwQCoMRDsPTxlyjWR6fET8EsDzSTAWBJ83ib2ADybb2ZCaWkXDHY-_Ha-3uIcaXdNsj8nn7mjxPbJ-Kxv3XtQ0iAK89gx7UPt60lQJDUVow1FIRKIl545feI0/s4096/JQHQ5717.JPG" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnfQ8oXS6rIb7huOspXtrzOQ7x6cvmBqo7mmKPef2JolED2sK1KZ_Hx9pDcPigSut-ySrwQCoMRDsPTxlyjWR6fET8EsDzSTAWBJ83ib2ADybb2ZCaWkXDHY-_Ha-3uIcaXdNsj8nn7mjxPbJ-Kxv3XtQ0iAK89gx7UPt60lQJDUVow1FIRKIl545feI0/w640-h480/JQHQ5717.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div>Returned to the airport at 6pm after the transit tour and went to the Al Mourjan Business Lounge - The Garden, which was located at the 'Orchard' terminal. This lounge was just recently opened in April 2023 so I was excited to check it out. The lounge was located at the 2nd floor and the elevator to the lounge is behind the Louis Vuitton store, where the LV sign is. There is a huge customer service desk once you exit the elevator and straight ahead is the LV lounge.</div></span></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div><br /></div><div><div><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB8SCE27CnQyfrTZ_f-7-Mk-9Gw30E6mo1MqXU082bw8jC9z0PiJLhMVQwMyWr8OyXRDmMNdwitELI0QVwdACuQwsyXdOzXUdNY1diV6lBTMkh_yKZvgT2pQVB2eC8Hxz1knP2Cya4znLIptto9zvVrEq6GIplHVfZyyvOJjOOGdbJhHFu_QVs6S1axDI/s4096/RYMP5828.JPG" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB8SCE27CnQyfrTZ_f-7-Mk-9Gw30E6mo1MqXU082bw8jC9z0PiJLhMVQwMyWr8OyXRDmMNdwitELI0QVwdACuQwsyXdOzXUdNY1diV6lBTMkh_yKZvgT2pQVB2eC8Hxz1knP2Cya4znLIptto9zvVrEq6GIplHVfZyyvOJjOOGdbJhHFu_QVs6S1axDI/w640-h640/RYMP5828.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;">To the left of the lounge is the main part of the lounge with plenty of seating options. There were charging ports, including wireless charging, at all seats. There is another water thingy in the middle of the lounge, but at least it wasn't as huge as the 'pool' in the other lounge. The entire lounge overlooks the indoor garden and felt very open with natural light coming from the glass windows. There lounge was so huge with so much space so it never felt crowded.</span></div><div><br /></div><div><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhIqaAytgddGJ5SCWygxAhlEByxy-Q1lhY6ZF5hYAdTZnY0ZToaWYqmnN-5NAKgVnycQU5I9-APmYnnFCNkbLMmlXrPremIIruoC8MJQetToCVu_JwZqB3iPZu8GsYH2NN2Ods1SDmbCLaWaaFAIHgE8R0i4jNplWv4r8TK2BZM4d9fdmIt2pgRHjAWwk/s4096/HLYT5776.JPG" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="854" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhIqaAytgddGJ5SCWygxAhlEByxy-Q1lhY6ZF5hYAdTZnY0ZToaWYqmnN-5NAKgVnycQU5I9-APmYnnFCNkbLMmlXrPremIIruoC8MJQetToCVu_JwZqB3iPZu8GsYH2NN2Ods1SDmbCLaWaaFAIHgE8R0i4jNplWv4r8TK2BZM4d9fdmIt2pgRHjAWwk/w641-h854/HLYT5776.JPG" width="641" /></span></a></span></div><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div>There is also a drink station with light refreshments on this side of the lounge, which made it convenient to grab a drink, including champagnes, wines, beers, coffee, etc.</div><div><br /></div></span></div></div></div><div><div><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzrMO6EXcgMN5ozJpV0Xpz-lcETv28mrjIE1suFj0PcAOWN4ytwrDbgqHISsN2j4FWT1qDXaoLblDnP3NztkfI5lz2hjzR6pHV_fls0T32EhdMBo5Zaz0ZvjG432uWH1qS4D9_TPNARQEhbar83iFcovpE-0ANPIKigDyafxMSv7oSgon0r7MFv8BYEZ0/s4096/RKAD6840.JPG" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzrMO6EXcgMN5ozJpV0Xpz-lcETv28mrjIE1suFj0PcAOWN4ytwrDbgqHISsN2j4FWT1qDXaoLblDnP3NztkfI5lz2hjzR6pHV_fls0T32EhdMBo5Zaz0ZvjG432uWH1qS4D9_TPNARQEhbar83iFcovpE-0ANPIKigDyafxMSv7oSgon0r7MFv8BYEZ0/w640-h640/RKAD6840.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></span></div><div><div><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div>I desperately needed a shower after a sweaty afternoon touring around Doha so I went to shower area to register for a shower suite. There were plenty of shower rooms so there was no wait at all. Each shower suite has a walk-in shower and a sink, but no toilet. The toilets were located in a separate area. I guess they didn't want to install a toilet in the shower probably to avoid people from spending too much time 'sitting' on the toilet. There was a towel and Dyptique amenities (shampoo, conditioner, shower gel and body lotion) in each shower suite. Water pressure was decent.</div></span></div></div><div><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></div></span></div></span></div></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRnlUVrwX_WsRqYDPdSwHgWcpmRa5j1Xp0xhNabYcOuKJ2vDjWsaLu0WPo0axwNJGqlJ51uwn8wy9lNwCcg1YGBfIHEPje7KL4h2zd-gh-detSHss0s7OY1YwMO7is_hY9-xGMqRET-e4rLRdJr8izZNc0YYTTZ9rf4jc6LxL9LFvI6ZdSrS-eRGE2w5g/s4096/KUWS0018.JPG" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRnlUVrwX_WsRqYDPdSwHgWcpmRa5j1Xp0xhNabYcOuKJ2vDjWsaLu0WPo0axwNJGqlJ51uwn8wy9lNwCcg1YGBfIHEPje7KL4h2zd-gh-detSHss0s7OY1YwMO7is_hY9-xGMqRET-e4rLRdJr8izZNc0YYTTZ9rf4jc6LxL9LFvI6ZdSrS-eRGE2w5g/w640-h640/KUWS0018.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;">After a refreshing shower at 7pm, it was time for dinner so I walked over to the dining and bar area, which was located to right of the lounge. There are also p</span><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;">lenty of seating options including individual dining tables, communal tables, and high-top seats.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ0VyylHA_BErxlDmIe9fKPVwluuPvQ3Dupo4j7L1ZACHRFsO2wh7Yuj8NphxcMRsgMw5gnu2kkuHgIUaXWUtOGUa9kJqpDJx6rLbjOvpc2zoqOy3JRhEZiLBmZZHwbHNOEUVIlBmHx9sIWmicb2_CgFzsFGx6R3hyIuW48ikEKCLxQHhHPogIEAL6mxI/s4096/AIYN9238.JPG" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ0VyylHA_BErxlDmIe9fKPVwluuPvQ3Dupo4j7L1ZACHRFsO2wh7Yuj8NphxcMRsgMw5gnu2kkuHgIUaXWUtOGUa9kJqpDJx6rLbjOvpc2zoqOy3JRhEZiLBmZZHwbHNOEUVIlBmHx9sIWmicb2_CgFzsFGx6R3hyIuW48ikEKCLxQHhHPogIEAL6mxI/w640-h640/AIYN9238.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div>The lounge has an extensive selection of food and drinks, with both a la carte and buffet options. I opted for the a la carte options and ordered a variety of sushi for dinner using the app.</div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhslrBRz5NulYETqy5klWMgxbiCHBAIGEvXDId68Ca9Cpv-fd5qip5C3172_j1-R_idDxuiw3IG0Uhr69gpniX4ZyXtv4YZI9jA2GkJw8Gx-3q4XcsfXdUh7w4IsN5ZtklxjaU11ZC3VqC8k-HZpH5f9z7d3aiORv_R3Gjnlf3FGu7ls19Pdbymaz8naRA/s4096/UHMK8882.JPG" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhslrBRz5NulYETqy5klWMgxbiCHBAIGEvXDId68Ca9Cpv-fd5qip5C3172_j1-R_idDxuiw3IG0Uhr69gpniX4ZyXtv4YZI9jA2GkJw8Gx-3q4XcsfXdUh7w4IsN5ZtklxjaU11ZC3VqC8k-HZpH5f9z7d3aiORv_R3Gjnlf3FGu7ls19Pdbymaz8naRA/w640-h640/UHMK8882.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div><div><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div><div>There are also quiet rooms on the left side of the lounge, which are available on a first come, first served basis. I was informed that all the rooms were fully occupied when I asked about it at 8pm. I asked the staff when the next one would be available and she said to come back around 9pm. I decided to sit right in front of the desk to wait (and watch)...and got the next room available at 9pm. Each guest is allowed to stay in the room for a maximum of 6 hours so I was able to use the room from 9pm - 3am to get some rest. The quiet room was private and had a lounge chair and blanket. The chair wasn't super comfortable to sleep on but it was still nice to have a quiet place to rest.</div></div></span></div></div></span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div><br /></div><div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihVeHK04O5EMvs_lAdzCA2Z5LWHLcDxn42qFASBGRiYOPK5pTgwu-xuBpMeLM_2Wq1mZEKTMyvqy6_gbyDFuLfOZstp1rXbcwXrmOyc1aDa6hdUht5aiYccIP9pM7oqK2kJz4_Xb4s41BJrC3uIrhqw-6Opyk3g8bh1RQ16g-DJ1kilAmxwp2JFVPU9cc/s4096/NTCB0778.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihVeHK04O5EMvs_lAdzCA2Z5LWHLcDxn42qFASBGRiYOPK5pTgwu-xuBpMeLM_2Wq1mZEKTMyvqy6_gbyDFuLfOZstp1rXbcwXrmOyc1aDa6hdUht5aiYccIP9pM7oqK2kJz4_Xb4s41BJrC3uIrhqw-6Opyk3g8bh1RQ16g-DJ1kilAmxwp2JFVPU9cc/w480-h640/NTCB0778.JPG" width="480" /></span></a></div><div><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div>I left the quiet room at 3am and continued hanging out for a few hours in the main sitting area.</div><div><br /></div><div><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/S4MXRfcZCnY?si=vsg8mAY4CdvzCf_u" title="YouTube video player" width="640"></iframe></div></span></span></span></div></div><div> The lounge was so empty in the middle of the night so I decided to do a video tour of the lounge.<br /><br /></div></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh5pMk0z_GFtgAr1mFV27xSjCUbduYLJdQasy8WvYR7aTe4zIBsVNKzA84SMaMFWQIamzMaHW7HGxEp9w0FcPbdwFECYeDXizbp6kE06TkZqDFtO5NAFumk20wgeE9lct8UkubTKY-_HaPhG7se6Ver5J7i_iag-ZPoNJ5SY90v5lraAuack__-QwO3c0/s4096/PWZK2852.JPG" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh5pMk0z_GFtgAr1mFV27xSjCUbduYLJdQasy8WvYR7aTe4zIBsVNKzA84SMaMFWQIamzMaHW7HGxEp9w0FcPbdwFECYeDXizbp6kE06TkZqDFtO5NAFumk20wgeE9lct8UkubTKY-_HaPhG7se6Ver5J7i_iag-ZPoNJ5SY90v5lraAuack__-QwO3c0/w640-h480/PWZK2852.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;">After chilling for about 13 hours in the lounge, I took another shower to freshen up at 5.30am and had some light breakfast at the dining area before leaving the lounge at 6.35am.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div> <div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAQolVipi-o4xortEJv0jjTgN_fd2dNNT1Gpe-BFBrkX7DcHI8ekym6RW5K7PeK2ijH4vIxhEtO4-tAQ_2ok4Jw_ZY4Q89t2uPJYxBug5x9m2zGVG798Me5Vj0LEUB_uKhTDxVNDxoG98bJcG_cNSG15jqMgLZX6xVSOosDo7kpkm3s-CAN0jXfVJiC6I/s4096/WXMP3697.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAQolVipi-o4xortEJv0jjTgN_fd2dNNT1Gpe-BFBrkX7DcHI8ekym6RW5K7PeK2ijH4vIxhEtO4-tAQ_2ok4Jw_ZY4Q89t2uPJYxBug5x9m2zGVG798Me5Vj0LEUB_uKhTDxVNDxoG98bJcG_cNSG15jqMgLZX6xVSOosDo7kpkm3s-CAN0jXfVJiC6I/w640-h640/WXMP3697.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;">The airport was busy early in the morning and the boarding area for the flight to Atlanta was packed.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYUl3ajv8pjRXBM7sTsTvq5rdB0q21DqINA7DmIP5s6oE0-bos25Jc87OQpJ6OBzHdePDIzywpCcNIdDfwtKy58OXHGrt32Bg51fH5xBkD43cy5AqS6lrv97NsO6iX52CisMYVta9Z6vljOCjgizzxrEYEx3qY1bbrrvkX_VTjnPEjlR3DR3L7o4Zzp-s/s4096/QJJM0663.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="857" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYUl3ajv8pjRXBM7sTsTvq5rdB0q21DqINA7DmIP5s6oE0-bos25Jc87OQpJ6OBzHdePDIzywpCcNIdDfwtKy58OXHGrt32Bg51fH5xBkD43cy5AqS6lrv97NsO6iX52CisMYVta9Z6vljOCjgizzxrEYEx3qY1bbrrvkX_VTjnPEjlR3DR3L7o4Zzp-s/w643-h857/QJJM0663.JPG" width="643" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;">Boarded my 7.55am flight from Doha to Atlanta. Contrary to the earlier flight, business class for this flight was originally Qsuite when I made the booking but was swapped to the old 2-2-2 layout, which is probably one of the worst business class Qatar has. Even though it looked more spacious, it was definitely a huge downgrade from Qsuite coz there was no privacy at all. I was surprised Qatar still used this old layout for a </span><span style="font-family: "Source Sans Pro";">15-hours transatlantic flight. Qatar did send an email to inform about the change from Qsuite and offered the option to change our flight but there weren't any other good alternatives so I didn't bother changing. Business class for this flight was also 100% full and </span><span style="font-family: "Source Sans Pro";">I chose the middle seat 7F as I wanted aisle access. Th</span><span style="font-family: "Source Sans Pro";">e amenity kit is a leather pouch instead of a paper box.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFXGX4O5j4AOHEgshjymqpdD3LLBsPOYnOI9VKGwPJvWrLRF6xzO4cbCFNVlOvSrW12Y5P3I_1NfC23o8qUnbr8AIbIX_xaxo9fU_LC0RvslH5849AtgIhfiUmx_lIKx8EPUFpUC57AaWYLubHSDOZWYO4_G6pyM3YNJg2wd3NLWVfO8ejOg6cQUJkHgo/s4096/JDLA9841.JPG" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="864" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFXGX4O5j4AOHEgshjymqpdD3LLBsPOYnOI9VKGwPJvWrLRF6xzO4cbCFNVlOvSrW12Y5P3I_1NfC23o8qUnbr8AIbIX_xaxo9fU_LC0RvslH5849AtgIhfiUmx_lIKx8EPUFpUC57AaWYLubHSDOZWYO4_G6pyM3YNJg2wd3NLWVfO8ejOg6cQUJkHgo/w649-h864/JDLA9841.JPG" width="649" /></span></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;">Ordered the Thai chicken khao soi with egg noodle from the 'Light options' to start off the flight.</span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcO5S2ggyMr5mCsKEQgqHsax-jY1BOlHvsDTQomPT3VCC_bbRSN_aJxtkMGmlM0vH9fKVCy5wJNCflU7MiLwlpHd9LFSSo80in15zjTYwWfe2o3K2YjuwAJyT28kJhtwOJCniMAYQ91xgwya1Us0QZGNVAUJeEGkO14MOHOHs4Ndth0odUmS8Hnu8PR5E/s4096/MBLI0196.JPG" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="274" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcO5S2ggyMr5mCsKEQgqHsax-jY1BOlHvsDTQomPT3VCC_bbRSN_aJxtkMGmlM0vH9fKVCy5wJNCflU7MiLwlpHd9LFSSo80in15zjTYwWfe2o3K2YjuwAJyT28kJhtwOJCniMAYQ91xgwya1Us0QZGNVAUJeEGkO14MOHOHs4Ndth0odUmS8Hnu8PR5E/w640-h274/MBLI0196.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><div><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;">The cabin lights were dimmed after breakfast. I changed into my pajamas and asked the flight attendant to set up the bedding. My plan was to sleep as much as possible on this long flight but only slept for 4 hours throughout the entire flight as I ended up editing video the whole time.</span></div></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyUeGTN9bbrhdYigFDSG_oK0bQu7zRF2ciXOrzHx8059HsGwSLJG5qltGTRm4RMRWvt41B-8bOw_hpsfYYbnIZvQPcZONNZf8OLBA2ra0rNS-qiTUTqejeyAwvtVhV7UDDhJhC91JlP5xqNwgZpx6myDT722ZImDcej1nrK5xgrbgCSjVjcmTLnFtmYjo/s4096/REKR4684.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyUeGTN9bbrhdYigFDSG_oK0bQu7zRF2ciXOrzHx8059HsGwSLJG5qltGTRm4RMRWvt41B-8bOw_hpsfYYbnIZvQPcZONNZf8OLBA2ra0rNS-qiTUTqejeyAwvtVhV7UDDhJhC91JlP5xqNwgZpx6myDT722ZImDcej1nrK5xgrbgCSjVjcmTLnFtmYjo/w640-h640/REKR4684.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;">Requested for some crisps and beer to enjoy as I was editing videos. I successfully finished editing an entire video on this flight, and requested the flight attendant to serve the Grilled fillet of salmon and Broccoli miso soup for my next meal. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGLIqK4fn4iWg41vV3WObMgtMLqjX4tHfsxe-Vz1MOBBOA819KU45Vo-MV_O00iigdTyTtuXQA5UCVg-Kqeh5wrdMCoYXhUnTMopdGLOh2xsABdITHqGi2KWWVYnc-5HhcQP4m9SXgqjyScpaYo0Pk0iCi4h19iZ2wktv5IIlYYO6tsn64NtC7Ne8toXM/s4096/ELZZ0186.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGLIqK4fn4iWg41vV3WObMgtMLqjX4tHfsxe-Vz1MOBBOA819KU45Vo-MV_O00iigdTyTtuXQA5UCVg-Kqeh5wrdMCoYXhUnTMopdGLOh2xsABdITHqGi2KWWVYnc-5HhcQP4m9SXgqjyScpaYo0Pk0iCi4h19iZ2wktv5IIlYYO6tsn64NtC7Ne8toXM/w640-h640/ELZZ0186.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;">The seat was on this flight was ok but the storage space was certainly limited, with only a small compartment next to the seat to keep and charge my phones. Our flight landed in Atlanta at 3.46pm and I got through immigration pretty quickly, thanks to Global Entry.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOP2dIYSPCdcO7WZTrUE3_wuoKSRGekzJ7LgIvZXDdP_YIphQpRNrOw82vqmjbJjz7RHUCJRF5k9o6wwpUJyoncmROwCsVFwK_7bhuwGWUNORycdeC1as-c7qn2qr59l6jVtlHMYucCPgmz2WSt-R2XEfB7OZH4vs0ucdhQdZXcHbWBvI9kuCkyF7W0wA/s4096/BSTH5814.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="873" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOP2dIYSPCdcO7WZTrUE3_wuoKSRGekzJ7LgIvZXDdP_YIphQpRNrOw82vqmjbJjz7RHUCJRF5k9o6wwpUJyoncmROwCsVFwK_7bhuwGWUNORycdeC1as-c7qn2qr59l6jVtlHMYucCPgmz2WSt-R2XEfB7OZH4vs0ucdhQdZXcHbWBvI9kuCkyF7W0wA/w654-h873/BSTH5814.JPG" width="654" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;">Unfortunately, it took quite awhile for my bags to be unloaded even though I had the 'priority' tag on it. When I finally got my bags at 4.35pm, I found out that the airport train was down so everyone had to wait in a long line for the shuttle bus to the rental car center. After waiting for about an hour in line, I finally made it to the rental car center at 6.15pm (2.5 hours after arrival) to pick up my rental car to drive for another 3.5 hours...and finally made it home at 9pm after a very long journey.</span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://khaishing.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default</div>khaishing.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05154189313956844355noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3659547063209051949.post-7934703348494748312023-08-16T01:16:00.004-05:002023-08-17T01:30:27.234-05:00Qatar 2023 ✈ Doha Transit Tour<div><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div style="text-align: justify;">Before Covid, I have never been or traveled through Doha airport before. However, since 2021, I've traveled through Doha airport multiple times (7 times to be exact), and it's probably one of my most 'transitted' airport over the past 3 years. Even though I've had long transits in this airport previously, they had always been in the middle of the night so I've never gotten out of the airport. During my recent trip in May, I intentionally scheduled my flight with a 19-hour transit in Doha and finally had the opportunity to visit Doha with the Discover Doha Transit Tour.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span></div><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/uvIq--Jik2o" title="YouTube video player" width="640"></iframe></div></span><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><b>19 May 2023 (Friday): 3-hours Discover Doha Transit Tour</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div>For passengers transitting through Qatar for 8 hours and more, <a href="https://www.discoverqatar.qa/transit-tours/" target="_blank">Discover Qatar</a> offers several transit tour options for tourists to make the most of the transit time to discover Qatar. Even though the transit tours are not free, it is a very convenient way to see a new country/city in a short amount of time without having to plan anything in advance. The website provides option to book the tours in advance, but it was quick and easy enough to sign up for it at the airport.</div></span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG_noODtiVeaWlc0KDD_7cjEiM8T4Fajhul-UBkzZvCbX6HHlfaoKzX2siQD_iBFfBvhhNuFN5KHnWrxuC9H8FLl30bQr0nHF-CcoCrKwbmFEACWzJZODXKachOJr8TDC9YPAGjM7uIUvKCwhe5qhB4T54JbjPOzW4FaRcDLYJHpCqk7CADOFPVEljYUk/s1920/IMG_0518.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG_noODtiVeaWlc0KDD_7cjEiM8T4Fajhul-UBkzZvCbX6HHlfaoKzX2siQD_iBFfBvhhNuFN5KHnWrxuC9H8FLl30bQr0nHF-CcoCrKwbmFEACWzJZODXKachOJr8TDC9YPAGjM7uIUvKCwhe5qhB4T54JbjPOzW4FaRcDLYJHpCqk7CADOFPVEljYUk/w640-h640/IMG_0518.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;">1.10pm: After my flight from KL landed Doha airport at 12.30pm, and I went to the Discover Qatar desk at the main terminal (in front of the teddy bear) to sign up for the next Discover Doha transit tour at 3pm. I paid QAR 99 (~$27) with my credit card and the staff asked me to meet at the same place at 1.45pm. I was then given a slip of paper to be used for immigration.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIdF2LOJXctF33_F5zOE2miTYBkt89Rr5GK47YE3_9slBMAYU5eX1wfNR8kPQeUtpwzsboMcJGYSF6dzs49Ed7iYgUErS2yLZfmHBOM6Rs2zZgcfn_03TZ7G_810JyDP_UMGkwha1ZoiRP_DHOSL2DtzQtqB_BxzRFvqD00EC9tU6cEJxtZr5RMZ4lpv0/s4096/OPFS2106.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIdF2LOJXctF33_F5zOE2miTYBkt89Rr5GK47YE3_9slBMAYU5eX1wfNR8kPQeUtpwzsboMcJGYSF6dzs49Ed7iYgUErS2yLZfmHBOM6Rs2zZgcfn_03TZ7G_810JyDP_UMGkwha1ZoiRP_DHOSL2DtzQtqB_BxzRFvqD00EC9tU6cEJxtZr5RMZ4lpv0/w640-h480/OPFS2106.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;">1.45pm: We met the Discover Qatar staff who led us through immigration. I was traveling in Business Class so the staff asked me to follow the Al Safwa First & Al Mourjan Business sign. I was confused initially and was very surprised when I found out that t</span><span style="font-family: "Source Sans Pro";">here is a very nice dedicated immigration area </span><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;">f</span><span style="font-family: "Source Sans Pro";">or Qatar Airways First and Business class passengers...wow!! It was like an 'immigration lounge' and there was</span><span style="font-family: "Source Sans Pro";"> no lines at all. The immigration officer looked at my passport and that slip, and I cleared immigration within 3 minutes...that was amazing! </span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbimUIeRhTBFlERKq9964rGHSBTd0kkF8N_ekupJ7zjeMxXvdKnqCp99vcvLeRznn6m0DWd6ewF72AB5d0GHr7MmrzZs2udp-1EdJGKiENC4fv9fsLGGuyCpfmxsN2RhiGremKWsAXVfRbmNCkOlD7idw7gZnKvA_iywHbW24iAcSZdFfPwhC-dtNxbI8/s4096/JUYC5004.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbimUIeRhTBFlERKq9964rGHSBTd0kkF8N_ekupJ7zjeMxXvdKnqCp99vcvLeRznn6m0DWd6ewF72AB5d0GHr7MmrzZs2udp-1EdJGKiENC4fv9fsLGGuyCpfmxsN2RhiGremKWsAXVfRbmNCkOlD7idw7gZnKvA_iywHbW24iAcSZdFfPwhC-dtNxbI8/w640-h640/JUYC5004.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><div><div><div><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;">2.00pm: Since I cleared immigration so quickly, I waited for about 10 minutes for everyone else to clear immigration before the staff led us to the information counter, and asked us to come back to this information counter at 2.45pm. </span></div></div></div></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdBGBfnbK39jOzoNPRe_QTlCtM6mdUAp3hHZ6cDfFI_mnPUjoKzPc7h5ukOfNUtWgOBaCD3p-vaAAKigjQnRbV_gEzVUwRoGfW8OzR9ij4vmz0y2BMyZlEgGX28oxV_bX93hemXXDAXgJ33pDoEukFiouV9SmFd-T_e0fS3ehScoi6fOUZ2AIZwz0ilAw/w640-h640/Arrival%20Lounge.JPG" width="640" /></div><div><div><div><div><div><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;">2.15pm: I had about 30 minutes to wait and spotted the Arrival Lounge near the information desk. As I was traveling Business Class, I was able to visit the Qatar Airways Arrival Lounge, which was very nice. Qatar certainly treats their First and Business Class passengers like VIP. The lounge was totally empty and I was the only guest there...lol!</span></div><div><br /></div></div></div></div></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSMRcogNXQpb3EMb8FrTZ5sRlMJWurFiLQ5b8OqmglmtKs9gvVUX8fNJn-PjapsyYcD0eAJNcv9YTlzWUSeMRJHqs6ROUS_9Oxj99MtsP4LcfTL58Si02T43fyWt7J9zUYIG83QS0wjBnkt9A3oto1XM0A63eptOmbRKOvFVK0pQcRnKfBwqc5-oP6a24/s4096/PZHD6395.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSMRcogNXQpb3EMb8FrTZ5sRlMJWurFiLQ5b8OqmglmtKs9gvVUX8fNJn-PjapsyYcD0eAJNcv9YTlzWUSeMRJHqs6ROUS_9Oxj99MtsP4LcfTL58Si02T43fyWt7J9zUYIG83QS0wjBnkt9A3oto1XM0A63eptOmbRKOvFVK0pQcRnKfBwqc5-oP6a24/w640-h640/PZHD6395.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;">There were quite a few food options in the lounge but I wasn't feeling hungry so I just requested for a cup of cappucino and used the bathroom, which was super nice too. </span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYyk5MKFw8tXnIBj64VW9LN_A05GO2JgzHtpfGuq3HxCsRAb4ZqAlJyTe4gVTfAwO4fuaDqmCSxCntfDr31o1m7NQcj5y3JkUxIyIR4uGesXD5vLMEJDv7kS08Mg-ujuxCHslyeiVv4nWusq12Y1rjtlVI6SUpTuAaOO1pcrfn6iTtIL0-JuT-4vSwX1I/s4096/CYTJ3077.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYyk5MKFw8tXnIBj64VW9LN_A05GO2JgzHtpfGuq3HxCsRAb4ZqAlJyTe4gVTfAwO4fuaDqmCSxCntfDr31o1m7NQcj5y3JkUxIyIR4uGesXD5vLMEJDv7kS08Mg-ujuxCHslyeiVv4nWusq12Y1rjtlVI6SUpTuAaOO1pcrfn6iTtIL0-JuT-4vSwX1I/w640-h640/CYTJ3077.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><div><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;">2.45pm: Our group met the staff at the information desk and the staff led us to the arrival area to board the bus.</span></div><div><br /></div></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaIH8lOBC3bnSuOwudsZV5x17TNKion2qcTJfhOO25D0HG34Q2tSZroJDOcL8Oohey_t2pvIyR2fODrxMpLB-i5p5oeXemxRADdYdxVY5S3irN84MPpPoEK3imEXQrI7fzml6fTltTNuz0fDCr-YHeQSCe0fotUJk6uqKbUDpwe2jRIHVQvu2owF5XG3U/s4096/KHOM9056.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaIH8lOBC3bnSuOwudsZV5x17TNKion2qcTJfhOO25D0HG34Q2tSZroJDOcL8Oohey_t2pvIyR2fODrxMpLB-i5p5oeXemxRADdYdxVY5S3irN84MPpPoEK3imEXQrI7fzml6fTltTNuz0fDCr-YHeQSCe0fotUJk6uqKbUDpwe2jRIHVQvu2owF5XG3U/w640-h480/KHOM9056.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;">2.45pm: The bus was air-conditioned and had a lavatory. Complimentary chilled bottled water was also provided in the bus. There were only 9 of us so we had ample space to spread out in the big bus.</span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoZEOsS8kUr2Z5ioi3oUWp0igK4C10miMSL-29jWP8ugXizBnRaeHDJlYQ6X9Qs_x_qEYn2jxyFCvxBRcvfoXLqco4cz2lEU4U4_N4NKurk_qX5CPnZxtmjqftbFpDIseOshwXrxl33Iz8YEDe5nGr98gVDoI8iQLdmvoM17NzehyC7V-cMCLHg2rPDjo/s4096/LIPE5058.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoZEOsS8kUr2Z5ioi3oUWp0igK4C10miMSL-29jWP8ugXizBnRaeHDJlYQ6X9Qs_x_qEYn2jxyFCvxBRcvfoXLqco4cz2lEU4U4_N4NKurk_qX5CPnZxtmjqftbFpDIseOshwXrxl33Iz8YEDe5nGr98gVDoI8iQLdmvoM17NzehyC7V-cMCLHg2rPDjo/w640-h640/LIPE5058.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><div><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;">3.00pm: The tour started on time and our tour guide briefed us on the route for the next 3 hours. He also introduced the sights as we drove by them, such as </span><span style="font-family: "Source Sans Pro";">Stadium 974 which was constructed from shipping containers </span><span style="font-family: "Source Sans Pro";">for FIFA World Cup 2022, and the </span><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;">Flag Plaza which is home to 119 national and coalition flags. We also saw a traditional dhow boats docked along Doha Corniche, and learnt that pearl diving was one of the country's main sources of income prior to the discovery of oil in Qatar.</span></div></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhahkA__yTIuxwUDnE89JfxHAlxR1dZkQzSiOzLCxhTcgWtvaGWA4dnoVD8vKi62nl5VUa7ebuPEhofJh6vr6HEBVVhp3yUYKrAnn-8y9s2-DhyQ5zJzGNRRafXGmOCQNGw_S277aTCNGcHUCL55kBAtNCmO5Ww0WDcgbOMD17sORRjvs0FjwZTM-SpTUM/w640-h640/AWQA6782.JPG" width="640" /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">3.15pm: Our first stop is at the Museum of Islamic Art. This iconic building on the Doha Corniche, designed by the famous architect I. M. Pei. We were also given about 10 minutes to take photos at Doha's iconic waterfront with the panoramic views of Doha’s impressive skyline.</div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT8dM4sR0fdj-isXIHBousdr0e6g9Dj6P65dMdGCtOZjzXJ8gnjOofnXJFAsVosb33DuB4i9pB00bhJwSHGlMF9dtNs50SMsf0oCw28lQ0uh0Iz5iHai45k7y2Dw7l5uysbmEAnhmDOE2wAcod0c1p4RxYHHWggaDS_dkO0UbmM3zTj8ay9Y7J4Rvnky4/s4096/RJMZ5933.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT8dM4sR0fdj-isXIHBousdr0e6g9Dj6P65dMdGCtOZjzXJ8gnjOofnXJFAsVosb33DuB4i9pB00bhJwSHGlMF9dtNs50SMsf0oCw28lQ0uh0Iz5iHai45k7y2Dw7l5uysbmEAnhmDOE2wAcod0c1p4RxYHHWggaDS_dkO0UbmM3zTj8ay9Y7J4Rvnky4/w640-h480/RJMZ5933.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div>3.50pm: Our next stop was Katara Cultural Village, a cultural and commercial complex with a lot of outdoor walking areas. </div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMc3Eeaov41uqWrC4WkJOeqBtuFbFE5w0ytrgjK1u0Qrq72IHfyup_W6tqF70dQ3e5_zCeJppTV4E3luD0kGuLRCQcZfg-GRmQpL5w7HpjCy35_6OhjW0g-L5cw3tSu7hKx-yyX4SoZAWxfKgWs7omKT3JKPmaOhMX_GBMpM0TKWhlHNh-VDeWLEgqZjg/s4096/PNAR2113.JPG" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMc3Eeaov41uqWrC4WkJOeqBtuFbFE5w0ytrgjK1u0Qrq72IHfyup_W6tqF70dQ3e5_zCeJppTV4E3luD0kGuLRCQcZfg-GRmQpL5w7HpjCy35_6OhjW0g-L5cw3tSu7hKx-yyX4SoZAWxfKgWs7omKT3JKPmaOhMX_GBMpM0TKWhlHNh-VDeWLEgqZjg/w640-h480/PNAR2113.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;">The Katara Mosque (the 'Blue Mosque') and the Golden Masjid (the 'Gold Mosque') in Katara Cultural Village.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5sklVxUTAp6xHot0Kb0sbUB8bvT07pmNllRx3p3BWQCvRu5Extg7jY_0tQixWlS7ENpXSBYYwmyMLi1JB0cfZIDr4RgahaGtwHukaPLcpdLYC9P6HbIfRIu7_4e9SZUW3I9VUjJOe-6Ibew9SW7DCgZ5xXpAKBqYxs87gbcECS_SOOOuOEAMGEzLySic/s4096/IYNI3329.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5sklVxUTAp6xHot0Kb0sbUB8bvT07pmNllRx3p3BWQCvRu5Extg7jY_0tQixWlS7ENpXSBYYwmyMLi1JB0cfZIDr4RgahaGtwHukaPLcpdLYC9P6HbIfRIu7_4e9SZUW3I9VUjJOe-6Ibew9SW7DCgZ5xXpAKBqYxs87gbcECS_SOOOuOEAMGEzLySic/w640-h640/IYNI3329.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Source Sans Pro";">Katara Plaza, Galleries Lafayette, </span><span style="font-family: "Source Sans Pro"; text-align: left;">OliOli Doha Children's Museum. Those vent holes on the ground are actually air-conditioning vents to keep the outdoor areas cooler during </span><span style="font-family: "Source Sans Pro";">the hot summer months.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2CoJf9Ed-kIJXGCNgmsGhRaO84Dhv4d-BerDooQlQdhoNDx_zAyYZZF0ggy9Sp5gcp7KpAUkfSKYrDyFA9gx7UqRgIu0kVRfsNq0HknvMZu0OP5N8pj7zEgOQx0eyyH5Mir1KT-hwuVy9G3wGoZCgu2XkNpHoagCt0Mo9xEzEepIFaKexNz-rzDNHhP4/s4096/KTMR6967.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2CoJf9Ed-kIJXGCNgmsGhRaO84Dhv4d-BerDooQlQdhoNDx_zAyYZZF0ggy9Sp5gcp7KpAUkfSKYrDyFA9gx7UqRgIu0kVRfsNq0HknvMZu0OP5N8pj7zEgOQx0eyyH5Mir1KT-hwuVy9G3wGoZCgu2XkNpHoagCt0Mo9xEzEepIFaKexNz-rzDNHhP4/w640-h480/KTMR6967.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;">4.15pm: Our last stop at Katara Cultural Village was the Katara Amphitheatre, a crafted balance between the classical Greek theatre concept and Islamic features.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNbb102QMSZ4w-wVoMvwDy1oRDD_NZb2RYRkr7G1NaAGq_SgmW8kAP8VFnkqP1D_OJYucnVGbgXZ79YxT_RjEONNLJg4bLxIDsRjRAN0fQCjdtlbXdJrg9cTf-zlF8th4QohbW-S61Ek_35Clo9bNA3ee3wCEFY5W6rhoyBqwmJCxjszMUiHwDJaoCZKo/s4096/FTXV9850.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNbb102QMSZ4w-wVoMvwDy1oRDD_NZb2RYRkr7G1NaAGq_SgmW8kAP8VFnkqP1D_OJYucnVGbgXZ79YxT_RjEONNLJg4bLxIDsRjRAN0fQCjdtlbXdJrg9cTf-zlF8th4QohbW-S61Ek_35Clo9bNA3ee3wCEFY5W6rhoyBqwmJCxjszMUiHwDJaoCZKo/w640-h640/FTXV9850.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;">4.30pm: Next stop was at the Camels Pen where we saw a camels getting a 'bath' and just hanging out. It was my first time seeing camels so I was glad to be able to get close enough for selfies. </span></div><div><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCHf7qlJAH-w6PIppZsrEdsAtFlH_vbbJ6Rxxc29qZkd8YoPrE3BjQo9RKjY1OV1TnOkA_CxYCLLlSSbiHWQ7_4swugD2TejU5WHDGfXyt-LPgyxxnf0Pvc59KckBkIGgi9FIVXf0y5QtDSV3IMV6Uo6dEEx-e_D5J2vIEq9kg-xXA0fl5y0c8rCG4E9A/s4096/ETMV5802.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCHf7qlJAH-w6PIppZsrEdsAtFlH_vbbJ6Rxxc29qZkd8YoPrE3BjQo9RKjY1OV1TnOkA_CxYCLLlSSbiHWQ7_4swugD2TejU5WHDGfXyt-LPgyxxnf0Pvc59KckBkIGgi9FIVXf0y5QtDSV3IMV6Uo6dEEx-e_D5J2vIEq9kg-xXA0fl5y0c8rCG4E9A/w640-h640/ETMV5802.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div><div><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;">4.45pm: Another quick stop to see the national bird of Qatar - Falcon at Falcon Souq. There's even a </span>Falcon hospital, which is one of the largest in the Middle East.</div><div><br /></div></div></span></div> <div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnnGtkyq-D1Fn-lAnN0XXsV_xYFvDd3Dq82qixfRDdtbLQW1G69kOGaVmnVrx7_7bab6v0_TQLmbTdozYHqGKSCLEhZ4Rse7WWXwRA3NYEfY2W-tFUjgPdvOCtdaouVd1c1aX7TveWQs_7bSaqHtxJRAAXFVnX0GX11Hl9M-x3HcAIl75-UKFFPWbJo-A/s4096/XMPP5201.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="858" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnnGtkyq-D1Fn-lAnN0XXsV_xYFvDd3Dq82qixfRDdtbLQW1G69kOGaVmnVrx7_7bab6v0_TQLmbTdozYHqGKSCLEhZ4Rse7WWXwRA3NYEfY2W-tFUjgPdvOCtdaouVd1c1aX7TveWQs_7bSaqHtxJRAAXFVnX0GX11Hl9M-x3HcAIl75-UKFFPWbJo-A/w643-h858/XMPP5201.JPG" width="643" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div>4.50pm: Final stop of the tour was at Souq Waqif, a marketplace (souq) that sells traditional garments, spices, handicrafts, and souvenirs. We were given about 30 minutes to walk around ourselves before meeting back at the bus at 5.30pm.</div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXpwXop9UcZ9ur1ofYhNCU9o4ZIcLVQiwDSzCtDDXb-Ug5xlDXCwYs-dPb-yT5vF0L39Gkcm8XxFFr6Gij93vp-IkKUrA5AZZHsTp5AlZ73mm2YBM8wXBA413q406Lvp_HZXM4ehW5m9DfjclnDGDJTLN2rShF3DjssmGh3f_bCIft4-zUFKPB-NE9YUg/s4096/LEUE0365.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXpwXop9UcZ9ur1ofYhNCU9o4ZIcLVQiwDSzCtDDXb-Ug5xlDXCwYs-dPb-yT5vF0L39Gkcm8XxFFr6Gij93vp-IkKUrA5AZZHsTp5AlZ73mm2YBM8wXBA413q406Lvp_HZXM4ehW5m9DfjclnDGDJTLN2rShF3DjssmGh3f_bCIft4-zUFKPB-NE9YUg/w640-h480/LEUE0365.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div>5.50pm: We made it back to the airport on time after a successful afternoon of sightseeing. The airport staff had to help me get approval to get back to airside as I had more than 12 hours to wait before my next flight but since I already have my boarding pass for my next flight, I was able to get back in after the staff obtained the approval.</div><div><br /></div><div>All in all, this transit tour was good and well organized. Best of all, this was an easy and cheap ($27) way to add one more new country to my 'traveled to' list. =) </div></span></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://khaishing.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default</div>khaishing.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05154189313956844355noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3659547063209051949.post-28560823594097584712023-06-01T08:27:00.000-05:002023-08-19T18:01:36.582-05:00Homecoming Trip 2023 ✈ Malaysia<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><i>For the third consecutive year, I've traveled home around this time of the year for an extended period of time, all thanks to my company's generous leave of absence policy which enabled me to take a month off work (paid) to travel home and help take care of dad. This trip also coincided with when our family's helper traveled home as my mom needed a helping hand to manage dad. </i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/qgPQirNnt88" title="YouTube video player" width="640"></iframe></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><b>23 Apr 2023 (Sun): Tokyo - KL - Penang</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibvPnUflrjCDKZMCaR1CCTKp5OA8dhzQVdV0MDNs7gcvQRCv4f2kI8kHlT8-pOnf2RKfCphr53rI44sfiYfnIpPQSZXHH15XAAGd5do8WG8cgXd5ZzeTszqGbq07HbGTzBl824rm2u8G6KcCiofDOwPDpBowB7UxQYBGoac2_jzsnnzKPFgOQ7I_Hh/s4096/ICPQ6680.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibvPnUflrjCDKZMCaR1CCTKp5OA8dhzQVdV0MDNs7gcvQRCv4f2kI8kHlT8-pOnf2RKfCphr53rI44sfiYfnIpPQSZXHH15XAAGd5do8WG8cgXd5ZzeTszqGbq07HbGTzBl824rm2u8G6KcCiofDOwPDpBowB7UxQYBGoac2_jzsnnzKPFgOQ7I_Hh/w640-h480/ICPQ6680.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;">After spending a week touring around Japan with hubby, we split ways in Osaka, where he flew back to the US, and I continued traveling to Malaysia. I actually booked my flight from US to Malaysia, with a week-long stopover in Japan last July, without knowing about the family's helper situation, so I'm glad the timing worked out perfectly. I was also lucky to book this flight with 40,000 Alaska miles + $45.20 before Alaska airlines devalued their JAL redemptions in March this year.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_mIPyHPZilpYDmYqQeI1o9D3-uJ66TE8ar9KwpY250T3h8zyxsnHugeoch-7RG0WB2R7PI4ocOmva3DP5mILq7NgoB1koGL_AMDrpWGAhECeQPhrVKd1_sfEq_GmjOw9eHos7VO_ZqXhdtnP1awZ6PfMMuO60alcai14HfQTl_KbESJ3I2mRZmLPT/s4096/NHKG7616.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="850" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_mIPyHPZilpYDmYqQeI1o9D3-uJ66TE8ar9KwpY250T3h8zyxsnHugeoch-7RG0WB2R7PI4ocOmva3DP5mILq7NgoB1koGL_AMDrpWGAhECeQPhrVKd1_sfEq_GmjOw9eHos7VO_ZqXhdtnP1awZ6PfMMuO60alcai14HfQTl_KbESJ3I2mRZmLPT/w638-h850/NHKG7616.JPG" width="638" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;">The flight from Narita to KL was probably 60% full and I managed to get a row of 3 all to myself for this 7.5 hours flight. As usual, making myself comfortable in my economy lie-flat seat. =)</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjZ8VMUOSguSpgvnZNHEsYFfSybFTntcoQgYWqxx4XpBI6vh8Rj6ukL3tk5jfMHdqeJ39KillNYdecr2pU_yydhUUbXC111KGL6Fl3cj_Zd8d7689hDjsukqw4ozIrAWqisjbxCgm6TGxpJddcib9V-PUAV9pl1zGB0xqWb-e5b0ovCJm2-ICDnZR6/s4096/ADLR6432.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjZ8VMUOSguSpgvnZNHEsYFfSybFTntcoQgYWqxx4XpBI6vh8Rj6ukL3tk5jfMHdqeJ39KillNYdecr2pU_yydhUUbXC111KGL6Fl3cj_Zd8d7689hDjsukqw4ozIrAWqisjbxCgm6TGxpJddcib9V-PUAV9pl1zGB0xqWb-e5b0ovCJm2-ICDnZR6/w640-h640/ADLR6432.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;">Arrived KL on time at 5.40pm and was welcomed by staffs dressed up in Malay traditional outfit as it was Hari Raya. Disappointed that the airtrain wasn't working so everyone had to take the shuttle bus to go to the main terminal. The automated passport counters were empty so I got through immigration quickly and was at the baggage carousel area even before the bags were out. Had to recheck my bags for the last leg from KL - Penang on MAS as I booked this flight as a separate ticket with 6,800 Enrich miles+RM 38.60. I bought 35kg baggage and was accurate with my estimation. =P</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ2twdH5GWQkbhAZCX6bsqKGBNxajIEu6kvqDiT0pKqujdtrz0epFdWOAdtUwoQ1aarfVi-whGTgiSpvV6d7scBvX942lAnoSCMIvs9RWAu4WZu9AVgn849KgvW1XCg8ELtX7fzhmBm3sF9HaZ5DznO-5GLQaG8a1YQW-2VfXeMOOwgSX30s0ss5Sm/s4096/TBGJ1586.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ2twdH5GWQkbhAZCX6bsqKGBNxajIEu6kvqDiT0pKqujdtrz0epFdWOAdtUwoQ1aarfVi-whGTgiSpvV6d7scBvX942lAnoSCMIvs9RWAu4WZu9AVgn849KgvW1XCg8ELtX7fzhmBm3sF9HaZ5DznO-5GLQaG8a1YQW-2VfXeMOOwgSX30s0ss5Sm/w640-h640/TBGJ1586.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;">Was hoping to get on the earlier flight but the staff said that the flight was already full. That means I had about 2 hours to wait before my 9.05pm flight. Thankfully, I was able to get into the Domestic Golden Lounge with my Oneworld Emerald status. I was very spoilt with this status on this trip. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9P-A6zyBDgB9OPw0MeX3JzP1wQ-uJQoyM5p0snHotXorfQifvnIlO4nySpIN4-OyhbRmeFCkRtp8Y6uFkMNy7yzR1_7NC4xi4eQjy2pQNueMIkZPu-DeO6asASFR9rJBYvR_-4HjTLz1B77tRsFOVqgYsPCO1XwnhMQ9xM5DC7gUeN-c0XeWToC56/s4096/CEBD8749.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9P-A6zyBDgB9OPw0MeX3JzP1wQ-uJQoyM5p0snHotXorfQifvnIlO4nySpIN4-OyhbRmeFCkRtp8Y6uFkMNy7yzR1_7NC4xi4eQjy2pQNueMIkZPu-DeO6asASFR9rJBYvR_-4HjTLz1B77tRsFOVqgYsPCO1XwnhMQ9xM5DC7gUeN-c0XeWToC56/w640-h640/CEBD8749.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;">Food options in the lounge were decent but I opted to have porridge.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxPPlZkmUI_7UUToA3YI4N5y0oBsmRLYrDFkQvSLBcbdIH1_C19aoX0lTUSNqcLKHFJIl22SrxI48AV8rLoWEMj-94Bf2dnludzG0u0QS44r3OhmHF2tYPF1D6dN-2eDqstuADuGeqaasI5GqVRrA-8ltZ4yl8qFedj3Ws1FN-PKn5tlji72_BEJxx/s4096/DZBP2805.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxPPlZkmUI_7UUToA3YI4N5y0oBsmRLYrDFkQvSLBcbdIH1_C19aoX0lTUSNqcLKHFJIl22SrxI48AV8rLoWEMj-94Bf2dnludzG0u0QS44r3OhmHF2tYPF1D6dN-2eDqstuADuGeqaasI5GqVRrA-8ltZ4yl8qFedj3Ws1FN-PKn5tlji72_BEJxx/w640-h480/DZBP2805.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;">Finally made it back to Penang at 9.55pm. Thanks bro and SIL for picking me up at the airport!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><b>24 Apr 2023 (Mon) - 19 May 2023 (Fri) : Penang</b></span></div><div><br /></div></div> <div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHdlapViABHNh9oY_WPnoqZcS_QRTpD1AK7D6lMhAUMx1lvcbKmctPS82pEj81QbAX9VDu5Y1E6TL-y9sJHf-kCwoy5vt3thKbd7WHe80TMhyrPHAEfAqJrCu2CF5SLhJrdVtJEK2g81RQM9KpfV0xK0A38q1D0eGnEdoFGXOFMND-PZ3y4MKvKnD7/s4096/YIHR4923.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHdlapViABHNh9oY_WPnoqZcS_QRTpD1AK7D6lMhAUMx1lvcbKmctPS82pEj81QbAX9VDu5Y1E6TL-y9sJHf-kCwoy5vt3thKbd7WHe80TMhyrPHAEfAqJrCu2CF5SLhJrdVtJEK2g81RQM9KpfV0xK0A38q1D0eGnEdoFGXOFMND-PZ3y4MKvKnD7/w640-h640/YIHR4923.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;">The main purpose of this trip is to help mom take care of dad. A bit of background, </span><span style="font-family: "Source Sans Pro";">Dad had a 2nd stroke in 2019, which also led to his dementia. The combination of both stroke and dementia resulted in memory loss, cognitive decline, loss of speech, and he is currently fully dependent, requiring assistance with day-to-day living. My mom has been his main caregiver for the past 4 years.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vhY15sjrs48" title="YouTube video player" width="640"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;">I documented these clips not only to preserve these moments with dad, but also to bring light to the challenges of being a caregiver (i.e. my mom), as it certainly weighed down a lot on her these past few years. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSCDk-TmuCQKkWqYhu_QfyqxKCIEZJpMikEP1Al8xwUkuaUsQayMiUdiHcT9hZGyjAAWFxGwOSe19eatUlr1WPlGbSGe-zBJk3QKap4hlLoxRgtpTwqqek0X7d3JWzqNpWMOPfKHFnY-KQWAw62Euk8qs5u3787cbyI8nSZX6edvT9VCfAV8cLjeie/s4096/TWYP5705.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSCDk-TmuCQKkWqYhu_QfyqxKCIEZJpMikEP1Al8xwUkuaUsQayMiUdiHcT9hZGyjAAWFxGwOSe19eatUlr1WPlGbSGe-zBJk3QKap4hlLoxRgtpTwqqek0X7d3JWzqNpWMOPfKHFnY-KQWAw62Euk8qs5u3787cbyI8nSZX6edvT9VCfAV8cLjeie/w640-h640/TWYP5705.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2Ri_AJSKkDCFKYqAWCWpWN7UUYrhLL0q9h_D2_dFSz9JriCqr30I6n_3LVbCdJEMfwImMnIAEtINg5xIp9_8CuW86n3CPk7iJ9XqK6Caw7yW25Fq0gml50d2KbkI4GNObHv5h_zcopogvX41byhks74hOrtbISK4oWithCdhxLYMN1527P0JUfyY4/s4096/PNWB9923.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2Ri_AJSKkDCFKYqAWCWpWN7UUYrhLL0q9h_D2_dFSz9JriCqr30I6n_3LVbCdJEMfwImMnIAEtINg5xIp9_8CuW86n3CPk7iJ9XqK6Caw7yW25Fq0gml50d2KbkI4GNObHv5h_zcopogvX41byhks74hOrtbISK4oWithCdhxLYMN1527P0JUfyY4/w640-h480/PNWB9923.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;">Stayed home mostly apart from going for doctor's appointments and haircut for dad.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgetjb8ubQWYfDG_uh8MwVg8llbZB5404tqFr2Ebj0YsmFxRkQTDnKx78ENS_5JgzJotENiMfNi27Kc0J4RWfsCXo8DfOOu5ZyAGt8v5V3omv_tVJp57Ohu0nTfqEFBfct3a1RCfIMXtztZS-W-yy9r18JtEOZfqEzQCgpgxTHJdMH0WJfifyyCEFPz/s4096/VFIQ3210.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgetjb8ubQWYfDG_uh8MwVg8llbZB5404tqFr2Ebj0YsmFxRkQTDnKx78ENS_5JgzJotENiMfNi27Kc0J4RWfsCXo8DfOOu5ZyAGt8v5V3omv_tVJp57Ohu0nTfqEFBfct3a1RCfIMXtztZS-W-yy9r18JtEOZfqEzQCgpgxTHJdMH0WJfifyyCEFPz/w640-h640/VFIQ3210.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;">As always, many mahjong rounds with the ladies. =)</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDXwFru0sRLW1a1i1vr2_nVoYtX0GGsTQdOwf87yFr7uDlebvxX0P86bl42FH6GCXd11ow-V1l5xeG5pV1UM6at6SWs3Uiyvg6pfV5ylYnz9ioQuDNLiDvvzAdboMN6oTFDTI_6bPmMxaWiFLr-bHvRYh8rsmaYrXQHQj_PGNcE0UpevZT88XBMm3C/s4096/CXJJ4349.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDXwFru0sRLW1a1i1vr2_nVoYtX0GGsTQdOwf87yFr7uDlebvxX0P86bl42FH6GCXd11ow-V1l5xeG5pV1UM6at6SWs3Uiyvg6pfV5ylYnz9ioQuDNLiDvvzAdboMN6oTFDTI_6bPmMxaWiFLr-bHvRYh8rsmaYrXQHQj_PGNcE0UpevZT88XBMm3C/w640-h640/CXJJ4349.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;">Thanks aunt for coming by to visit dad and giving us a McD treat!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLOWj8eqiq6wG_cvyYLwpO53WWnqg-LJxwE7CF5YXXJRYzX8D68yPcwdqjk42xIwuIRX6xtJuViBPUq8W9PkkE3qh_CGIj4yahljM50eTsKAahgPLrvl-Ki1EfLMfyuWOJRKwl2HyPLnL4-7uOTzuXrfLLFer7pc-NyICZxj5xbWNHaH2Zirmsekpb/s4096/JDNB4939.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLOWj8eqiq6wG_cvyYLwpO53WWnqg-LJxwE7CF5YXXJRYzX8D68yPcwdqjk42xIwuIRX6xtJuViBPUq8W9PkkE3qh_CGIj4yahljM50eTsKAahgPLrvl-Ki1EfLMfyuWOJRKwl2HyPLnL4-7uOTzuXrfLLFer7pc-NyICZxj5xbWNHaH2Zirmsekpb/w640-h480/JDNB4939.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguqdRza3aKe1Ew30M5hhWeecxpPaMrklgzsgdcP67OeaYmvR6bmHX42wIRO1j33oUB24fAK7Ev_6XiECU6o5naEUugHwD7vKCH87lzV5Pmeepf-H11JutZGoNLooJ5sOsR_dCh_eBAzENADlxuRYF3jc8WFnpwb1GCQU_uPK-65_wWnCd52MA3Rm1e/s4096/IBQB1062.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguqdRza3aKe1Ew30M5hhWeecxpPaMrklgzsgdcP67OeaYmvR6bmHX42wIRO1j33oUB24fAK7Ev_6XiECU6o5naEUugHwD7vKCH87lzV5Pmeepf-H11JutZGoNLooJ5sOsR_dCh_eBAzENADlxuRYF3jc8WFnpwb1GCQU_uPK-65_wWnCd52MA3Rm1e/w640-h480/IBQB1062.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhovtfHiywfe5L5ek-wBRyf_D1soMRiJddBvu-zTDOdQ6siVRQRZ4tlagwtdUvKCkSq0LxSb1nBvw652MqbAuh89SZC-shtn6orK79-6LfKy_hWvSPP0PJdKmopgvMI8FCi2t5SVCcjoDdCBtBrVdIDynMYJQNrOk3AsliMD7gR7N2xfnAN0yUET1l4/s4096/CVPL9595.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="842" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhovtfHiywfe5L5ek-wBRyf_D1soMRiJddBvu-zTDOdQ6siVRQRZ4tlagwtdUvKCkSq0LxSb1nBvw652MqbAuh89SZC-shtn6orK79-6LfKy_hWvSPP0PJdKmopgvMI8FCi2t5SVCcjoDdCBtBrVdIDynMYJQNrOk3AsliMD7gR7N2xfnAN0yUET1l4/w631-h842/CVPL9595.JPG" width="631" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div>And the tiger aunt was back to spend time with the kiddos...lol!! Their mandarin level has certainly improved this time.</div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinaf1_F8tLEZscGAH_b4tU18HQDRFf7GEGa-z558q_9sEfcHSWmvl8Q-q3WqlXMtNWSzRCnESrOjKYBuTW4nEfVBMfYnnulqkGrnBP7id0OTK9r5pBUOEu2CvonZbqQyu7lEMO0CtYlvqVWu3wtiYJhvdMuYlT_HsfX3YHHWZHv8RlP_cyM-sSjovr/s4096/OJPT7783.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="836" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinaf1_F8tLEZscGAH_b4tU18HQDRFf7GEGa-z558q_9sEfcHSWmvl8Q-q3WqlXMtNWSzRCnESrOjKYBuTW4nEfVBMfYnnulqkGrnBP7id0OTK9r5pBUOEu2CvonZbqQyu7lEMO0CtYlvqVWu3wtiYJhvdMuYlT_HsfX3YHHWZHv8RlP_cyM-sSjovr/w628-h836/OJPT7783.JPG" width="628" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;">Thankful to be able to celebrate Mother's Day at home for the 3rd consecutive year.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh1CirswKS7mStbugo_VT3AoXYT273gktQfU29lpxIhmTBkIaBwpdPPFnHExo4-2iXJT6VhJzdlfRUK6rsdN3av0aHaWlBvMiGP2EMUOC8HSQ6pEQtjFJPydYzw1eesMkQtxZoSPONQ3Ym-18ADJGYTgpEnwNTYGoCbg_pAtfJjSnZWJj2WvzUbeAr/s4096/PTNQ1022.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh1CirswKS7mStbugo_VT3AoXYT273gktQfU29lpxIhmTBkIaBwpdPPFnHExo4-2iXJT6VhJzdlfRUK6rsdN3av0aHaWlBvMiGP2EMUOC8HSQ6pEQtjFJPydYzw1eesMkQtxZoSPONQ3Ym-18ADJGYTgpEnwNTYGoCbg_pAtfJjSnZWJj2WvzUbeAr/w640-h480/PTNQ1022.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div>Time to say goodbye again. </div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><b>19 May 2023 (Fri): Penang - KL - Doha</b></span></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5dEIxt-pWHp31xEzGlhSXuZ6PMVVPpu6Xfbzn98utAstZBI74g5MUfxKvWpwrxHxJnW4OrgssBkMltYnDET5_PrxycCdkuEggxI8luWUNV5l-RgplcgZj4RGSU6VQ6FsF4GBR6gdaSpmJ84ev9FNlYnsT0eNTgFGCBj9NFgPIKDm-HRh0NbkjhGBX/s1920/IMG_4953.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1920" data-original-width="1920" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5dEIxt-pWHp31xEzGlhSXuZ6PMVVPpu6Xfbzn98utAstZBI74g5MUfxKvWpwrxHxJnW4OrgssBkMltYnDET5_PrxycCdkuEggxI8luWUNV5l-RgplcgZj4RGSU6VQ6FsF4GBR6gdaSpmJ84ev9FNlYnsT0eNTgFGCBj9NFgPIKDm-HRh0NbkjhGBX/w640-h640/IMG_4953.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div>Thanks mom for waking up early and took me to the airport at 4.30am for my 6.35am flight. Check-in was quick and I got access to Plaza Premium Lounge with my biz class ticket. I would have gotten access to the lounge wih my Capital One Venture X credit card as well..</div></span></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEN_I9FzmpDluHEAZtmj12a923kSn67LJpMYQHvAhMm28hEHk-n43PPa_MYeP5RcNIdRbnYwnzBRRq-J4nteq5Nm0VIJaGX2tTpvd0oySN7Lg9Utkx-jSBEOxvXEpa462RHbwT9ldGmvw3bGiMLPOMzw8e0c05ai2UyxBrwgkJ_vc4sFlc3TPXerOm/s4096/HYSM6592.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEN_I9FzmpDluHEAZtmj12a923kSn67LJpMYQHvAhMm28hEHk-n43PPa_MYeP5RcNIdRbnYwnzBRRq-J4nteq5Nm0VIJaGX2tTpvd0oySN7Lg9Utkx-jSBEOxvXEpa462RHbwT9ldGmvw3bGiMLPOMzw8e0c05ai2UyxBrwgkJ_vc4sFlc3TPXerOm/w640-h480/HYSM6592.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;">First time flying biz class on a domestic flight. Surprised breakfast was served for this short flight.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzgh5Ip49yA0wtSR54gWGH42PAWDwjtikGpQkEe381f_3A1EOcy3WCKK0GCQGaKdruXSz6eiPfI8moqYDP5LCkv-r0QNYyGFzp957lWKPuAIyUqe1haCWOTNQ46ToSGIoIi2HMOQ-S1L6tzYZ5XxUDOrEl1_XoS-VoS2aWMYHG0dAdAAUHMFoUzThi/s4096/TDLG9765.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzgh5Ip49yA0wtSR54gWGH42PAWDwjtikGpQkEe381f_3A1EOcy3WCKK0GCQGaKdruXSz6eiPfI8moqYDP5LCkv-r0QNYyGFzp957lWKPuAIyUqe1haCWOTNQ46ToSGIoIi2HMOQ-S1L6tzYZ5XxUDOrEl1_XoS-VoS2aWMYHG0dAdAAUHMFoUzThi/w640-h640/TDLG9765.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;">Received the pass to visit the Plaza Premium First lounge in KLIA at the Qatar transit counter in KLIA.</span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjarvP64h_9HDcw_7M7BxCGXHDhRju2KbHaLAdfhuLdrLZQ5f1HwycxrCMZyLPZyKJ8wCyvOm0ZsYSDtem_Sbfh5xKkFIE7ERZHuQuGAixyg8TCROS7Is35QTtISXxm2aT411dijLlUI99s9q45a282sjg25rPIimIh1D5aT4u9CzXyQ6nnwuoBDQdQ/s4096/MCYG1616.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjarvP64h_9HDcw_7M7BxCGXHDhRju2KbHaLAdfhuLdrLZQ5f1HwycxrCMZyLPZyKJ8wCyvOm0ZsYSDtem_Sbfh5xKkFIE7ERZHuQuGAixyg8TCROS7Is35QTtISXxm2aT411dijLlUI99s9q45a282sjg25rPIimIh1D5aT4u9CzXyQ6nnwuoBDQdQ/w640-h640/MCYG1616.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;">This lounge just opened in March so it's pretty new. The food options are all ala carte but since my transit in KLIA was only for 2 hours, I opted for something light and didn't order from the app.</span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://khaishing.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default</div>khaishing.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05154189313956844355noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3659547063209051949.post-75480614102146148972023-05-31T18:49:00.004-05:002023-05-31T18:51:35.863-05:00Homecoming Trip 2022 ✈ Christmas in Malaysia + ANA The Room<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;">After wrapping up my 2-month work trip in India, I took a detour home to Malaysia to celebrate the holidays with the family before returning to US for busy season. Thankful to be able to travel home again for the 2nd time in 2022 after my <a href="https://www.khaishing.com/2022/06/homecoming-trip-2022-malaysia.html" target="_blank">last home trip in April 2022</a>.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/RGI7pU0fEE0" title="YouTube video player" width="640"></iframe></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><b>22-23 December 2022 (Thurs-Fri): Kolkata - Singapore - KL</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgquQZ36TxSDZgc1VBuq2lH9XYfXf3K1Ra4Wxt15jLe6QnuQBLgDIKkKPnV_t2sLlzQVW00SO2nbfp2q6EHrleHd0Hlg0p1vigfMc8j1GdjkZV737txHdgD9mtzdRmS5hkvYQlomzh-NYMt2bzNEX_FSvJKV0TL6fHDkp7JuCq3_XZIOncpEtLW05us/s4096/OHUC2552.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgquQZ36TxSDZgc1VBuq2lH9XYfXf3K1Ra4Wxt15jLe6QnuQBLgDIKkKPnV_t2sLlzQVW00SO2nbfp2q6EHrleHd0Hlg0p1vigfMc8j1GdjkZV737txHdgD9mtzdRmS5hkvYQlomzh-NYMt2bzNEX_FSvJKV0TL6fHDkp7JuCq3_XZIOncpEtLW05us/w640-h640/OHUC2552.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;">Arrived Kolkata airport at 8.45pm, 3 hours before my 11.50pm flight to Singapore. Glad I arrived earlier as I ended up having to repack my luggage to reduce the weight from 37kg to 32kg, and had to pay for excess baggage of INR 24,765(total weight of all my bags was 65kg). Then I had to take out all electronics from my backpack at security (almost emptied my whole backpack), and even got ecsorted on a 'tour' to the basement of Kolkata airport to retrieve batteries from my checked bag (dumb dumb me only took out my power bank and forgot about the batteries). Thankfully, everyone was nice and helpful so it was all good and I still had time for a quick visit to the Travel Club lounge.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaMCOHL02sHxFtZy3S4_t4NoSehqjTNHva6XHkGF24s-oWNQS-QeK4H_NHSmuaL3eBGgOeZAMvlrmGqDytqqSsEfGFGuqqwmL1Zc149I4__zdVYLaNqJn2f5z1v1DxtK5Dw8oYHYu5JVVvKz9nbIGKhbRbnefLyLX5AML4G3_Q8djk0Zh79mZCEaBI/s4096/LULO9952.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaMCOHL02sHxFtZy3S4_t4NoSehqjTNHva6XHkGF24s-oWNQS-QeK4H_NHSmuaL3eBGgOeZAMvlrmGqDytqqSsEfGFGuqqwmL1Zc149I4__zdVYLaNqJn2f5z1v1DxtK5Dw8oYHYu5JVVvKz9nbIGKhbRbnefLyLX5AML4G3_Q8djk0Zh79mZCEaBI/w640-h480/LULO9952.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;">Can't remember why I didn't look up the seat map for this flight before my trip and was a lil' dissapointed by the 2-2 layout for business class. This is a lay-flat seat but when the Japanese guy seating next to me reclined his seat, I had 'climb over' him to go to the lavatory. Granted this was only a 4-hour flight so it was ok, and I shouldn't be complaining traveling in business class...lol!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0fixmPz8r4FBMVgbgEFhnDvx1Y4SNqaRD4gkDSrPOsNb6aHacHX3Q40uJCkM0Tz-WWe48huwBcpIJWgEyHsOVb6W4fcXJBju3JCVyY5WXr-urpiyRfZI5qiP4ClPsBSBbuNO9leekQei4ik60XE0abVFee_eISY1Ekiyciad-3NWl-wJmzmRs9wDI/s4096/TCVK9118.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0fixmPz8r4FBMVgbgEFhnDvx1Y4SNqaRD4gkDSrPOsNb6aHacHX3Q40uJCkM0Tz-WWe48huwBcpIJWgEyHsOVb6W4fcXJBju3JCVyY5WXr-urpiyRfZI5qiP4ClPsBSBbuNO9leekQei4ik60XE0abVFee_eISY1Ekiyciad-3NWl-wJmzmRs9wDI/w640-h480/TCVK9118.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;">Penhaligon's amenity kit in a leather pouch. </span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9vPvh7H44YnnVJdk-bTaEJS9CrCdhHPp721vIGsQWgdG4KhvHFkwqGS8bznkQbPBRTtsSc_LvWcyLjeCkl6jpt6Sur1qws-sK7rMVRUyHbvCc5tfjDCMJ895RHZbROEiiCiJWG4VOPgsGeNSh_g387ydZY0g7hM7Lonib1OOcNgHVM0xMxyO7QcMR/s4096/QFYO4462.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9vPvh7H44YnnVJdk-bTaEJS9CrCdhHPp721vIGsQWgdG4KhvHFkwqGS8bznkQbPBRTtsSc_LvWcyLjeCkl6jpt6Sur1qws-sK7rMVRUyHbvCc5tfjDCMJ895RHZbROEiiCiJWG4VOPgsGeNSh_g387ydZY0g7hM7Lonib1OOcNgHVM0xMxyO7QcMR/w640-h244/QFYO4462.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbDnrZmrG1IKyWlgJkI897oZJ1IQAS3k0t5CzAzoPmey4vEpndgDmR1OSHyMQ5zpHb3PQ7X8_kRazCrM_5FXSQG2NAgjNHffP_1Ac5ujqoha9yj8bdGsmHqmYKHyGnVzxmf-Hwu8xJS2mJXo6iMlFiGjVRD3nX4gXD07bQTKYv9V6IuvDQZPIqZrLu/s4096/FHAH4842.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbDnrZmrG1IKyWlgJkI897oZJ1IQAS3k0t5CzAzoPmey4vEpndgDmR1OSHyMQ5zpHb3PQ7X8_kRazCrM_5FXSQG2NAgjNHffP_1Ac5ujqoha9yj8bdGsmHqmYKHyGnVzxmf-Hwu8xJS2mJXo6iMlFiGjVRD3nX4gXD07bQTKYv9V6IuvDQZPIqZrLu/w640-h640/FHAH4842.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;">Supper was served shortly after take off...cheese stuffed paneer tikki chaat (appetizer), pan seared chicken with red wine sauce (main course), and blackcurrent crunch chocolate cake (dessert). Not really my type of food so I didn't eat much. I enjoyed the </span><span style="font-family: "Source Sans Pro";">Singapore Sling and champagne though. =P</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div> <div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4twAt2R90FgOf-o_tTytUBR0ZDMLHBa0KnIlUqsGjwW9xe4cXN4jaM1n5OumHiycs6LB9GTFf1wnMy4zqtSKjlCMZqVDGjobpD3UbmMR7Al4gpQujRFSHKWVbzR1dNn13VNLQFfnNqg0FlbLjwVY6AtgSlTIap8_a3DsTf5eUUOhA46bs1EE-12ug/s4096/YIMO8100.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4twAt2R90FgOf-o_tTytUBR0ZDMLHBa0KnIlUqsGjwW9xe4cXN4jaM1n5OumHiycs6LB9GTFf1wnMy4zqtSKjlCMZqVDGjobpD3UbmMR7Al4gpQujRFSHKWVbzR1dNn13VNLQFfnNqg0FlbLjwVY6AtgSlTIap8_a3DsTf5eUUOhA46bs1EE-12ug/w640-h640/YIMO8100.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;">Landed in Singapore at 6.45am and wnet to the Krisflyer Lounge at Terminal 2 during my 1.5 hours transit before my 8.30am flight to KL.</span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij1YKm8WgZ7W3RCPZg9W_hO36Z5tFikPRaT_PRuT5kBOhpXKZgIOE46CmT2uLD_iyWoFgT7V0-3kSGwwt6ah9dWvfjt1aDDyqfqqgtqGk6xFF9ZJfGpAPlRT_o_V0SEHTrhTZ1YCOYStY5vpNDZ2nkg2HvI0bZJe5OBtvZdZfd4L0w599UKeRAPt5-/s4096/JSHX6961.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij1YKm8WgZ7W3RCPZg9W_hO36Z5tFikPRaT_PRuT5kBOhpXKZgIOE46CmT2uLD_iyWoFgT7V0-3kSGwwt6ah9dWvfjt1aDDyqfqqgtqGk6xFF9ZJfGpAPlRT_o_V0SEHTrhTZ1YCOYStY5vpNDZ2nkg2HvI0bZJe5OBtvZdZfd4L0w599UKeRAPt5-/w640-h640/JSHX6961.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;">I was in the middle of getting a bowl of Singapore laksa when I heard my name being paged asking me to go to the reception. I took the half-filled bowl with me to the reception and the staff told me that the officer of the flight wanted to talke to me. I'm like huh what trouble am I getting in again?</span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvUoma7007AXb_CGFaXPG6U8v8oQ6RTACKDyRGQjseQehQY3Q0dPO82nNDEFxOqE_oCHR7RaV65GqbUcsxNCn14qhkYucKejMqzYgOYZ8mbsrWQUGnRpaEr2kqZCng5LKSwD5wQxBhDUt-Ax5CXdxyTodehYjQWskjGXHKvDUwoXnjejp1ec9rPksZ/s4096/SASI2523.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvUoma7007AXb_CGFaXPG6U8v8oQ6RTACKDyRGQjseQehQY3Q0dPO82nNDEFxOqE_oCHR7RaV65GqbUcsxNCn14qhkYucKejMqzYgOYZ8mbsrWQUGnRpaEr2kqZCng5LKSwD5wQxBhDUt-Ax5CXdxyTodehYjQWskjGXHKvDUwoXnjejp1ec9rPksZ/w640-h480/SASI2523.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;">The officer told me on the phone that the business class for my next flight was overbooked and asked if I'm willing to get bumped to Economy. To compensate for that, they'd offer me SGD 200 cash and refund the price difference between business class and economy class for my flight. Since the flight from SG - KL was only an hour, I thought the offer was pretty good so I took it. The officers came to the lounge to meet me and handed me the cash and new ticket. Apparently, they've been asking a few people before me and they couldn't find anyone who was willing to get bumped.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><i>Post-trip update: I never got the refund for the price difference from Singapore Airlines. I contacted them via email and phone several times to follow up but was asked to contact my travel agent. After several emails and weeks of following up, I gave up. Disappointed with Singapore Airlines.</i></span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyS_TfEQxEqXTcO5BhnaGU9-EuWP2ehrdywnmQ5bvbW4k0gKe_G5HpjBCI99zfP4nVYgaMBB9xMUQhfzMszF0Rfvb0N_wwTp3HWMkCcHFtP3ST9LjL2DEbMv1kGdeBVS_cfCCx8fmbq_t5U47tQALDS8CveiPEDDeaDqDsgHMZMC-8U0_eSBTgbI8Y/s4096/NTJA6064.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyS_TfEQxEqXTcO5BhnaGU9-EuWP2ehrdywnmQ5bvbW4k0gKe_G5HpjBCI99zfP4nVYgaMBB9xMUQhfzMszF0Rfvb0N_wwTp3HWMkCcHFtP3ST9LjL2DEbMv1kGdeBVS_cfCCx8fmbq_t5U47tQALDS8CveiPEDDeaDqDsgHMZMC-8U0_eSBTgbI8Y/w640-h640/NTJA6064.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;">Landed in KLIA at 9.33am, got off the plane at 9.50am, got through immigration at 9.55am, got all my luggages at 10.10am, bought the KLIA express ticket at 10.20am, and was on the train to KL Sentral at 10.27am. Amazing race speed with my many heavy bags...lol!! Bro came to KL Sentral to pick me up and gave me a ride to the hotel before returning to work.</span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcjuQhYayj1cRY3FELc5sn7EavyiNquGNaEl2UJF7tpaRl9M_T-3CcUE8VXoVpt6zk9Rkieq5cd493it7FQKQeMi1E6aa7luoOY4mJoMPrNCVj1EhIJau-opLTvQlb8pTz2CJ0vIbFvhn5bS8TeWfO6K440v6uMLGvaona8g3zNFaUa3Sa8KYU9xMa/s4096/QKXJ2711.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="850" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcjuQhYayj1cRY3FELc5sn7EavyiNquGNaEl2UJF7tpaRl9M_T-3CcUE8VXoVpt6zk9Rkieq5cd493it7FQKQeMi1E6aa7luoOY4mJoMPrNCVj1EhIJau-opLTvQlb8pTz2CJ0vIbFvhn5bS8TeWfO6K440v6uMLGvaona8g3zNFaUa3Sa8KYU9xMa/w639-h850/QKXJ2711.JPG" width="639" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;">Visited aunt and cousin and had lunch at their home. Been awhile since I last saw them so it was good catching up and meeting them. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0XgqvVqrm3F63GbJy5Y8PYsLtW1BynNC-9mb2lEengNx4i2kgc3sXnvn85jxEh-csizAJ-PWIFvstn5JlmwuNeR0pxwfIe2-FAYYRnWk-pMh0h1TQS2_QA_kAjHGjE1dC_1ofJXJL_RYWgMMYq7BhHsQadEOg9_is1yqkjKbdZ40-ElIwhVmihXtb/s4096/JMLE9593.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0XgqvVqrm3F63GbJy5Y8PYsLtW1BynNC-9mb2lEengNx4i2kgc3sXnvn85jxEh-csizAJ-PWIFvstn5JlmwuNeR0pxwfIe2-FAYYRnWk-pMh0h1TQS2_QA_kAjHGjE1dC_1ofJXJL_RYWgMMYq7BhHsQadEOg9_is1yqkjKbdZ40-ElIwhVmihXtb/w640-h640/JMLE9593.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;">Spent the night at The Majestic Hotel KL. This is my 3rd time staying at this hotel.</span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6AHglXVMQhDpM8MZbaGo4OsbfgWymmhDHwPu8bYEM4Bbj-_zeCPGj0FYGregwyI5voLxVHyHOWZ9aXa3kEMwtnL6FF9wtAzxEroC2ZtuDjkWT54AB90xPNCItphSrS6I4cLYeCwUk-aegOW1uO5pWrzssqS5louEk39tSqkXxsdl821kHUMfpcUlc/s4096/HBXX2441.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6AHglXVMQhDpM8MZbaGo4OsbfgWymmhDHwPu8bYEM4Bbj-_zeCPGj0FYGregwyI5voLxVHyHOWZ9aXa3kEMwtnL6FF9wtAzxEroC2ZtuDjkWT54AB90xPNCItphSrS6I4cLYeCwUk-aegOW1uO5pWrzssqS5louEk39tSqkXxsdl821kHUMfpcUlc/w640-h480/HBXX2441.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;">Got a complimentary upgrade to the Junior Suite. =)</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiksyv50WNrAOYgLoe86FEyjbKUbmMK44W3EDe8_4QCOSlurBrxzvCNWOOUDNLu_MA8qckmmB6rG9mTa2q0ZPYmJwvknReFqiWw9PkT2GEWHBXWUv80p8ZX8dHytEL6RWOL0T48K3Vg3gzoelMT0Rmbd5IJz8KUbMDiAZ7LYY5GM2Q_YIzJ7AaKEm4/s4096/HSVX7547.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiksyv50WNrAOYgLoe86FEyjbKUbmMK44W3EDe8_4QCOSlurBrxzvCNWOOUDNLu_MA8qckmmB6rG9mTa2q0ZPYmJwvknReFqiWw9PkT2GEWHBXWUv80p8ZX8dHytEL6RWOL0T48K3Vg3gzoelMT0Rmbd5IJz8KUbMDiAZ7LYY5GM2Q_YIzJ7AaKEm4/w640-h640/HSVX7547.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div><div><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;">One of the Marriott elite benefit at this hotel was afternoon tea at the Colonial Cafe. I had the lounge all to myself...lol!</span></div></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAWXWdf8_YiysKDKhxHKLjlhZ-nrrUx8RoST5OYJcPEcqELoRlEy6zAyCuXZxSHPJd6uZx8fvy3dw4p_PrgWX23_RO9KceiF_LXUPw5MVPpubWDmGlPiC9od8_UR3QsbKnsJU5MGna3ERI0g7vU-LTlOXRqvBW3DY0lVcwtXG5YwMRa_5fvHn0qjUC/s4096/OPWT9103.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAWXWdf8_YiysKDKhxHKLjlhZ-nrrUx8RoST5OYJcPEcqELoRlEy6zAyCuXZxSHPJd6uZx8fvy3dw4p_PrgWX23_RO9KceiF_LXUPw5MVPpubWDmGlPiC9od8_UR3QsbKnsJU5MGna3ERI0g7vU-LTlOXRqvBW3DY0lVcwtXG5YwMRa_5fvHn0qjUC/w640-h640/OPWT9103.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;">The buddies brought dinner to my hotel and we had dinner together in my room. We had a good catch up and I had fun playing with Rachel's cute kiddos. =)</span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><b>24 December 2022 (Sat): KL - Penang</b></span></div><div><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfaO0YfdXjFRsE0enV1ykpBDJ3Ea8sAArnjg71HFR1k0rKsR6MEvgt-7HwjvkLefHlmnNdYpFzUZLAjQWxYPyaauIV2wVpfil5DnFdpPyPoax2eVSzbTDOapwD4o9I_7gzVaV-6alpFck9GhqEPItgkIq8t-D7a199rsJsjdQCuPj2hcg5XUL9Rso9/s4096/SGTO6455.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfaO0YfdXjFRsE0enV1ykpBDJ3Ea8sAArnjg71HFR1k0rKsR6MEvgt-7HwjvkLefHlmnNdYpFzUZLAjQWxYPyaauIV2wVpfil5DnFdpPyPoax2eVSzbTDOapwD4o9I_7gzVaV-6alpFck9GhqEPItgkIq8t-D7a199rsJsjdQCuPj2hcg5XUL9Rso9/w640-h480/SGTO6455.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;">Complimentary buffet breakfast at the hotel before checking out and taking a grab over to Westin KL to meet up with big bro and family. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyfS0V06wVPPl5Wmf-JOVVtdZU_djHC6KBr9ZcrnYJono6LkuwRlLChBj56lXmI-xbfSXTE726bivhnnNrntsR23fukTtjZjsZNBIcexTrlvVMqdLMfJAlso5bGZ-wz50mtUIaaEE5JKJGWDtvgCQvTmHcu88Crs81Wmj11U_2_W-VDCj22i0G0bV1/s4096/LIJX0307.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyfS0V06wVPPl5Wmf-JOVVtdZU_djHC6KBr9ZcrnYJono6LkuwRlLChBj56lXmI-xbfSXTE726bivhnnNrntsR23fukTtjZjsZNBIcexTrlvVMqdLMfJAlso5bGZ-wz50mtUIaaEE5JKJGWDtvgCQvTmHcu88Crs81Wmj11U_2_W-VDCj22i0G0bV1/w640-h640/LIJX0307.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Source Sans Pro";">Had lunch at Din Tai Fung in Pavilion before driving back to Penang. They traveled to KL with the kids to visit the new Eslite bookstore and offered to give me a ride back. I had already booked the train back to Penang so I forfeited my ticket.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><b>25-31 December 2022 (Sun-Sat): Penang</b></span></div><div><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0ObgL_pZOgQYoGfaPt63eSlrhCAdigY4ujqP3ZCTMIgdocNteQB4t0aRf8qk11iGiPWvjR8ub5fxI5JOGB67a9YxEMWsNwhal6h7OS4IFu4S5ZIMfjRcsRs4KYVnoIgmXPd3vO0vCg3ULPo4vdfcW3tuF_0ZklHewZp-U3oLXeKZclytqInc8mq89/s4096/OYAI9036.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0ObgL_pZOgQYoGfaPt63eSlrhCAdigY4ujqP3ZCTMIgdocNteQB4t0aRf8qk11iGiPWvjR8ub5fxI5JOGB67a9YxEMWsNwhal6h7OS4IFu4S5ZIMfjRcsRs4KYVnoIgmXPd3vO0vCg3ULPo4vdfcW3tuF_0ZklHewZp-U3oLXeKZclytqInc8mq89/w640-h480/OYAI9036.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;">It's been a long time since I was back for the December holidays so I was glad to celebrate Christmas with the family this year. </span><span style="font-family: "Source Sans Pro";">Twin bro's family also traveled back from KL for the holidays so it was a full house with all 3 kiddos.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq7VbvXO8oBXH75RojlyyUhtY1L23jNbfTEJolO2vBovywYtCtgRvWyy98Np23xK88UpR1CmhMr_u1vJ86wQnJDa-CWsEu3Yq2qVxjzVVoOjRnKmbjy3ISLl37TKm5BtvvyyGi3GIsZCR78aXVPMZVHtVxnmECEa6ogLfe4tFlWoUs1Po-73o4i8zs/s4096/VBTA3324.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq7VbvXO8oBXH75RojlyyUhtY1L23jNbfTEJolO2vBovywYtCtgRvWyy98Np23xK88UpR1CmhMr_u1vJ86wQnJDa-CWsEu3Yq2qVxjzVVoOjRnKmbjy3ISLl37TKm5BtvvyyGi3GIsZCR78aXVPMZVHtVxnmECEa6ogLfe4tFlWoUs1Po-73o4i8zs/w640-h480/VBTA3324.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;">Lots of presents for the kiddos.</span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV1qB7tHYk7Fb8fjmnVuJ574FsqGa6jqnDddd_ly-G8cviAhRGKtaGYVBueMbODTNtSu3mwNxYDrTS8NzQkzYxzdnxZXGGZkwT18cusAephXizU_sw5hS6YLWV1OnSCV22KXiyytP3G7Y4X83_QGy4q99xsD1sqgcIV75hQLaCgGXy6BzapXv-pRrx/s4096/DQVY5835.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV1qB7tHYk7Fb8fjmnVuJ574FsqGa6jqnDddd_ly-G8cviAhRGKtaGYVBueMbODTNtSu3mwNxYDrTS8NzQkzYxzdnxZXGGZkwT18cusAephXizU_sw5hS6YLWV1OnSCV22KXiyytP3G7Y4X83_QGy4q99xsD1sqgcIV75hQLaCgGXy6BzapXv-pRrx/w640-h640/DQVY5835.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_PZ9FcDOk12cCkZ-kPzIDnpocACnWvxRpy-psejf9MpqTlDJnPjsUlrj9MlOWo391qXTAd5Fg5Ay-1yExkdHruxKnQ5ewfqQRyEik4DzHItBjmNpBORWvmC6v_96QdixJml2tOo0zVxdfqEu6mS28537WI5XvfuBgAEpD-nK5UF5QpN0iHdgUk7ga/s4096/PWRA6545.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="854" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_PZ9FcDOk12cCkZ-kPzIDnpocACnWvxRpy-psejf9MpqTlDJnPjsUlrj9MlOWo391qXTAd5Fg5Ay-1yExkdHruxKnQ5ewfqQRyEik4DzHItBjmNpBORWvmC6v_96QdixJml2tOo0zVxdfqEu6mS28537WI5XvfuBgAEpD-nK5UF5QpN0iHdgUk7ga/w640-h854/PWRA6545.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBM9MMYaGi8v7yTw9VdPTr9p0a9BGoHZTOW0xMxLNAj50n3efMnfLcHEDPzi4XSmJRX4-md2KPHizGiErF2-NE6S74Y5N0op7x4UzI_wHClA2N4zv7eWQpmkMry-FjSrUDe5FPxN3ydsSE2cE93jE0aW7DjfncYAjJFopNtFCkiFyNkJn1qx7I2lu6/s4096/GFAY3354.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBM9MMYaGi8v7yTw9VdPTr9p0a9BGoHZTOW0xMxLNAj50n3efMnfLcHEDPzi4XSmJRX4-md2KPHizGiErF2-NE6S74Y5N0op7x4UzI_wHClA2N4zv7eWQpmkMry-FjSrUDe5FPxN3ydsSE2cE93jE0aW7DjfncYAjJFopNtFCkiFyNkJn1qx7I2lu6/w640-h640/GFAY3354.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;">Always thankful to spend quality time with the family.</span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCbtmMisGR8BqgNPDkKJXoylOsD2aDB9gfhZ49MV5E8rW3s5i6LFmanDJDUeHoLI_y_yqujwUJgcV69lRje29C7Gt2L0PsKppcbJ7DTDWlNypd2RDnQ86TabX6T4I3KkzpXEq5ZRH_T5Wr5MpiuxFLNKdsBRq7DiwPFZ6OpmNMYNZ2QGFJVAvum_Ml/s4096/VMOF1214.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCbtmMisGR8BqgNPDkKJXoylOsD2aDB9gfhZ49MV5E8rW3s5i6LFmanDJDUeHoLI_y_yqujwUJgcV69lRje29C7Gt2L0PsKppcbJ7DTDWlNypd2RDnQ86TabX6T4I3KkzpXEq5ZRH_T5Wr5MpiuxFLNKdsBRq7DiwPFZ6OpmNMYNZ2QGFJVAvum_Ml/w640-h480/VMOF1214.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;">Met up with ex co-workers/comrades.</span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP6LElMpPKsmXCsd3u2UpV4zvk1kuvUR1vg9gREwnfdKv9j1jX_Wq7gNf6wKESzQHd5Wii-tTcnw4RLfxndv_L8GXrX_ga752Rsqgq_59gdrIVqcst9OkPxcW6cJfqxLLjCsEh-QirLcO6GH7DDpTW_-bnm0fw_wsueL-FusxzBjL04W-eOUBDp3-d/s4096/NLOQ7958.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP6LElMpPKsmXCsd3u2UpV4zvk1kuvUR1vg9gREwnfdKv9j1jX_Wq7gNf6wKESzQHd5Wii-tTcnw4RLfxndv_L8GXrX_ga752Rsqgq_59gdrIVqcst9OkPxcW6cJfqxLLjCsEh-QirLcO6GH7DDpTW_-bnm0fw_wsueL-FusxzBjL04W-eOUBDp3-d/w640-h640/NLOQ7958.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;">Asian food feast for the week.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqnWbMqEjRszJYDHXMTXR5cDXf6vLpiwc1tulQLeaLAFRG8vswHnL9P8MWvKt7bZecxLrbc-TSKZwDO6cUG5hcoVh9_7DuO0PTBoTjqbPg0XgjTlgmpJPe0W47_tVKEOHSxYEePBGFEyU4kJaXGriHvfu_M3v76v2hc3VvNai1O1kmKiCZLx1mfE-z/s4096/LRSC4831.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="856" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqnWbMqEjRszJYDHXMTXR5cDXf6vLpiwc1tulQLeaLAFRG8vswHnL9P8MWvKt7bZecxLrbc-TSKZwDO6cUG5hcoVh9_7DuO0PTBoTjqbPg0XgjTlgmpJPe0W47_tVKEOHSxYEePBGFEyU4kJaXGriHvfu_M3v76v2hc3VvNai1O1kmKiCZLx1mfE-z/w642-h856/LRSC4831.JPG" width="642" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;">And the week flew by just like that. It was time to say goodbye again. Thanks mom for dropping me off at the airport for my 11.10am flight. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9Oc6WC9MHdakceNHyDNeO_GFKrhxyrh6iUJxAXzTPzdwMU9B8qEhNGoEZrFbZ78N_GKH-JRbq9hMx2z8yKIMxCpTSnC6nm8NB7_t0NEih_TEX5ufBunJUtN5BVfj7xGULwG3_VqA6heFDihO38_boTrNVQcXiTtx5-8A8UySM7fiFmSv0GrlxFQP4/s4096/WVUS6418.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="274" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9Oc6WC9MHdakceNHyDNeO_GFKrhxyrh6iUJxAXzTPzdwMU9B8qEhNGoEZrFbZ78N_GKH-JRbq9hMx2z8yKIMxCpTSnC6nm8NB7_t0NEih_TEX5ufBunJUtN5BVfj7xGULwG3_VqA6heFDihO38_boTrNVQcXiTtx5-8A8UySM7fiFmSv0GrlxFQP4/w640-h274/WVUS6418.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;">I had 50kg baggage alloance and my packing skill is on point...lol! </span><span style="font-family: "Source Sans Pro";">I got an email from Batik Air/Malindo the night before my flight notifying that my flight from PG-KL was delayed by an hour, leaving me with only 2 hours to recheck-in for my international flight, which was on a separate ticket. I was so anxious the entire morning coz I couldn't afford to have any other hiccups on the first flight. The one hour delay pushed the estimated arrival time in KL to 12.10pm. I had to collect my bags, and go to the departure area to check-in for my ANA flight which was departing at 2.15pm. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj67XWvKnfy1_CweGYCVB5pC0buVdfUjZm-GhtooVIMq3lLKKnGZk99BOR0yDJVFZrmV0ld2LOU-ReU0jQSgmV2YCYrehvyyr3sGxMLiAg8UE_tqsx24OHZXgL717zqCO1DOUkrRGqHd0EaISCNdmPI9aPDslWPFWY2LnUxs9Jn_HNxpAQQ01x-MIHD/s1920/IMG_5131.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="857" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj67XWvKnfy1_CweGYCVB5pC0buVdfUjZm-GhtooVIMq3lLKKnGZk99BOR0yDJVFZrmV0ld2LOU-ReU0jQSgmV2YCYrehvyyr3sGxMLiAg8UE_tqsx24OHZXgL717zqCO1DOUkrRGqHd0EaISCNdmPI9aPDslWPFWY2LnUxs9Jn_HNxpAQQ01x-MIHD/w643-h857/IMG_5131.JPG" width="643" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;">My flight landed in KL at 12.18pm, got off the plane at 12.25pm, bags came out so slow and I finally got both my bags at 12.50pm, dashed up to the departure level and made it to the ANA check-in counter at 12.55pm, 5 minutes before they closed check in. Phewww!!! Pretty sure I was the last one to check in for that flight. </span><span style="font-family: "Source Sans Pro";">Thanks Batik Air for the 'Amazing Race' rush.</span><span style="font-family: "Source Sans Pro";"> =.=</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQi_SzjNwdK2tGMeUeuqSayx5gLipu3893hkaPlEuTYbVMF03me0k2wSR5WwP4zfSyvuHpepP5SwlaHO244R_JUoLSYO5KrQzn1dNiwNjnIRI1diymLMawoirCIUeDtMmkD9aFXR_eniAEXz7FYN3HErq9w-854tJU0TY4zofZd9q-OYOnOOGG8qrV/s4096/ULLC7264.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQi_SzjNwdK2tGMeUeuqSayx5gLipu3893hkaPlEuTYbVMF03me0k2wSR5WwP4zfSyvuHpepP5SwlaHO244R_JUoLSYO5KrQzn1dNiwNjnIRI1diymLMawoirCIUeDtMmkD9aFXR_eniAEXz7FYN3HErq9w-854tJU0TY4zofZd9q-OYOnOOGG8qrV/w640-h480/ULLC7264.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;">Quick visit to the MAS Golden Lounge for a quick bite and drink to 'Revive' from the rush and stress.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijKYeEmq5M3i47teHVpjbnQH3XyZ8d_45w2FPOF1Chl6elB6enUGEtYQt2wh3Piaih2jFeZv2UdEiHh7vWgUxGaevapILl9oq5DafdVKsb0PfY7p9MUQxzbby59EK3p3BZVTHuVQN-zSMp5bb_EpmQ9hxBgYIDMYXtu2w6Uuh3P_dxA6VO8Isrz8-8/s4096/OPSO3313.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijKYeEmq5M3i47teHVpjbnQH3XyZ8d_45w2FPOF1Chl6elB6enUGEtYQt2wh3Piaih2jFeZv2UdEiHh7vWgUxGaevapILl9oq5DafdVKsb0PfY7p9MUQxzbby59EK3p3BZVTHuVQN-zSMp5bb_EpmQ9hxBgYIDMYXtu2w6Uuh3P_dxA6VO8Isrz8-8/w640-h640/OPSO3313.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;">6.5 hours flight from KL to Tokyo Haneda on ANA. Only 4 out of 18 seat in this business class section were occupied. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOK4CYn0y_gczSgpcGuQo3teXJ3lOzY4skRFWfRkD_kbLkrKGtC4mE_l2osuyM5W3DcW9ZbHSsUc3UWKt75c66qwoLGEyNXZ9967czXxJwkvEMPjoLeUj3VgBNaLgBTlSg1aHwWHlIDk4zpTJqTaCZH74rOqeLvxqcx2G-OVv_BjDS6SIQ-iUOXpQG/s4096/QZIV6673.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOK4CYn0y_gczSgpcGuQo3teXJ3lOzY4skRFWfRkD_kbLkrKGtC4mE_l2osuyM5W3DcW9ZbHSsUc3UWKt75c66qwoLGEyNXZ9967czXxJwkvEMPjoLeUj3VgBNaLgBTlSg1aHwWHlIDk4zpTJqTaCZH74rOqeLvxqcx2G-OVv_BjDS6SIQ-iUOXpQG/w640-h640/QZIV6673.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;">The seat felt very private and comfortable but I couldn't find anywhere to charge my phone. =.=</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPihHOnKCuZe2HN2-4eUxJ7ilO1Cri01ndWvwSWXj26FUXp5p2by8Gujt3OYEV_F9EjGQfpZvKWCRu9i31JjKf3DzqZlNgmvOgR66zcdQCkVqz5neiEdQMqbzzlr2Vmb01R5HELEKrerlI5Z_kcKxqBAAuTN4u-SZmpOCHQrYVVwW0sH8V0BEjr_cn/s4096/CSKI8870.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPihHOnKCuZe2HN2-4eUxJ7ilO1Cri01ndWvwSWXj26FUXp5p2by8Gujt3OYEV_F9EjGQfpZvKWCRu9i31JjKf3DzqZlNgmvOgR66zcdQCkVqz5neiEdQMqbzzlr2Vmb01R5HELEKrerlI5Z_kcKxqBAAuTN4u-SZmpOCHQrYVVwW0sH8V0BEjr_cn/w640-h480/CSKI8870.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;">Very basic amenities provided on this flight. I asked the flight attendant if they had any souvenirs for kids and she gave me two paper plane toy. =)</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEganJ4KHfGhPN7QrmoZSV2PIeJ9aU4EzRC2w1JpWTJ8BQIEYU73oDY2M6Xt3ObVdg-U5zn52tp0vTFLvJZcM2EE8KRLOFQlyJkufh_324UMS7wPMuKBqX7gUXDpfoL6ySJvLNYJ_DooiVtKqISvbe7s2oofeZoVXv7UgAFh2oRxkRfyNWQyVd30EoXW/s4096/MRCB3406.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEganJ4KHfGhPN7QrmoZSV2PIeJ9aU4EzRC2w1JpWTJ8BQIEYU73oDY2M6Xt3ObVdg-U5zn52tp0vTFLvJZcM2EE8KRLOFQlyJkufh_324UMS7wPMuKBqX7gUXDpfoL6ySJvLNYJ_DooiVtKqISvbe7s2oofeZoVXv7UgAFh2oRxkRfyNWQyVd30EoXW/w640-h640/MRCB3406.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGYzbz0Qy_U7_HQVfvkKLKUkQFGpA8qWkg6ymlVPG-2kUhU-6f3TcxzLIWxxE2QP-AK5TOKXQDRxcuDhynhFvvXngDriKfJurtdYP1ImIW57RNbeay8-9rfqDK3ulYNs8CWAO9r5qn6iSAwlsReeN8HNaLFf17Hxto6oA7iK3-non8rR7LJDLJMbrN/s4096/GBQP5945.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="847" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGYzbz0Qy_U7_HQVfvkKLKUkQFGpA8qWkg6ymlVPG-2kUhU-6f3TcxzLIWxxE2QP-AK5TOKXQDRxcuDhynhFvvXngDriKfJurtdYP1ImIW57RNbeay8-9rfqDK3ulYNs8CWAO9r5qn6iSAwlsReeN8HNaLFf17Hxto6oA7iK3-non8rR7LJDLJMbrN/w635-h847/GBQP5945.JPG" width="635" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;">There's Japanese and International menu, and I opted for the International cuisine - Asparagus and chicken ham roll with sesame sauce and edamame (starter), salmon & scallop tartar, smoked duck & marinated prawn (appetizer), beef fillet steak with wasabi sauce (main plate), ice cream (dessert). Had Ippudo ramen and Kirin beer from the 'order any time' menu after my nap.</span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwpKJDmVFgMvoHxV0dcn-G062JY5ZZNCBlhAVFeoIA-XXNek3_JJG0oLgWvo-KifjXvp7mS1BM84rE24VV8ww5WXUfgZQdn30V037E1H8s8biypvA56bDyTlf_5reCFpxvgh7tULIcUhg_FsxTXwI7S_oPsiXtDicH1RBkC76q00uGSINOSppHK-Ut/s4096/PZNE9644.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="274" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwpKJDmVFgMvoHxV0dcn-G062JY5ZZNCBlhAVFeoIA-XXNek3_JJG0oLgWvo-KifjXvp7mS1BM84rE24VV8ww5WXUfgZQdn30V037E1H8s8biypvA56bDyTlf_5reCFpxvgh7tULIcUhg_FsxTXwI7S_oPsiXtDicH1RBkC76q00uGSINOSppHK-Ut/w640-h274/PZNE9644.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;">Took a 3 hour nap on this lie-flat bed.</span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd8NFOUY1YE1LCHehxg2p_xkusYDc83C-DqVGUwikgz9oMOVLMETjGmG55YjJk76fWAxcAI2LnO59AOdGbmwWtVlIMnxP0NrUyjyHkimkKWcYsitCRWgI8QB1dCm5vxS5M17wvzuw3Tyy41A8NUMY_Y0yfkR79N7r21L-5rapWAo6Hz2ndmRjprOn_/s4096/VLNW4043.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd8NFOUY1YE1LCHehxg2p_xkusYDc83C-DqVGUwikgz9oMOVLMETjGmG55YjJk76fWAxcAI2LnO59AOdGbmwWtVlIMnxP0NrUyjyHkimkKWcYsitCRWgI8QB1dCm5vxS5M17wvzuw3Tyy41A8NUMY_Y0yfkR79N7r21L-5rapWAo6Hz2ndmRjprOn_/w640-h480/VLNW4043.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1cU8fB-KfGL8lu3pLE5ysGB7T0vXseu_WVawEcZ5vCCPVEbQ0_IHaqzv4rS0IKhWfMOkzf6m6PZ90x2f5YN7OMAUlLdpIiipIW62FJ3T0GfMVrr17hCd-2hucY88QE8IC37UtRq4lezTXlFt1jxSbJoy3ypJ2aNuN_G0KX80S8ywEcmyEn6m-O67Z/s4096/HXAP5439.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1cU8fB-KfGL8lu3pLE5ysGB7T0vXseu_WVawEcZ5vCCPVEbQ0_IHaqzv4rS0IKhWfMOkzf6m6PZ90x2f5YN7OMAUlLdpIiipIW62FJ3T0GfMVrr17hCd-2hucY88QE8IC37UtRq4lezTXlFt1jxSbJoy3ypJ2aNuN_G0KX80S8ywEcmyEn6m-O67Z/w640-h640/HXAP5439.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;">Landed at Tokyo Haneda airport at 9.50pm and was welcomed by airport staffs in pink checking for the Health Check QR code for arrival. I had a 12 hour transit from 10pm till 10.40am the next day and thought about going out to the city for New Year's Countdown celebration but decided to just stay in the airport and chill, and welcome 2023 in the airport...lol!</span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTwEJ0-C7evQ1mwywvIVVYILfVuoHQgz2cWf7KI-ErLe2NgSmpJIV3aPgAsVdq2VMWCCLT8vrcPyYQFiJjgpBkx2l5apACfdD881F1jqwY6fv9jesyo87ojzdMhhaBSIgkXf6lWMKmA-ZrVej5I5-qNn3tIVe62fLBqY3ZEjtv1fvPPEREsv_mDN0d/s4096/ICQY4488.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTwEJ0-C7evQ1mwywvIVVYILfVuoHQgz2cWf7KI-ErLe2NgSmpJIV3aPgAsVdq2VMWCCLT8vrcPyYQFiJjgpBkx2l5apACfdD881F1jqwY6fv9jesyo87ojzdMhhaBSIgkXf6lWMKmA-ZrVej5I5-qNn3tIVe62fLBqY3ZEjtv1fvPPEREsv_mDN0d/w640-h640/ICQY4488.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;">The ANA lounge opens at 5am and I was there right as it opens...lol!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7iTbMb8K7NSATpGS1k2lNDNsFhIBc32NDuipNWwbX6W-s9a0-u0JidgCazxIRHz29LfK4Hy_EIVB0ThwmXH6DJK1spNepiwgudSv_jdSKt6d6--Wsx93FlS0TZJKEfaHM0PS4BYGkrWoobgYCTJEDR2e-HK4U0WkY4WrgZqPFNsyt0WT6XIGY6Xf5/s4096/QQAD6196.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7iTbMb8K7NSATpGS1k2lNDNsFhIBc32NDuipNWwbX6W-s9a0-u0JidgCazxIRHz29LfK4Hy_EIVB0ThwmXH6DJK1spNepiwgudSv_jdSKt6d6--Wsx93FlS0TZJKEfaHM0PS4BYGkrWoobgYCTJEDR2e-HK4U0WkY4WrgZqPFNsyt0WT6XIGY6Xf5/w640-h480/QQAD6196.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;">First things first, a nice warm shower before my long flight. They had Dyson hairdryer and a free Ginza skincare amenity box in the bathroom.</span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG6YkN75RWY3USth28XeDUagP69AbnVItgVRytOJ6LBesWv6Xl0W8J-pH8vQUNNWuFbqe6n5bPZW5qNBBU_XfJpgWeJbrsdokMj0X43x1f6EQW7w_EG8tJsgXBvQMtIlSQvAOMbYBdcfy9ZXIHStfjLlsc8pe9ibyfWsC-y46JQrXNXyczrzx0EEWT/s4096/PTNL7664.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG6YkN75RWY3USth28XeDUagP69AbnVItgVRytOJ6LBesWv6Xl0W8J-pH8vQUNNWuFbqe6n5bPZW5qNBBU_XfJpgWeJbrsdokMj0X43x1f6EQW7w_EG8tJsgXBvQMtIlSQvAOMbYBdcfy9ZXIHStfjLlsc8pe9ibyfWsC-y46JQrXNXyczrzx0EEWT/w640-h480/PTNL7664.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;">The lounge was still empty at 5.30am. =) </span></div><div><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIn5zoPX2HgI8wjMrGBCHsBOijkFRQmu7mjR4Ki5amiCC1wdsCPcsH9umkF3sRuf7YJ6UK6AcsXSeXoyp5zNbJlyuG8DjtAjsamCEc41VnjtfZQLCQbM4OftKXHURc3uzkN1kdN7c2Mnsr48-Hwdmt5TMwQIJbFs_QXQuy1t2vORO8UGBDvvYxaJUv/s4096/GROU2013.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIn5zoPX2HgI8wjMrGBCHsBOijkFRQmu7mjR4Ki5amiCC1wdsCPcsH9umkF3sRuf7YJ6UK6AcsXSeXoyp5zNbJlyuG8DjtAjsamCEc41VnjtfZQLCQbM4OftKXHURc3uzkN1kdN7c2Mnsr48-Hwdmt5TMwQIJbFs_QXQuy1t2vORO8UGBDvvYxaJUv/w640-h480/GROU2013.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;">Self serve food and drinks...and of course my favorite beer machine.</span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidqFf7HBqap8yQbYWW1CXQyMemMAqzJdOe-pq8R9c9-tVMQU3v0dGUlJ8ZjPKfn0nQhw22UQKksrCTiKr_wzgl7L4lv6JQ2GICX9cfu6Lbuzbd7VkVmg0wew2ZQklZRbn3JTDgfZyXd8ectm-KnhZUSSTOz6IjiipXgtz-79CzdPb80xqFIy0PUB0e/s4096/AKFD3164.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidqFf7HBqap8yQbYWW1CXQyMemMAqzJdOe-pq8R9c9-tVMQU3v0dGUlJ8ZjPKfn0nQhw22UQKksrCTiKr_wzgl7L4lv6JQ2GICX9cfu6Lbuzbd7VkVmg0wew2ZQklZRbn3JTDgfZyXd8ectm-KnhZUSSTOz6IjiipXgtz-79CzdPb80xqFIy0PUB0e/w640-h480/AKFD3164.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;">There is also an app that we can use to order noodles from the noodles bar.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS-61n55mJX1-7HAIG6d48qP4MFyjbeOtrhTfIJnGzYxevepKDs_6DImPNQc3MkYxGfcD0jwYgjPn1zatxs7xOvZbfjH5F9hn26UqvVtwlxVJd8m7CuVaIx7NxxYyjU0NGfX9MbK8umQMl3tJcQqY7b2yfOGmDpf5543NXR8BdxKrBdY6jjIoZnJqv/s4096/ALOH2195.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS-61n55mJX1-7HAIG6d48qP4MFyjbeOtrhTfIJnGzYxevepKDs_6DImPNQc3MkYxGfcD0jwYgjPn1zatxs7xOvZbfjH5F9hn26UqvVtwlxVJd8m7CuVaIx7NxxYyjU0NGfX9MbK8umQMl3tJcQqY7b2yfOGmDpf5543NXR8BdxKrBdY6jjIoZnJqv/w640-h244/ALOH2195.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;">Had ramen (2 rounds) and Japanese curry for breakfast, with Kirin. =)</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYPJLkmEyGoB1g9s4sh6IMwjNEfHCYGrTv_XLq7_hwoeS1cwwqGsudlqQTvxHYpcXEeQN04WggZXzmhn44VUkv9Vt0OtMYw0SDlpLcNMWt9iEVpjtrxjeD84leR32zJZS6Q-7l74dn5G8ZLFVlUsUOm0T9NwsQ3USEmYaruFP5DqsPwG8xB4sl29cu/s4096/BRYL7372.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYPJLkmEyGoB1g9s4sh6IMwjNEfHCYGrTv_XLq7_hwoeS1cwwqGsudlqQTvxHYpcXEeQN04WggZXzmhn44VUkv9Vt0OtMYw0SDlpLcNMWt9iEVpjtrxjeD84leR32zJZS6Q-7l74dn5G8ZLFVlUsUOm0T9NwsQ3USEmYaruFP5DqsPwG8xB4sl29cu/w640-h640/BRYL7372.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div><div><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;">First sunrise of the year! The lounge started getting busy at 6.30am.</span></div></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinY6i9PvG1Uomxfqg_XMzVw8k-g19pTM4ZmhQzISln1PRJFbdgVvZUVv9pcH_ymEAAD_ZMQax_WEU322sQh6sjxIqznlbRSJV5HfecjJfi4Nzm3hNk2u4rUAmKPC6_NZWx4WNVyTdMHnwQrRSIs9S7Zfi6R_Rmj-n7myxaP24odfxwIE2xEreMg7c1/s4096/LLOI6622.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinY6i9PvG1Uomxfqg_XMzVw8k-g19pTM4ZmhQzISln1PRJFbdgVvZUVv9pcH_ymEAAD_ZMQax_WEU322sQh6sjxIqznlbRSJV5HfecjJfi4Nzm3hNk2u4rUAmKPC6_NZWx4WNVyTdMHnwQrRSIs9S7Zfi6R_Rmj-n7myxaP24odfxwIE2xEreMg7c1/w640-h426/LLOI6622.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;">After chilling for about 5 hours in the lounge, I left the lounge at 10am and did some shopping before heading to the boarding gate at 10.50am to board the flight (NH112) from Tokyo to Chicago.</span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ4R32Da64YvP4nhW_-nIWG6cYoYURKmFwQiPrVNPyjXN73ecTPr_KSnZjkdSR3DzPlZDK-4yVXggXMl_35a2lq_7INZkCw1gntzKb8HtQ6FQKDaSWhvX-9jzdzWMkbEMQNPumbmUplWblFPGPtm1tTG6Qedv-bNoQ4s0kzTMmteBMEnnDiGDnHURU/s4096/JBQM8158.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="846" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ4R32Da64YvP4nhW_-nIWG6cYoYURKmFwQiPrVNPyjXN73ecTPr_KSnZjkdSR3DzPlZDK-4yVXggXMl_35a2lq_7INZkCw1gntzKb8HtQ6FQKDaSWhvX-9jzdzWMkbEMQNPumbmUplWblFPGPtm1tTG6Qedv-bNoQ4s0kzTMmteBMEnnDiGDnHURU/w634-h846/JBQM8158.JPG" width="634" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;">So excited to travel in 'The Room'. I chose seat 19A, backward facing seat as the seating area is closer to the window. Each seat had 2 pillows, a blanket, and a seat pad.</span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ-460K0qXTh5nJLrTYj4uFChsQJUwJYciPPOa5cASYLnUMQJn_g1L9PXWcBVnmx0LpBVK4synqqg5p_ujoi2N6J39HVBx9AKKOUlBrDTYHAlySmz8876ajGqh_SB2U_SueIoQj1uB1p954b06VgN8NfY9UYZgvgOW5Ry28l3ZK6krxe-o0VuRLFn1/s4096/WRLN9630.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ-460K0qXTh5nJLrTYj4uFChsQJUwJYciPPOa5cASYLnUMQJn_g1L9PXWcBVnmx0LpBVK4synqqg5p_ujoi2N6J39HVBx9AKKOUlBrDTYHAlySmz8876ajGqh_SB2U_SueIoQj1uB1p954b06VgN8NfY9UYZgvgOW5Ry28l3ZK6krxe-o0VuRLFn1/w640-h480/WRLN9630.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;">Contrary to the earlier flight, business class for this flight was completely full. Champagne for welcome drink.</span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBjZuCfkxTk8ikjTRv6KEK_vWWQ4aM4vM0KdZzcHSBakCeizIeYvN0HTNO-MW4mRJgPvEwt5t1k9lejKH6EXCoYbd77-f0fSlTxGJQkU18mjNpLNPYpAPbkmC-2d77HwH_v07j5m04p0UOLCR631cmSVu3Dwq9Mg8p4aty8K2Uj9nIBxD3302dnPrJ/s4096/SCWY3166.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBjZuCfkxTk8ikjTRv6KEK_vWWQ4aM4vM0KdZzcHSBakCeizIeYvN0HTNO-MW4mRJgPvEwt5t1k9lejKH6EXCoYbd77-f0fSlTxGJQkU18mjNpLNPYpAPbkmC-2d77HwH_v07j5m04p0UOLCR631cmSVu3Dwq9Mg8p4aty8K2Uj9nIBxD3302dnPrJ/w640-h480/SCWY3166.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;">Amenity kit, slippers, and headphone. Cockpit view of the take off on the 4K 24-inch HD entertainment monitor.</span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqOqDbJ-cAs72VyX1xtZVGMCWaja7rgqkzLjtIKxP8RaCL3YaHNcVi-H5-mNMc6VNcIzL1wY5uWF5kDvUei-YUoeZAvSL1KDi5-FBkl8Br1qZ78430llBVVPuNdmvsNSRmIHR2TaWkX8GQ2tGbCU7JtNe10IBS0jJHxIswJwKHSAmfeLsy55i6CU5g/s4096/OMDM7599.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="855" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqOqDbJ-cAs72VyX1xtZVGMCWaja7rgqkzLjtIKxP8RaCL3YaHNcVi-H5-mNMc6VNcIzL1wY5uWF5kDvUei-YUoeZAvSL1KDi5-FBkl8Br1qZ78430llBVVPuNdmvsNSRmIHR2TaWkX8GQ2tGbCU7JtNe10IBS0jJHxIswJwKHSAmfeLsy55i6CU5g/w642-h855/OMDM7599.JPG" width="642" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;">Awesome view of Mount Fuji and Tokyo during take off.</span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUFKR8TFVZP76eFGe0EDG8UnMz20jBtR8BA-lgQIw47PsDLPf-ufRNzRawEghW42RqXxw5M-yD7KFkmViE7FLTvZf7ccv6uYyi5YMEs6huA17wuyVMr36CFvklHq3hbOcRXT8VljqgWD-9nUGCJXO6i3AFv8xdC1oW9k6-o0eGHvh2AYiiZQzsrimB/s4096/SALY4674.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="857" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUFKR8TFVZP76eFGe0EDG8UnMz20jBtR8BA-lgQIw47PsDLPf-ufRNzRawEghW42RqXxw5M-yD7KFkmViE7FLTvZf7ccv6uYyi5YMEs6huA17wuyVMr36CFvklHq3hbOcRXT8VljqgWD-9nUGCJXO6i3AFv8xdC1oW9k6-o0eGHvh2AYiiZQzsrimB/w643-h857/SALY4674.JPG" width="643" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;">Menu for the flight</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWX1qiTJcYXor8ir3hwKnFzyP6CbBIt8dwbAutQ6i6qS7DeH5-TF8OBGXtwjbiIq-uzRgTpsQKlX1sXcKDyEeRjdJIaFQ1o8iClf5c-MpZDmuUu5k4-e7YdIzdgbse6C6vLbSj0FmtyQml40HySoS75RIffq7N2F786gOdc8GNEigs2zJCAAc838ZN/s4096/BZOS9514.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWX1qiTJcYXor8ir3hwKnFzyP6CbBIt8dwbAutQ6i6qS7DeH5-TF8OBGXtwjbiIq-uzRgTpsQKlX1sXcKDyEeRjdJIaFQ1o8iClf5c-MpZDmuUu5k4-e7YdIzdgbse6C6vLbSj0FmtyQml40HySoS75RIffq7N2F786gOdc8GNEigs2zJCAAc838ZN/w640-h640/BZOS9514.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;">2 rounds of Suntory Hibiki to kick off the flight.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIX1Xq5BR9NIbNipkkwmCvWfwMmtSrVOzseNHlhuzAlpcKYtIHPXjisC1ffWHjVfCI-M6zP6XmwZ0YkL7p41E7B2JP2HPjFEy5nKSKzT3gCNXZt3PbWygVSTiGvQLqGU0DPo6vqc3jIHrpv6iNFnkGUo3dD4oRUEGXkJ3-hVjPl9LjwMfXXLQynh05/s4096/OEBP5805.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="805" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIX1Xq5BR9NIbNipkkwmCvWfwMmtSrVOzseNHlhuzAlpcKYtIHPXjisC1ffWHjVfCI-M6zP6XmwZ0YkL7p41E7B2JP2HPjFEy5nKSKzT3gCNXZt3PbWygVSTiGvQLqGU0DPo6vqc3jIHrpv6iNFnkGUo3dD4oRUEGXkJ3-hVjPl9LjwMfXXLQynh05/w644-h805/OEBP5805.JPG" width="644" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;">Opted for Japanese Cuisine for this flight. Fancy presentation but I don't know half of the things served...haha!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTNNji9Q5OA7fStiqMIJCcxE3uZWz8dzi55_YT3cfHrRCgfgi7ytng6HMB5ZbjDae6p5EYB6_Q70dmahHPpA5R9VX2k05MwkoN6XQj19gRx5k6m97p7IPxMHB9ID659TirxkwTbQDVGXnA14khvrPuIVRQpGbIvjkaVtlaGi4IW_yqsWIHKMpsx65S/s4096/JMAJ5767.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTNNji9Q5OA7fStiqMIJCcxE3uZWz8dzi55_YT3cfHrRCgfgi7ytng6HMB5ZbjDae6p5EYB6_Q70dmahHPpA5R9VX2k05MwkoN6XQj19gRx5k6m97p7IPxMHB9ID659TirxkwTbQDVGXnA14khvrPuIVRQpGbIvjkaVtlaGi4IW_yqsWIHKMpsx65S/w640-h640/JMAJ5767.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;">Watched 'The Bucket List' from 2007 and Blackpink's documentary.</span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh46tNM_vIvP7ygEeHnlZjmWRfiWcuWiCyFrcbHeeNqzn6IglsRG5TVi6bj1z19qVYE7P3XWtB-YA-_ISnAlayRY_zRSQB7vHzq-6igfgojjf8im98MRKNK5zuqcWY6-GMWvWuSw_xS03nx9ia3LfjANSEUeDWmBJEqOIgNIFzfnt_Y-jAjf-ZZieN/s4096/KCUY3169.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh46tNM_vIvP7ygEeHnlZjmWRfiWcuWiCyFrcbHeeNqzn6IglsRG5TVi6bj1z19qVYE7P3XWtB-YA-_ISnAlayRY_zRSQB7vHzq-6igfgojjf8im98MRKNK5zuqcWY6-GMWvWuSw_xS03nx9ia3LfjANSEUeDWmBJEqOIgNIFzfnt_Y-jAjf-ZZieN/w640-h480/KCUY3169.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;">Then it was time to get some rest in this lay-flat seat. Closing my doors...anti-social mode on. Ample space in my 'room' to stretch out comfortably.</span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMxif_EtOjOMAprvrRtgmjQUtxnUXqPnn2s6FsfDoxJA2B-Ff926LQgGq888mxNRqNgkZVXpbfsZEzVBMReWgvUQnKwOrYIg97D5DnBk4c8ElYC6kEiTb3DmNRCL1ge-ldh-G5uLl-cCjZAhKZHsjNxfNd9jPtiwO3qAiy1P6jwCqZSOfGxh2OMUNE/s4096/KCXC8729.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMxif_EtOjOMAprvrRtgmjQUtxnUXqPnn2s6FsfDoxJA2B-Ff926LQgGq888mxNRqNgkZVXpbfsZEzVBMReWgvUQnKwOrYIg97D5DnBk4c8ElYC6kEiTb3DmNRCL1ge-ldh-G5uLl-cCjZAhKZHsjNxfNd9jPtiwO3qAiy1P6jwCqZSOfGxh2OMUNE/w640-h480/KCXC8729.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><div><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;">Ippudo ramen and champagne for 'midnight' snack after 3 hours of sleep.</span></div></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAEC0ulCDaDTjKbGkH-XQstjz8m_KFQbUvKBKAplgqqZL7VpkJ7f4dnhKCA3QhgycldShanCaUcH7TUgdj7BiAN_3mJVZ6nEAbZgcnS36CxpCsWdMQUMLfowNZWEcBdSLB2j8-d1iRHPfB2_-qc74tLoS9KXR4tGLQdBxuKYni2ghnlhyXoD0nfrPq/s4096/FBXA1674.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="861" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAEC0ulCDaDTjKbGkH-XQstjz8m_KFQbUvKBKAplgqqZL7VpkJ7f4dnhKCA3QhgycldShanCaUcH7TUgdj7BiAN_3mJVZ6nEAbZgcnS36CxpCsWdMQUMLfowNZWEcBdSLB2j8-d1iRHPfB2_-qc74tLoS9KXR4tGLQdBxuKYni2ghnlhyXoD0nfrPq/w647-h861/FBXA1674.JPG" width="647" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;">Japanese cuisine again for breakfast. Roasted green tea and Kayanoya vegetable soup to wrap up my in-flight meals.</span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzehucTRmIP9kjnoNOQPcNe2P-SXG5JaqR77-6kZ6U7Vyk7BBx2MVy6BNj9oMGopStAy8OPZoEAL9UXcHgKKdmg2UEAggdqSvvpTLbmkNaMmlCMCwNjlWyvKFweTMQ52NCYh0dPMbXUqZGwrYOvssSVboiaohILEcdB9gObbH3bwUFH7Vje__yqR4K/s4096/AIDP0708.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzehucTRmIP9kjnoNOQPcNe2P-SXG5JaqR77-6kZ6U7Vyk7BBx2MVy6BNj9oMGopStAy8OPZoEAL9UXcHgKKdmg2UEAggdqSvvpTLbmkNaMmlCMCwNjlWyvKFweTMQ52NCYh0dPMbXUqZGwrYOvssSVboiaohILEcdB9gObbH3bwUFH7Vje__yqR4K/w640-h480/AIDP0708.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;">2nd sunrise for Jan 1, 2023. Definitely a special New Year's Day for me which lasted 39 hours and saw sunrise twice.</span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj44GvxTAlC3zXrd04503kouafaQrG8J7ODO_XBv2qPcyl_YP0APNA9d-uv0WNNu5eAtdxrI6qIJSLYOY3SfbUajsvR-rz6RoaIfynA5iZsN9dnaKEZmpUd7Dc3XhpXg5jxllWwv5wkfDGDXUW-iwuepA6vdUcJ5Cmvfc09jGYvFGMnsy_TSZ0axXRH/s4096/OCIU4037.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj44GvxTAlC3zXrd04503kouafaQrG8J7ODO_XBv2qPcyl_YP0APNA9d-uv0WNNu5eAtdxrI6qIJSLYOY3SfbUajsvR-rz6RoaIfynA5iZsN9dnaKEZmpUd7Dc3XhpXg5jxllWwv5wkfDGDXUW-iwuepA6vdUcJ5Cmvfc09jGYvFGMnsy_TSZ0axXRH/w640-h640/OCIU4037.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;">Landed at Chicago at 8.05am, 45 minutes behind schedule due to late departure from Tokyo. Surprisingly, there was no line at the immigration and it only took me 5 minutes to get through immigration with Global Entry, and another 5 minutes to get all my bags. =)</span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifJj8sHakVkZkV2M-hlzX4oOOQoMWkDQdh3ZE6qD_3rkKTMZlk7Z5mJidYEmI6PhcK5Vxtf-nTsmwijcGuDgZb2vMrgHlP_HOfnWGBlDLiJaJV7egXKBN8nW-As_QcUSxZUaBV_Nv3mCaScyJThnCHp1RCOuN5ufP_yqJXlzhbpnEjVVX3qSmNxPbm/s4096/TQIV6509.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifJj8sHakVkZkV2M-hlzX4oOOQoMWkDQdh3ZE6qD_3rkKTMZlk7Z5mJidYEmI6PhcK5Vxtf-nTsmwijcGuDgZb2vMrgHlP_HOfnWGBlDLiJaJV7egXKBN8nW-As_QcUSxZUaBV_Nv3mCaScyJThnCHp1RCOuN5ufP_yqJXlzhbpnEjVVX3qSmNxPbm/w640-h640/TQIV6509.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;">Everything went smoothly in Chicago and I had ample time to connect to my flight to Huntsville. Made it back to Huntsville at 1pm. Home sweet home after being away for 10 weeks and 40 hours of traveling. Thankful to be able to experience 2 of the world's best business class flights on this work trip - Qatar Qsuite and ANA The Room.</span></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://khaishing.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default</div>khaishing.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05154189313956844355noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3659547063209051949.post-71593147182245486992023-05-31T00:38:00.002-05:002023-05-31T00:38:13.382-05:00India Work Trip 2022 ✈ 2 Months in India<div style="text-align: justify;"><div><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><i>In the last 2 months of 2022, I was given the opportunity to travel to India for a work secondment. I signed up to travel to India without any expectations, but the entire experienced turned out way better than I expected, all thanks to the warm hospitality I received throughout my stay in Kolkata.</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/BJ7X0M-WPrQ" title="YouTube video player" width="640"></iframe></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><b>25 October 2022 - 22 December 2022: Working and Living in India for 2 Months</b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;">After working from home for 2.5 years, I decided to volunteer to travel to India for 2 months to train and upskill our team members. Honestly, I was a lil' worried about being in India for an extended period of time but after speaking to other co-workers who were there pre-Covid and learning more about the living arrangements for short-term secondees, I felt a lot more comfortable and looked forward to finally meet team members whom I have worked with over the past 2 years. In fact, my stay was so comfortable and I enjoyed the experience so much that I volunteered for round 2...haha!</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;">So, how was it like living and working in Kolkata for 2 months? </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div><br /></div></span></div> <div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk6RRDXHcFOj0rjYCWYqA-oXlTIlxOzTcIFcK_szMuse_f6122hhGIpQB0HfTWR0K9uimYQB5eT8yw7EU-4ZcSW_i7B-AurkptuXUeQ7CpCu_tyg5H_lCf1DbrirVPD5XDzhDNouA8SpC29n9VoyyZPlAwP_KCq59uY88HPerM6A9Lf87tv4CMZoFw/s4096/YLIO6185.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk6RRDXHcFOj0rjYCWYqA-oXlTIlxOzTcIFcK_szMuse_f6122hhGIpQB0HfTWR0K9uimYQB5eT8yw7EU-4ZcSW_i7B-AurkptuXUeQ7CpCu_tyg5H_lCf1DbrirVPD5XDzhDNouA8SpC29n9VoyyZPlAwP_KCq59uY88HPerM6A9Lf87tv4CMZoFw/w640-h480/YLIO6185.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;">My <a href="https://www.khaishing.com/2023/04/india-work-trip-2022-journey-to-kolkata.html" target="_blank">flight</a> landed in Kolkata at 1.55am. Since I was one of the first few passengers to get off the plane (benefit of flying business class), I quickly made my way to the immigration and was able to get through it without waiting in line. My luggage was one of the first few bags unloaded on the carousel so I was out of the airport by 2.20am. The staff from JW Marriott Kolkata was already waiting at the arrival area when I got out and after a short wait for the driver to get the van, we left the airport around 2.25am. Took only 30 minutes after our flight landed to get out of the airport, not bad at all!</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixw73db2WZA6CdTFeOWA-QJzw8WSfOpzp6EmyP6_1Mce_VB0uMBbVbr1IOUEtWaHXgAGSVrjedTWzKWI4BNNKzXqgj7Ap3scVEDcDUzgOQTYqkrTewzx7zkJYWkuIizr1DskuN2vvEqB2g0MSYEJ5v8MdxgkKLj4GPy3p_FRfis-Sd1GG2usiU1Uzv/s4096/QQWN1159.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixw73db2WZA6CdTFeOWA-QJzw8WSfOpzp6EmyP6_1Mce_VB0uMBbVbr1IOUEtWaHXgAGSVrjedTWzKWI4BNNKzXqgj7Ap3scVEDcDUzgOQTYqkrTewzx7zkJYWkuIizr1DskuN2vvEqB2g0MSYEJ5v8MdxgkKLj4GPy3p_FRfis-Sd1GG2usiU1Uzv/w640-h640/QQWN1159.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;">Arriving past midnight means no traffic at all and we arrived at the hotel after 20 minutes. It was pretty cool to see the city filled with colorful lights for Diwali. After checking in, I finally made it to my room at 2.55am and received these Diwali desserts as a welcome gift.</span></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBuwvKHTeF02EaykcvfCugMaSQBqwNgIN2h8-SbI0FeQvRYxdCpv2_eExzhwPjGeU8Qx9r5VNF-DUj5e8ppOgMKu8ZeAZIGl8wHYbUHhf23uX2Kaidf_rx1GXhk70kXdkBqS0Fkfprbu5yIGhmcnxyAvGpxboz-28_zKhgGiTCp0EkPNFCGnL_j-OA/s4096/FMAI3400.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBuwvKHTeF02EaykcvfCugMaSQBqwNgIN2h8-SbI0FeQvRYxdCpv2_eExzhwPjGeU8Qx9r5VNF-DUj5e8ppOgMKu8ZeAZIGl8wHYbUHhf23uX2Kaidf_rx1GXhk70kXdkBqS0Fkfprbu5yIGhmcnxyAvGpxboz-28_zKhgGiTCp0EkPNFCGnL_j-OA/w640-h480/FMAI3400.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;">I had 2 days before my official start date in the office so I spent my downtime exploring my 'home' for the next 2 months...JW Marriott Kolkata.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv6_dkpuJ7lbcF7gVjkyDuUbqDdZMIYnAqpPxJEdMKEL0sKDpsWhqn7VphZi86o8Zh9LVzRbcYZQth_tdX_yaANSzwp6jbzq2JTHFFvnpsabSi4cPvPQRWtSLIDH62Cevz-qr_jivP97Ae-_zCZ3v7DpTgFzLLKsTW7gW6-T6fNqOOS5wIAVRFeP6G/s4096/XCLC5996.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv6_dkpuJ7lbcF7gVjkyDuUbqDdZMIYnAqpPxJEdMKEL0sKDpsWhqn7VphZi86o8Zh9LVzRbcYZQth_tdX_yaANSzwp6jbzq2JTHFFvnpsabSi4cPvPQRWtSLIDH62Cevz-qr_jivP97Ae-_zCZ3v7DpTgFzLLKsTW7gW6-T6fNqOOS5wIAVRFeP6G/w640-h480/XCLC5996.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;">Spacious and bright </span><span style="font-family: "Source Sans Pro";">Executive King guest room with a huge bathroom.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZcGwKzfFB23FYy5diTXN8knbN3F1HH1yOz2r4T8rtEDvvyAtQt-O4_KWQhFi-0npANBXTzPQ0M4HLN2FsL5jcdwi13K93wWqedwyhFjS43PT9_z5IuGpI_WQRKweropellpeCrTxnx7zpJkf72GuWJGX-5yqF8nJJyz5aAUs_DadYeGRrNsx3u9Nc/s4096/LRPK3528.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZcGwKzfFB23FYy5diTXN8knbN3F1HH1yOz2r4T8rtEDvvyAtQt-O4_KWQhFi-0npANBXTzPQ0M4HLN2FsL5jcdwi13K93wWqedwyhFjS43PT9_z5IuGpI_WQRKweropellpeCrTxnx7zpJkf72GuWJGX-5yqF8nJJyz5aAUs_DadYeGRrNsx3u9Nc/w640-h640/LRPK3528.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;">Some amenities in the room. We get few bottles of water per day, which was more than enough.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5F5GMUEWSgEzNkchD7hzNwEXIgkC_s5Y27KEgXTzJT7pKvqM0CWP8nGZc8EnxpZ4R6H4nhTBVBCUNKdC5alRwQbo3odACrShriKkqwf2f_sBIHvKw-n3cmxAon4x9kxWD72pY5tgtrvHG1627Ne1-oPc55OO60VZiZxhKLSAiiuBWGZLk19iHViwg/s4096/AGOF4059.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5F5GMUEWSgEzNkchD7hzNwEXIgkC_s5Y27KEgXTzJT7pKvqM0CWP8nGZc8EnxpZ4R6H4nhTBVBCUNKdC5alRwQbo3odACrShriKkqwf2f_sBIHvKw-n3cmxAon4x9kxWD72pY5tgtrvHG1627Ne1-oPc55OO60VZiZxhKLSAiiuBWGZLk19iHViwg/w640-h480/AGOF4059.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;">View from the room. I learnt after a few weeks to avoid the rooms with pool view, especially during wedding season coz the music at the poolside can be heard even from the 18th floor. Btw, this clear view didn't last long either coz the city was pretty much covered in haze for the later half of my stay.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><b>Daily Life in India - Weekdays</b></span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx89W_o-CNfgxV-s402Kq4cbSWG9LAZTvrHcSM1HH-hwdEUTefs7MZLrvHy1uaDSk2uooLMZMbO13AJstC9uOtyMYdwBiy-hG7MzhrIGMWJ7YY1u375DK9_SB_diq7eWXOYF1ZZAi-E1jLIuu3_dZ5wHnziVRtKjjzQcYXmyBaA2tPkZMBMreNWAjJ/s4096/MDKX5326.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx89W_o-CNfgxV-s402Kq4cbSWG9LAZTvrHcSM1HH-hwdEUTefs7MZLrvHy1uaDSk2uooLMZMbO13AJstC9uOtyMYdwBiy-hG7MzhrIGMWJ7YY1u375DK9_SB_diq7eWXOYF1ZZAi-E1jLIuu3_dZ5wHnziVRtKjjzQcYXmyBaA2tPkZMBMreNWAjJ/w640-h480/MDKX5326.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUyI2TC99ysGDsri8Sbr_-5YAX1Y0bvtzaduI9B9OcRXYKRy2WSdwg-xIDYc4odTy0VnArxVNgwq1R4PlbgXcpa8qzPTr9WQAyBN7nrTbZ0xpZSHxjz_mhTJV3DEXPd_xkfkK0A1rwwxQuIdwkCgIrJbNx6-FGp1wfpb1hdkOfKxBn3edaxwA-I2Em/s4096/NHMR2404.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUyI2TC99ysGDsri8Sbr_-5YAX1Y0bvtzaduI9B9OcRXYKRy2WSdwg-xIDYc4odTy0VnArxVNgwq1R4PlbgXcpa8qzPTr9WQAyBN7nrTbZ0xpZSHxjz_mhTJV3DEXPd_xkfkK0A1rwwxQuIdwkCgIrJbNx6-FGp1wfpb1hdkOfKxBn3edaxwA-I2Em/w640-h640/NHMR2404.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div>Our room rate includes daily complimentary buffet breakfast at JW Kitchen. There is a wide variety of food options, to the extent that I felt overwhelmed on my first day. I only ate here for my first 2 weeks and decided to skip breakfast for the rest of my stay. I'd just ask for a to-go box to pack some pastries to share with co-workers in the office.</div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRy3nAL6SD6Vk1d922Uke9bIxOn4c_-5mi1PirbhFC5XxQXxy9GhFjVquPn0V_F8_LAsrq6O4joxfqcxcrlrgI3vtVZ4OPQy-JMiWC8Rt-QzWWxqCvGl0eNwDXAxnJSW3SK8KwjOj1Z-y4GzEd89Bocvx9pJcXdosb3LmZbvDnSemL_zJTzW77F8dG/s4096/QRBO0095.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRy3nAL6SD6Vk1d922Uke9bIxOn4c_-5mi1PirbhFC5XxQXxy9GhFjVquPn0V_F8_LAsrq6O4joxfqcxcrlrgI3vtVZ4OPQy-JMiWC8Rt-QzWWxqCvGl0eNwDXAxnJSW3SK8KwjOj1Z-y4GzEd89Bocvx9pJcXdosb3LmZbvDnSemL_zJTzW77F8dG/w640-h480/QRBO0095.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div>Hotel drop-off and pick-up at the office daily. It's nice being chauferred around everyday...haha! =P I wouldn't dare to drive even if I had a car coz there is no lane concept here...just drive wherever there is space and honk for everything. =P</div></span></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnM_Xt75_ZpFXh84yRoA75naevAT_2dp9YcVDVvOOuoB70fUg1HZ5kZzYHED-FNHmfYAOe2DyPZY7KZBcmwsAbxQLhgI43n-y9VTdPr4YxiszCBIX3UAx4LPqtCqi3TSYITIwIQHLY8-bn4dPdb9tG7di4CLmQHmMGmperFuyWVAC87maYNK2s3Rcr/s4096/LIYJ0605.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnM_Xt75_ZpFXh84yRoA75naevAT_2dp9YcVDVvOOuoB70fUg1HZ5kZzYHED-FNHmfYAOe2DyPZY7KZBcmwsAbxQLhgI43n-y9VTdPr4YxiszCBIX3UAx4LPqtCqi3TSYITIwIQHLY8-bn4dPdb9tG7di4CLmQHmMGmperFuyWVAC87maYNK2s3Rcr/w640-h640/LIYJ0605.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div>The ride from hotel to our office took about 20-30 minute depending on traffic, and there's always something fun to see along the way...lol! </div></span></div></span></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSIrHzeSy85Vick09bG77TyT5hQKnT0qmTBzuNuhUfutVoB_DtqTXpHpN-0V0cqYQvV8ob7aKl18-LXPvf5vSbNJo5Z4mJFndZHaSWLj-o4cd5RUykx7XarxGmjvi-xp2KMZ4sUqAYdmVVY00O0gc_1zTCl4Av7Ygksh4crKxtY9-WJhP9uzp8gJab/s4096/XAHV0339.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSIrHzeSy85Vick09bG77TyT5hQKnT0qmTBzuNuhUfutVoB_DtqTXpHpN-0V0cqYQvV8ob7aKl18-LXPvf5vSbNJo5Z4mJFndZHaSWLj-o4cd5RUykx7XarxGmjvi-xp2KMZ4sUqAYdmVVY00O0gc_1zTCl4Av7Ygksh4crKxtY9-WJhP9uzp8gJab/w640-h480/XAHV0339.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div>Our office at South City Pinnacle, and 10th floor where our team sits. It has been 2.5 years since I went to the office. Since our team is fully remote, the office is rarely full apart from during the Christmas celebration. </div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoCX3xP0JmGZiL805VaUxkgHIyKd9rokObQDOMigxyneGMT_J6Yrh3UfGSwQh1FHrSbk6E3MGMzja9ahXEwWcp_41n2VolToNhJvESoteTM5_ZvSBD1XEq2dEahKy8cvSgr28lrbWwsZSoHQCBUC8XeHXer30na9un7D--w2iIlh7Mntc91Q5D-zRy/s4096/YJUY5843.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="852" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoCX3xP0JmGZiL805VaUxkgHIyKd9rokObQDOMigxyneGMT_J6Yrh3UfGSwQh1FHrSbk6E3MGMzja9ahXEwWcp_41n2VolToNhJvESoteTM5_ZvSBD1XEq2dEahKy8cvSgr28lrbWwsZSoHQCBUC8XeHXer30na9un7D--w2iIlh7Mntc91Q5D-zRy/w638-h852/YJUY5843.JPG" width="638" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div>I don't get any work done in the office coz I'm usually talking to people or having calls/meetings/trainings. </div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0yzYVOkPfKrfr9qbTVdtNH7VGBcjfKTsv99bGvkHLwkQVMQy03f66LfA2_clvqvNDC9vkCSq1PZggO3M9tkKtnKM8M9aBwgF02OOLYFRIWEivjTiYeBfTt-BURV0IsLMlTmwZiKzj7db7P6ZUd3sN-YtxJF0C6garpa4vaKKNY4x0Ol9nolSy_vfL/s4096/WQYY8299.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0yzYVOkPfKrfr9qbTVdtNH7VGBcjfKTsv99bGvkHLwkQVMQy03f66LfA2_clvqvNDC9vkCSq1PZggO3M9tkKtnKM8M9aBwgF02OOLYFRIWEivjTiYeBfTt-BURV0IsLMlTmwZiKzj7db7P6ZUd3sN-YtxJF0C6garpa4vaKKNY4x0Ol9nolSy_vfL/w640-h640/WQYY8299.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div>Presented at one of the the townhall meetings.</div><div><br /></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvTWmIRUKInIvWsDsc5fsr8Wg-OFw6kzn2QuXBTCtgIG-MxhhGNWxm5iKL1b3j1jt82nw_7MjCqT-F9yl7jKOS_J9HfwNWeny02qN1ObDEbEgReRWj3x5Cc-cEiuKi2jf6UrDarG_K2-g4PMIpk7W7GKxesIqXNTbcGdqfzVp1xTGSQ2DPEhU8zlWk/s4096/KLIO1629.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="847" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvTWmIRUKInIvWsDsc5fsr8Wg-OFw6kzn2QuXBTCtgIG-MxhhGNWxm5iKL1b3j1jt82nw_7MjCqT-F9yl7jKOS_J9HfwNWeny02qN1ObDEbEgReRWj3x5Cc-cEiuKi2jf6UrDarG_K2-g4PMIpk7W7GKxesIqXNTbcGdqfzVp1xTGSQ2DPEhU8zlWk/w635-h847/KLIO1629.JPG" width="635" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2LKdrxggNLxIwfS8ZSJhLdDGZT04TflrkU6GhFxgjq3mR8_xUbbp2ybqBTpYDIZ6vqAhNNXY5qSfMg07G8fpwYFt-ZxxMacmjgORRQm-yu26d0zsEwPgHLiMjdcYq52jX4nKd56Zijve6fVISCakocwe3DBnze6ui0FxTusFt4hc_iFMCB7FjcpZD/s4096/RBPT9219.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="852" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2LKdrxggNLxIwfS8ZSJhLdDGZT04TflrkU6GhFxgjq3mR8_xUbbp2ybqBTpYDIZ6vqAhNNXY5qSfMg07G8fpwYFt-ZxxMacmjgORRQm-yu26d0zsEwPgHLiMjdcYq52jX4nKd56Zijve6fVISCakocwe3DBnze6ui0FxTusFt4hc_iFMCB7FjcpZD/w640-h852/RBPT9219.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDRakWOpdo0d1ZQK-GeQ6w5FTdjdjEgCdvaxWIhnb2uJIcShBmSX6NcJwypijCkYVuGHyzZBMqtKgXotfeRRQqCcMB2gbX7tJmgFUo1q5zgx1Ao2W9o1c1GWUFbkNwrFcgtNu7RZGrQx7F_RE3uXlh7TMgtlRsRASSFO6w73dENWuaB-adh9CedMyp/s4096/VPFP3414.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDRakWOpdo0d1ZQK-GeQ6w5FTdjdjEgCdvaxWIhnb2uJIcShBmSX6NcJwypijCkYVuGHyzZBMqtKgXotfeRRQqCcMB2gbX7tJmgFUo1q5zgx1Ao2W9o1c1GWUFbkNwrFcgtNu7RZGrQx7F_RE3uXlh7TMgtlRsRASSFO6w73dENWuaB-adh9CedMyp/w640-h640/VPFP3414.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqA82yAoAvMXHgSZC0Jtf5tUdteS8H1-0BZ6m6IUM435bMtnAVB2ed1wuZz_bbFvWz4HXXV7qFgXRYGnLfQBG77TIrTKaf4ClLp1MELOGSGxGw702nEX-XOLRjad_LTwzGYBBYT02xp81XkM7WoH8qqpwGUCXp6ay3bT1HZ2uSoGREViY7cz2Uj_9A/s4096/GPYG4500.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqA82yAoAvMXHgSZC0Jtf5tUdteS8H1-0BZ6m6IUM435bMtnAVB2ed1wuZz_bbFvWz4HXXV7qFgXRYGnLfQBG77TIrTKaf4ClLp1MELOGSGxGw702nEX-XOLRjad_LTwzGYBBYT02xp81XkM7WoH8qqpwGUCXp6ay3bT1HZ2uSoGREViY7cz2Uj_9A/w640-h640/GPYG4500.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div>Went out for lunches (and dinners) with the team but ordered delivery from Zomato mostly.</div></span></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5JlojsAtbE3uCT-CKwj6ZqoOouoJZ7wcwvAkv_5dYOCMcaCpEcBX4ljcIzZ28Wk3fPQ0mTFQzBbNoX6BwOevuFCIGVz3jKo2Rork_qwPI0B-I7MgI0PRZv9VGymIpSL0tbyW3AIETM3iYMUH_dzNixju33rgR5Df-zHFvvrQ_3cvz_QYaznToIMZd/s4096/WJER5985.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5JlojsAtbE3uCT-CKwj6ZqoOouoJZ7wcwvAkv_5dYOCMcaCpEcBX4ljcIzZ28Wk3fPQ0mTFQzBbNoX6BwOevuFCIGVz3jKo2Rork_qwPI0B-I7MgI0PRZv9VGymIpSL0tbyW3AIETM3iYMUH_dzNixju33rgR5Df-zHFvvrQ_3cvz_QYaznToIMZd/w640-h480/WJER5985.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div>Executive Lounge at the 23rd floor is a nice place to hangout.</div><div><br /></div></span></div></span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFmEE-y4yQVkQBTqnUwFMRhP_CEuJctl8e4Ux6r8pz0G0qIIhXYoNnACLgAC5m2UiIsZ0S1G7URt0Go7Wj53xhyPdraCgpKGZGQeRGINdaSf7yi51yhHeSthfju5DAE-7QchYrtUBQ4c5g58KYPeG33dbsWKaeoQW16qSl7J0L0I_g52RsOc1TsM1b/s4096/MLRH8984.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFmEE-y4yQVkQBTqnUwFMRhP_CEuJctl8e4Ux6r8pz0G0qIIhXYoNnACLgAC5m2UiIsZ0S1G7URt0Go7Wj53xhyPdraCgpKGZGQeRGINdaSf7yi51yhHeSthfju5DAE-7QchYrtUBQ4c5g58KYPeG33dbsWKaeoQW16qSl7J0L0I_g52RsOc1TsM1b/w640-h640/MLRH8984.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div>All secondees usually hangout here in the evening coz there is complimentary happy hour daily from 6.30pm - 9.30pm. =)</div><div><br /></div></span></div></span></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGsj1BZeXIzHnJ2bUYmVO9sO6WNGopqbZ4nmkP1n2M0gnkIzBHMo_Y9SdLz61FXPOZe5b5ZStPACXzvupgHl9HvTIwjWsEUPzptHSyJx4VbddRDnn6qsZoclUOdM2ZF1C1RWDdFM6MYRaFjmfJcfkPIW3ZP3kkWE1uLW1VSmmAQuMKym1iJnobXnei/s4096/LROJ7011.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGsj1BZeXIzHnJ2bUYmVO9sO6WNGopqbZ4nmkP1n2M0gnkIzBHMo_Y9SdLz61FXPOZe5b5ZStPACXzvupgHl9HvTIwjWsEUPzptHSyJx4VbddRDnn6qsZoclUOdM2ZF1C1RWDdFM6MYRaFjmfJcfkPIW3ZP3kkWE1uLW1VSmmAQuMKym1iJnobXnei/w640-h640/LROJ7011.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div>'2nd shift' begins in the hotel room at 7pm when the US is awake. Ain't fun working 2 time zones.</div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV8-ARM-bUtyW0ezpCKQrg64wLaZW0VL8MTnmnvR2JZKPhMUThAUKrM-7R4VwGuL3us5Ptk-UvrkBQe0Y3pYcaSrNQzXlSkY3RiZtMF80ijueyBX8SA4iTBpQamGW5wkv2L_YdnxEPmOiuHBNaaGVhuH-mZT7IKWBOWmRMH8AXc5ICNsQzDMXZqkgY/s4096/IHHH5091.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="854" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV8-ARM-bUtyW0ezpCKQrg64wLaZW0VL8MTnmnvR2JZKPhMUThAUKrM-7R4VwGuL3us5Ptk-UvrkBQe0Y3pYcaSrNQzXlSkY3RiZtMF80ijueyBX8SA4iTBpQamGW5wkv2L_YdnxEPmOiuHBNaaGVhuH-mZT7IKWBOWmRMH8AXc5ICNsQzDMXZqkgY/w640-h854/IHHH5091.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div>Had most of my dinners at Vintage Asia restaurant in the hotel.</div><div><br /></div></span></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidVqfm8EB-yZSUvpVSqH1_vUQfAlh7VhajkmneWVoQPuvggErj5nNZudwBMnODxUa1nEWm9MSnX48WcmhC6aN0oJywAy4GXH38TEkhjrAob6CGRQasRR7873kV9TYT8SC1-nUGk1-lupQ5q9hE9RQ30ci5ux7doO4Jz1JOLokETuA8DP1A47huIYFX/s4096/AZMK6108.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="853" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidVqfm8EB-yZSUvpVSqH1_vUQfAlh7VhajkmneWVoQPuvggErj5nNZudwBMnODxUa1nEWm9MSnX48WcmhC6aN0oJywAy4GXH38TEkhjrAob6CGRQasRR7873kV9TYT8SC1-nUGk1-lupQ5q9hE9RQ30ci5ux7doO4Jz1JOLokETuA8DP1A47huIYFX/w639-h853/AZMK6108.JPG" width="639" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div>I usually ate dinner around 7-8pm, which is considered early in India, and would have the restaurant all to myself. I went there so frequently with my laptop for dinner during '2nd shift' that all the servers knows me. If you look on Google, this is a $$$$ restaurant and other guests usually dress up all nice and pretty. Then here I am, coming to this restaurant everyday in flip flops like my downstairs kopitiam...lol!!</div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU9JcH6INYszVt8FRCWIISFyAJOsOUjzvEOhdpIyrShc6bKjsapHx6CyYhrR5yqGE0MfrCFQURb-yNm1FPUPJisI2L7-ZD0Rs1MpOuCMWQ60wqMTdwqqFlycXMxAXqilPEQFXy7l3RV2HioZKmGHM3fvVEY4yA6khqFYFaqL5La1PYm9c6hfshDtah/s4096/VYFB7783.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU9JcH6INYszVt8FRCWIISFyAJOsOUjzvEOhdpIyrShc6bKjsapHx6CyYhrR5yqGE0MfrCFQURb-yNm1FPUPJisI2L7-ZD0Rs1MpOuCMWQ60wqMTdwqqFlycXMxAXqilPEQFXy7l3RV2HioZKmGHM3fvVEY4yA6khqFYFaqL5La1PYm9c6hfshDtah/w640-h480/VYFB7783.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIMrXn9GQi7OXq7hTM5PleyLioOYJDOuolKjTrGIIrF9zO1VuP41gxg9KFxqpBWrcn7cyW_7Un40pZyLc8wKzls9TzqeD1JH8rwbOTl0xD6IrL_6-ITPcEvn51STRKA6EVzmkL1D5xWaR4yWpmgAmDG7Lxy3Hsqqel10AglzO6nf2btFhNlJMu6T54/s4096/MHJW4802.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIMrXn9GQi7OXq7hTM5PleyLioOYJDOuolKjTrGIIrF9zO1VuP41gxg9KFxqpBWrcn7cyW_7Un40pZyLc8wKzls9TzqeD1JH8rwbOTl0xD6IrL_6-ITPcEvn51STRKA6EVzmkL1D5xWaR4yWpmgAmDG7Lxy3Hsqqel10AglzO6nf2btFhNlJMu6T54/w640-h640/MHJW4802.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZL3idbX0RQRf7q49nwS6fvuRNsBI45z7nD0-h0NqnsNT-jNDzqKRG_6EqqdoYPKTKzwqsWyOO6YtKKEPscxWb2bdSxh8rigrvUJaPu1xaruYRd03TRTFvixjtkNJpcxAxMfKe0RKGIZy9cyz-EQkw_3nFm-D1V2KC7WbUJJRdIYdTFbGKfHxgVz_w/s4096/LJIL8116.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZL3idbX0RQRf7q49nwS6fvuRNsBI45z7nD0-h0NqnsNT-jNDzqKRG_6EqqdoYPKTKzwqsWyOO6YtKKEPscxWb2bdSxh8rigrvUJaPu1xaruYRd03TRTFvixjtkNJpcxAxMfKe0RKGIZy9cyz-EQkw_3nFm-D1V2KC7WbUJJRdIYdTFbGKfHxgVz_w/w640-h640/LJIL8116.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div>I was pretty consistent with my order...Nigiri sampler, Salmon Nigiri, stir-fried veggies, tomyum soup, Pu Erh tea.</div></span></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOFrAZU9ExxNbzKSkCjPPhoB0pzD90KrCsbASYgt506sWtdNm2ik1lYANBGjW4qF5zi8516y4cXlgsOCzykMfXx35T3mZ0Z3hrXPLs7ZiroIdy_AO6-0hrMBNolQ-qxgIwL6o9BWGxn13MWi7dcF2r5vzmOveHsg_VnGq_o0vpnd0311WGud6eGdk7/s4096/KGSK2277.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="844" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOFrAZU9ExxNbzKSkCjPPhoB0pzD90KrCsbASYgt506sWtdNm2ik1lYANBGjW4qF5zi8516y4cXlgsOCzykMfXx35T3mZ0Z3hrXPLs7ZiroIdy_AO6-0hrMBNolQ-qxgIwL6o9BWGxn13MWi7dcF2r5vzmOveHsg_VnGq_o0vpnd0311WGud6eGdk7/w633-h844/KGSK2277.JPG" width="633" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div>I ordered room service when I'm too lazy or busy to go downstairs. I usually work till 1-2am to </div></span></div></span></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyjLNaxSS1yHndTrq4fded-Rld7Tdb6sBRvIqhKsbWIuMAI4fOcPQveMZOnVfbtYRxG7QoB4a3sL8TiQ8Vo8InAUaSYo3-GNMPW0eIYEzb8p3zUYMzjqN8xJwlftRdsQiPYATMSfCx28QVc44O6WwlzhPW6Cxe1kBr2FixFuFXOnf46XxGC2jjJrG8/s4096/IIEY8814.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyjLNaxSS1yHndTrq4fded-Rld7Tdb6sBRvIqhKsbWIuMAI4fOcPQveMZOnVfbtYRxG7QoB4a3sL8TiQ8Vo8InAUaSYo3-GNMPW0eIYEzb8p3zUYMzjqN8xJwlftRdsQiPYATMSfCx28QVc44O6WwlzhPW6Cxe1kBr2FixFuFXOnf46XxGC2jjJrG8/w640-h640/IIEY8814.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div>No more pyjamas for work...lol!</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><b>Daily Life in India - Weekends</b></span></div></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlTEFH7dSmTyeLmgKraD7wHilP5P8fEoTZ7Nyyq4Fs-GrJfRoiCvhopRGzFDvPmd_99CQpPzg7-Rl7R3F0mNEYBnBQO6RV5WLBz8NwESSYxhDpkwW73BjDEpJnOA3ptswdfn_OqrHaDESdLXqpTvhrvISl4SX1ckEYYMzgyaSiasfU9uc-7UQz6ImM/s4096/POQB4684.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlTEFH7dSmTyeLmgKraD7wHilP5P8fEoTZ7Nyyq4Fs-GrJfRoiCvhopRGzFDvPmd_99CQpPzg7-Rl7R3F0mNEYBnBQO6RV5WLBz8NwESSYxhDpkwW73BjDEpJnOA3ptswdfn_OqrHaDESdLXqpTvhrvISl4SX1ckEYYMzgyaSiasfU9uc-7UQz6ImM/w640-h640/POQB4684.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div>The gym at level 2...pretty well-equipped and almost always empty. Tried exercising a bit more since it's so convenient but I was lazy.</div></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhELo2o2Bw7XinWdnl9Ga8RC4rfzF2blfRebXEZJWuy70Rc1ofxRZrBygCHdKv28Xdm_8RBxwh-gFFNvvJhUm08WUCsmLDXcBoYdmGbyzYCoXbogaR9QaftiM7qvu8S8RelAtrtTZf1urW1Z8HRiqLqQcCUMiqxwO230mzoeXjYaaog-g_sOsyWFube/s4096/HLJN2827.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="855" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhELo2o2Bw7XinWdnl9Ga8RC4rfzF2blfRebXEZJWuy70Rc1ofxRZrBygCHdKv28Xdm_8RBxwh-gFFNvvJhUm08WUCsmLDXcBoYdmGbyzYCoXbogaR9QaftiM7qvu8S8RelAtrtTZf1urW1Z8HRiqLqQcCUMiqxwO230mzoeXjYaaog-g_sOsyWFube/w641-h855/HLJN2827.JPG" width="641" /></span></a></div><div><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div>The pool area is nice but it gets not sun in the afternoon and you can heal all the honking from the streets. I came out here only once out of my entire 2-month stay.</div></span></div></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh47YLLOSHt0evPw88MwyGopUF-jnETDG3dwzuzfUniwVrLkQef61jvtat_wPNcPBSvBz23gzhRjUWhlcpM2A0tr3gWGzJHCi6yU57aEL_0c1J-8oVqq6FWCjTnxCk9tg-3e5dhM0Fw-gbBEaMsbktL7VMJEpydJNyog6PyzavCOdgeJTD_DUsG_H5J/s4096/RRQN6832.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh47YLLOSHt0evPw88MwyGopUF-jnETDG3dwzuzfUniwVrLkQef61jvtat_wPNcPBSvBz23gzhRjUWhlcpM2A0tr3gWGzJHCi6yU57aEL_0c1J-8oVqq6FWCjTnxCk9tg-3e5dhM0Fw-gbBEaMsbktL7VMJEpydJNyog6PyzavCOdgeJTD_DUsG_H5J/w640-h640/RRQN6832.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div>Our room rate for long stay also includes one complimentary spa per week, which is amazing!</div></span></div></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkHSHsaBjCa9loIM3KSdFgaB8UokM1Ah5xV4zHrUlHhBvA9p5FR6Pea2dWFEwnPOxRPjoBAlRyq_B2yLutwWbrOYZhARuvxUpYgqKo60l_tHn-_XeKD-Wf4RBUGLaka7YpRk82qf6Xb8ZEmgXfKyfYObps9tCbHWzhjVxCKePBpg7pG-ES40h00SGI/s4096/LDCQ7110.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkHSHsaBjCa9loIM3KSdFgaB8UokM1Ah5xV4zHrUlHhBvA9p5FR6Pea2dWFEwnPOxRPjoBAlRyq_B2yLutwWbrOYZhARuvxUpYgqKo60l_tHn-_XeKD-Wf4RBUGLaka7YpRk82qf6Xb8ZEmgXfKyfYObps9tCbHWzhjVxCKePBpg7pG-ES40h00SGI/w640-h640/LDCQ7110.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div>Another thing I did during the weekends was to hotel-hop to Westin Kolkata.</div></span></div></span></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOO3lRC5ogZApICwOPTaKumsaf0eQP5WmavHEqGak_Or6D7d3bfE_80O_yHlyQptafArWfYfDnRw5kO7zaKZ5VsxPnAmjitVWTA4mlkCQYm_64ZToISmP_vF5SVtxoAuD1YfjnNERkofavzvmvreBhEHTiLgVIC4n8l95P2yX-DBcxoYRHEd8VL02f/s4096/GHWW2464.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="836" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOO3lRC5ogZApICwOPTaKumsaf0eQP5WmavHEqGak_Or6D7d3bfE_80O_yHlyQptafArWfYfDnRw5kO7zaKZ5VsxPnAmjitVWTA4mlkCQYm_64ZToISmP_vF5SVtxoAuD1YfjnNERkofavzvmvreBhEHTiLgVIC4n8l95P2yX-DBcxoYRHEd8VL02f/w627-h836/GHWW2464.JPG" width="627" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKmTGp2oPNYVLeF0mDl7ltyX9UDl_4IoGUikC3oQSoe6o5bei9DfEZI3ctGdhjdcnKnrIREwblJfjc1cC-UVCo13OxjtjLvcTDfIwG3i23D3rwk5nsjcGNVEEFKVZkIn-OlhMZDqMzy3vkGoAz_HlBddjZE2bMJ9ps8F5-gHB6tbWkxiye9C07fWoX/s4096/RMPD1662.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKmTGp2oPNYVLeF0mDl7ltyX9UDl_4IoGUikC3oQSoe6o5bei9DfEZI3ctGdhjdcnKnrIREwblJfjc1cC-UVCo13OxjtjLvcTDfIwG3i23D3rwk5nsjcGNVEEFKVZkIn-OlhMZDqMzy3vkGoAz_HlBddjZE2bMJ9ps8F5-gHB6tbWkxiye9C07fWoX/w640-h640/RMPD1662.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div>I receive suite upgrades for 3 out of the 5 times I stayed there.</div></span></div></span></div></span></div></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjGCYYMxzMVmV2zAzwguqmIgVzbFoTTUyhgq1QR3ePFRkEBUP8m7iykgHq_El9AKbEaPgf-Vl1qB4s6KKZZ8UuJrH7K0CcUzYxAAJwnydPVldJoNqEFktEfpAd1FoYzjp5kygEhFvcJ9vh2OtkerUnCmwJzVOcEttuOdei6Ii6e44nzV9gAqyDQ2iP/s4096/FMVH1011.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjGCYYMxzMVmV2zAzwguqmIgVzbFoTTUyhgq1QR3ePFRkEBUP8m7iykgHq_El9AKbEaPgf-Vl1qB4s6KKZZ8UuJrH7K0CcUzYxAAJwnydPVldJoNqEFktEfpAd1FoYzjp5kygEhFvcJ9vh2OtkerUnCmwJzVOcEttuOdei6Ii6e44nzV9gAqyDQ2iP/w640-h480/FMVH1011.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div>This hotel is located slightly away from the city and closer to Eco Park with more greeneries around.</div></span></div></span></div></span></div></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPAOTalc_1iZ8TI79RcFXL91mI4fB2bNz_rW5g2Gjh1iVmgkzz0NXb7nFAQSlJ2ae14-UbUiVXIMowkx_BEhfX6v1PR9tKMN53VCGzpLM3nY3LlPBTxO0m9J8k9uvc3TdRkB0b81HGbRxHgYVXPItv7Qxlsy8tA5R4epVN93dE7hDJ8kdYM3zOvjcc/s4096/LWCJ2798.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="852" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPAOTalc_1iZ8TI79RcFXL91mI4fB2bNz_rW5g2Gjh1iVmgkzz0NXb7nFAQSlJ2ae14-UbUiVXIMowkx_BEhfX6v1PR9tKMN53VCGzpLM3nY3LlPBTxO0m9J8k9uvc3TdRkB0b81HGbRxHgYVXPItv7Qxlsy8tA5R4epVN93dE7hDJ8kdYM3zOvjcc/w640-h852/LWCJ2798.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVvJ96CHYTU0V9NFOwG9tjWpJ5kyNoGDfY-DzG5lxhTcrKvZRh4P46ijebkDGRSzJat-XD7ma8D22FfZv7f04OsulhOWKHnN231qlNm2HC1LQ6T8FUrmGRYwzjRXjfb06pCHTEvFbTUq_jyenAzqSHP35Ir-NsY06-b3gh7VL2Iuiax5AlX5prf5uC/s4096/BQYA7315.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVvJ96CHYTU0V9NFOwG9tjWpJ5kyNoGDfY-DzG5lxhTcrKvZRh4P46ijebkDGRSzJat-XD7ma8D22FfZv7f04OsulhOWKHnN231qlNm2HC1LQ6T8FUrmGRYwzjRXjfb06pCHTEvFbTUq_jyenAzqSHP35Ir-NsY06-b3gh7VL2Iuiax5AlX5prf5uC/w640-h640/BQYA7315.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div>Had my meals at Nori restaurant (more salmon nigiri) or room service.</div></span></div></span></div></span></div></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIVp-Gupj_CgqeYUxVff_HjTXo1Olkk9qbFkykTO9Uca7uJZKgj-RpFRUppvqvmJyK9ghmopVI7y5ypZ8hDi41-KU-mAYcXZuZnSZtSWs0mPFRHiM-NSzyYhPlinXqYKfXNKDRtOZ8FpV3vwTHJVGUSn70qbO2hjNwQGu9GalggCF2zcnQVcBjimab/s4096/DBEM9285.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIVp-Gupj_CgqeYUxVff_HjTXo1Olkk9qbFkykTO9Uca7uJZKgj-RpFRUppvqvmJyK9ghmopVI7y5ypZ8hDi41-KU-mAYcXZuZnSZtSWs0mPFRHiM-NSzyYhPlinXqYKfXNKDRtOZ8FpV3vwTHJVGUSn70qbO2hjNwQGu9GalggCF2zcnQVcBjimab/w640-h480/DBEM9285.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div>Another hotel I visited briefly but didn't stay was ITC Royal Bengal and ITC Sonar, which were located next to JW Marriott and are both under Marriott as well.</div></span></div></span></div></span></div></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLUqhDpqUGKEMqCET35U_4OJG9F9910PMps5GiRf8gA_oodhLcHqMdgLBk5_pRB475tjw-WeNaQKvmBPeNH73W4LrzLC25XJGbW36cs5bNn-s3FzlckX340SorUKmtZroaSDfeQ4GJdFaChGI1BIhMyUOoAk4y0ieAr8N3lG87ZgTh2a6TN3i76IDf/s4096/LMGL1985.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLUqhDpqUGKEMqCET35U_4OJG9F9910PMps5GiRf8gA_oodhLcHqMdgLBk5_pRB475tjw-WeNaQKvmBPeNH73W4LrzLC25XJGbW36cs5bNn-s3FzlckX340SorUKmtZroaSDfeQ4GJdFaChGI1BIhMyUOoAk4y0ieAr8N3lG87ZgTh2a6TN3i76IDf/w640-h640/LMGL1985.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div>Also visited my co-workers' homes and got a glimpse of how it's like for joint families to live together.</div></span></div></span></div></span></div></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4sNhrhsSP3rBngwffres5dNcBR9MrMykkvB7K04kukLTz53FnASJThpfrkkoKz0TxPCR0GOW_sYJdRoOxBRdiILf4sStdCeM0i7LTulCMYWhCUmxEJB0DGFidoY-rop9etbTzZyN2c3pcnuQEEWysE05IU1dkn3o5JCYPXYFyiB_8GTL8urz5Ijbm/s4096/MOUM0831.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4sNhrhsSP3rBngwffres5dNcBR9MrMykkvB7K04kukLTz53FnASJThpfrkkoKz0TxPCR0GOW_sYJdRoOxBRdiILf4sStdCeM0i7LTulCMYWhCUmxEJB0DGFidoY-rop9etbTzZyN2c3pcnuQEEWysE05IU1dkn3o5JCYPXYFyiB_8GTL8urz5Ijbm/w640-h640/MOUM0831.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div>Went to the housewarming party of another US secondee who went for a 2-year secondment.</div></span></div></span></div></span></div></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyuUJ5kpDre92iwl2k-mSXCMGPMWa6v-ywhicOGakc7QWVGqWpS8N0mUa4WR2TKyV4ae6Rb4e1hglUx__UoYKumzCzlSA9TKpX4NVP2-yNbKotVcIYedMxvRZc2FwlxO3bZQkCFksBEnsDmN2nvaGK3n3I9_RH5aX4qNAspjxI712hL0OGQr5yjzm2/s4096/LFXY9904.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyuUJ5kpDre92iwl2k-mSXCMGPMWa6v-ywhicOGakc7QWVGqWpS8N0mUa4WR2TKyV4ae6Rb4e1hglUx__UoYKumzCzlSA9TKpX4NVP2-yNbKotVcIYedMxvRZc2FwlxO3bZQkCFksBEnsDmN2nvaGK3n3I9_RH5aX4qNAspjxI712hL0OGQr5yjzm2/w640-h480/LFXY9904.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div>Thanksgiving dinner with fellow US secondees at The Tollygunge Club.</div><div><br /></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZK7sJHznCvznT9NjDYJrlckENRSsQVz-v6gAEXrY_mLfxPs0gw_j9xxlj7Ptj5or-QuSg6CpbHfyzoFyA-YYkAPOUU9ojixkexVQAvZV2FGkLsmmW2xjVoFzd8CV8shoWsig-DLPjKR89dQ-9Vth5wYc6UtREr-jiYidbgEfs_fw_U8g713tuM-g-/s4096/BODR5796.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZK7sJHznCvznT9NjDYJrlckENRSsQVz-v6gAEXrY_mLfxPs0gw_j9xxlj7Ptj5or-QuSg6CpbHfyzoFyA-YYkAPOUU9ojixkexVQAvZV2FGkLsmmW2xjVoFzd8CV8shoWsig-DLPjKR89dQ-9Vth5wYc6UtREr-jiYidbgEfs_fw_U8g713tuM-g-/w640-h640/BODR5796.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div>Christmas decorations around the hotel</div></span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><b>Time to Say Goodbye</b></span></div><div><br /></div></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha35PLg1zgiTp7_ePpSVf7CwhSbnbOfdevqPz8d6ZjVuoAg8WKCgh5TthrHpVtPlJhgY440ELsA09Egojhr8Cqj_9zYj-PRSusk2VPJbsuku7lbR2CQ-3sqyV0QuujVw4n_JrIr-ADkeQqIWca5xUmxOkA1XjCvl110kzay2b-sCVooBlgrlWLW00S/s4096/OMTM8001.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha35PLg1zgiTp7_ePpSVf7CwhSbnbOfdevqPz8d6ZjVuoAg8WKCgh5TthrHpVtPlJhgY440ELsA09Egojhr8Cqj_9zYj-PRSusk2VPJbsuku7lbR2CQ-3sqyV0QuujVw4n_JrIr-ADkeQqIWca5xUmxOkA1XjCvl110kzay2b-sCVooBlgrlWLW00S/w640-h480/OMTM8001.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;">Farewell with co-workers and JW Marriott hotel staffs. Thank you for making this place such a comfortable 'home' for me!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRFsMrwvzwBrmj1PJiuKp3ti6bSPvFZy9Bfnwgyab-SJi17GFpu-SQqmm8lbZXPH7GDCle8gHq1b_RL-r6Bi2ii7yBYbjMyyvJl9t-Y0Lv7ipZnEDysOCN5fKTKunkvAAZdGXRZFrm8PD5yviiWhnUKFTu6ENv_lLZAtDGJ2p2QwhPxIMyPfW_WTE8/s4096/VJNF8416.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRFsMrwvzwBrmj1PJiuKp3ti6bSPvFZy9Bfnwgyab-SJi17GFpu-SQqmm8lbZXPH7GDCle8gHq1b_RL-r6Bi2ii7yBYbjMyyvJl9t-Y0Lv7ipZnEDysOCN5fKTKunkvAAZdGXRZFrm8PD5yviiWhnUKFTu6ENv_lLZAtDGJ2p2QwhPxIMyPfW_WTE8/w640-h640/VJNF8416.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;">Came with 2 bags....going back with 3 fully packed 'overweight' bags...lol!!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1YJHWIrYm_GV36YsY6xa7fNKYucY0xUlP5xwp1b_fU0iTiEaTeFhiRJcDPjWNzmKTNfmJ7enbevxqiSAY7M0TLABT0C7GZZ1yLCYbkEtuyn9yb8jOHq6k6dWQb4oniw6eLbGcXouNmiHThpDCvNHD1DLQhkdtYs3upPM5_-ik0IQZSO3hejBJ8Zwm/s4096/BOLS0497.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1YJHWIrYm_GV36YsY6xa7fNKYucY0xUlP5xwp1b_fU0iTiEaTeFhiRJcDPjWNzmKTNfmJ7enbevxqiSAY7M0TLABT0C7GZZ1yLCYbkEtuyn9yb8jOHq6k6dWQb4oniw6eLbGcXouNmiHThpDCvNHD1DLQhkdtYs3upPM5_-ik0IQZSO3hejBJ8Zwm/w640-h640/BOLS0497.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;">Thank you for the warm hospitality and my cute 'friends'!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgszmTH9wwr8-69RuPdosIjkaSEimzV1qwQn739lFnzGraExuLgSCUmW8cxEvG1-nEM8VS6zH_Si0nkv5J6YHLSm6lsSNAy-WjWsEM437Fwb9PKiCRx89IBu2u8tcgVSdJeL0TdvVzEGv5RTiRZddNhvxFU2kd1Jbb75h7lGcWMcEL-_kq7TVdqIrfB/s4096/BGMU0486.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgszmTH9wwr8-69RuPdosIjkaSEimzV1qwQn739lFnzGraExuLgSCUmW8cxEvG1-nEM8VS6zH_Si0nkv5J6YHLSm6lsSNAy-WjWsEM437Fwb9PKiCRx89IBu2u8tcgVSdJeL0TdvVzEGv5RTiRZddNhvxFU2kd1Jbb75h7lGcWMcEL-_kq7TVdqIrfB/w640-h640/BGMU0486.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;">Coincidentally, the driver who dropped me off at the airport was the same guy who picked me up at the airport when I first arrived. Thanks to this coincidence, I feel like my tour has come full circle. </span></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://khaishing.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default</div>khaishing.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05154189313956844355noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3659547063209051949.post-6635084256077913082023-05-17T09:39:00.002-05:002023-05-18T11:53:52.437-05:00Nepal 2022 ✈ Everest Helicopter Tour<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div><i>When I knew that I was going to be in India for 2 months for work, I had 2 places in mind that I would like to check off while I was in that part of the world...<a href="https://alabamalaysia.weebly.com/taj-mahal.html" target="_blank">Taj Mahal</a> and Nepal, and I am very glad to have the opportunity to visit both these places in Nov and Dec 2022. Post-pandemic revenge travel continues...lol!</i></div></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/QhEsBnzzo9s" title="YouTube video player" width="640"></iframe></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div>The main reason I wanted to visit Nepal was to check off another new country (country #42). :P My initial travel plan for Nepal was to do some sightseeing in Kathmandu, and maybe do a day trip or scenic flight with a view of the Himalayas. Hiking Mt. Everest or Everest Base Camp wasn't on my bucket list coz I am not a fan of hiking. However, I'd like to see the majestic Himalayas and Everest at least once...from afar. When I was doing my research, I saw helicopter tours to Everest Base Camp but didn't consider it coz it was way above my budget (approx. $900-$1,200). However, after much considerations, I decided to splurge on a helicopter tour coz...</div><div><ul><li>I've never been on a helicopter before.</li><li>I have no intentions of hiking Everest ever so this would be the best opportunity to get as close to Everest as I'd like to.</li><li>I was able to gather 3 friends who were equally crazy to do this together.</li><li>Sam Chui took this tour recently and his <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FElCwTLd-bU&t=450s" target="_blank">YouTube video</a> looked amazing.</li><li>Yes there is risk flying on a helicopter but what better place to do it than here where helicopter is one of the main mode of transports, especially for rescue missions.</li></ul></div></span></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><b>10 December 2022 (Sat): Kolkata - Kathmandu</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBPui77xDFAw7kJVgT5kq-dStUNbwXQezOeQAb8H1iofD90pESPEqjSlOk12JB7czFzOfFx1tHcedg4PuHyNnquS2k7MJRkkI8nZeY2DzAoOtU-fCQVDe6Qccw_e7JdSc3Vz90TxkPzi7sFoVGqvW1qKqIwdNJvaDh9kQYsqJvgWMJQbvylt11hbvW/w640-h480/IMG_3624.JPG" width="640" /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Open Sans";">Arrived at the airport around 9.30am, 2 hours before our 11.35am flight so I had some time to visit the Travel Club lounge at Kolkata airport with my Priority Pass. </span><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">I booked the </span><span style="font-family: "Open Sans";">roundtrip flights from Kolkata to Kathmandu on Air India</span><span style="font-family: "Open Sans";"> about 3 weeks prior and was able to redeem the flights with 17,600 United miles + $67.26.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDTNahwv6PoNZZwAMfou7pSBx8V0QA4YliQlbIzE1FYVHdqo2Co2C6d_LGGK-w6dJo_M5G_xoHcjhrBiJW-0Eo0VtFyhmqsXHEcpuN600Q4F29HKh9V9I0KJtIKJRU3fVkhTV8TJdFKH7o0r50JOSAYDDEHECD18l0Q1X44PPCRhQTQ_MHEoRKqEOa/s4096/XLHK3415.JPG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDTNahwv6PoNZZwAMfou7pSBx8V0QA4YliQlbIzE1FYVHdqo2Co2C6d_LGGK-w6dJo_M5G_xoHcjhrBiJW-0Eo0VtFyhmqsXHEcpuN600Q4F29HKh9V9I0KJtIKJRU3fVkhTV8TJdFKH7o0r50JOSAYDDEHECD18l0Q1X44PPCRhQTQ_MHEoRKqEOa/w640-h480/XLHK3415.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">The flight from Kolkata to Kathmandu took approx. 1hr 40 min. Similar to my previous experience with Air India, a meal was served even for this short flight. I typically prefer aisle seat for short flights but I was glad I picked a window seat for this flight because the view approaching Kathmandu with the Himalayas in the horizon was pretty amazing.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimvhLDe9hy2pNFzJlbA1p6uyx7HuII7vbAo09-Wh4LJVQfciMqBAUmVhCYBqNXIf2N_NYVG2pCPptTwkLDGScwXWzTA4FP-Ppq-eGX-Mop8o_wkiBC4lg9gAJo6vNInNK0GsD2GGs4W1BL9gp_knDrFlO8pwV_D1jUfKN21dTsv-6ursubOQTJROrn/s1920/IMG_3625.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1920" data-original-width="1920" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimvhLDe9hy2pNFzJlbA1p6uyx7HuII7vbAo09-Wh4LJVQfciMqBAUmVhCYBqNXIf2N_NYVG2pCPptTwkLDGScwXWzTA4FP-Ppq-eGX-Mop8o_wkiBC4lg9gAJo6vNInNK0GsD2GGs4W1BL9gp_knDrFlO8pwV_D1jUfKN21dTsv-6ursubOQTJROrn/w640-h640/IMG_3625.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Landed in Kathmandu around 1.42pm. We applied for the 15 days visa online prior to our arrival and had to make the payment at the visa fee collection counter before going through immigration. The visa cost $30 and I opted to pay with USD cash. Visa and Mastercard are only accepted in POS Machine with $1 surcharge. They also accept quite a few types of currencies so the payment process was fast and easy. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><img border="0" height="849" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLqWTGrzzCJn9y_zJCVgoBymRfgMgmNx3fGx_XJcWGvnY99dTDSyir2BeNsR2ofhjm9QRvPSiNUNLw_vcFth9HqYc-V6n4H0C0epltI5oE7ZOAKOh2JGgCbD6tGcWJ5-oXZfZlHcg8u_0QAnoE_4VEtN0wVUymmsOnYHkF_fZCHPP5wqfnZGApNNTs/w637-h849/IMG_3765.JPG" width="637" /></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">I also withdrew NPR 7000 ($53.30) the ATM at the airport as I needed cash to pay for the national park fees of NPR 5,500 for our helicopter tour the next day. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi39FgIMpMmtS9AHUfnJ7CRWqsdLew9fKxcPJm8bFy1g3T78F1jfWUdoAU1Mj0Z9ZkqS72Lo7rW758iZQDHGekYr5O44R3Brio_DUfMDNWUgqZOD4lNLl4GU8yKc9EFtlyRhAp5AhCNkdBlbO12yuD4UGwX7jYbm16AEUnJvhUXrUipzVPu8TQzoHoG/s4096/LXMP2061.JPG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi39FgIMpMmtS9AHUfnJ7CRWqsdLew9fKxcPJm8bFy1g3T78F1jfWUdoAU1Mj0Z9ZkqS72Lo7rW758iZQDHGekYr5O44R3Brio_DUfMDNWUgqZOD4lNLl4GU8yKc9EFtlyRhAp5AhCNkdBlbO12yuD4UGwX7jYbm16AEUnJvhUXrUipzVPu8TQzoHoG/w640-h480/LXMP2061.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Open Sans";">It was about 2.40pm by the time we got out of our airport and the hotel staff was waiting for us with our names. It took about 20 minutes to get to the hotel.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Open Sans";"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizl5PLez92yjbnCbwVppMKSLIl59piO621HMj-HQeB7DvtEzM3DbGrTj87doXwhFAnrnoDj1Ni4g4dtvCKERjC-eG6-yIm4Cpplvuzo1gTsI0CWNbGnVTX1V3JN5G6kDUeM8UNxX_6CK-ECdpT64K_3H8RPnYvXCNzGxbX1SClwyhGpEA7wBPsF7zs/s4096/BKBT1081.JPG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizl5PLez92yjbnCbwVppMKSLIl59piO621HMj-HQeB7DvtEzM3DbGrTj87doXwhFAnrnoDj1Ni4g4dtvCKERjC-eG6-yIm4Cpplvuzo1gTsI0CWNbGnVTX1V3JN5G6kDUeM8UNxX_6CK-ECdpT64K_3H8RPnYvXCNzGxbX1SClwyhGpEA7wBPsF7zs/w640-h640/BKBT1081.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Our 'home' for 3 nights in Kathmandu was the Aloft Kathmandu Thamel, which is conveniently located in the city center, within walking distance to a lot of shops and restaurants. This hotel is also one of the tallest buildings in the city. We saw a group of SIA cabin crew and pilots staying in the same hotel as well.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghW1rw6KAga3a8CYKdfEWSio3I4ZSk9oU3Xwjd1YSFuwnLYY-Y9Qjpcf6MAzVLGl4H8KnhByAce8Lw7AHF0q37YzNCpyTP0v2A5RX5Yas8xWWey2T6TQ0oUpeK8XMY5fVxq1Nz1zA2eYAuWvMM53pTv4dap34YBNzYUUr78K-r_ZCpsZ8Fops53b-X/s4096/JDUD3390.JPG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghW1rw6KAga3a8CYKdfEWSio3I4ZSk9oU3Xwjd1YSFuwnLYY-Y9Qjpcf6MAzVLGl4H8KnhByAce8Lw7AHF0q37YzNCpyTP0v2A5RX5Yas8xWWey2T6TQ0oUpeK8XMY5fVxq1Nz1zA2eYAuWvMM53pTv4dap34YBNzYUUr78K-r_ZCpsZ8Fops53b-X/w640-h480/JDUD3390.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">I was given a corner room (room 619) with amazing views of the city. The hotel was clean and confortable. This stay costs $93.50 per night. </span><span style="font-family: "Open Sans";">I wasn't feeling quite well (thanks to all the white wine I had the night before :P) so I decided to rest in the hotel for the rest of the day as I wanted to make sure I am 100% for our big helicopter tour the next day.</span><span style="font-family: "Open Sans";"> </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCEgFRqd-XQoTOvAgAmMht-aQo57Qn-jOXoyBTdTYxS-ziJPFDmDY3absLUhnythr7stQyfdVXXbboyuMJvZAlI8SIqN-OPmF0xAnKqdMK17ULiNpalNpgNMlZFyOTQSOwi1gEjJQLCwirnOI_tcbhULThVmPSDwN-68CDPgL7Oj8ahS6qLbVFCuHX/s4096/BIUO2723.JPG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCEgFRqd-XQoTOvAgAmMht-aQo57Qn-jOXoyBTdTYxS-ziJPFDmDY3absLUhnythr7stQyfdVXXbboyuMJvZAlI8SIqN-OPmF0xAnKqdMK17ULiNpalNpgNMlZFyOTQSOwi1gEjJQLCwirnOI_tcbhULThVmPSDwN-68CDPgL7Oj8ahS6qLbVFCuHX/w640-h480/BIUO2723.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Buddhi, the guy who helped arranged our helicopter tour came to our hotel at 6.30pm to give us a briefing and drew out the flight route of our helicopter tour. It was certainly helpful for him to clearly explain what we can expect to see and not see on the tour.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><b>11 December 2022 (Sun): Mount Everest Helicopter Tour</b></span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuCat_qNFz_wjwDAChxdgRDaiGgFBwM-bX_8BAD2CJeu3ayKACcUztrQLKPrIot-SiupXwVB4CaF-zaUIw7-yhbhQEuIVvJDtI8eatfF4qADsMw9uyv66B-_pupCMbfjtw-9aWxamDaD_YvjOvz9XBGLhqxM2efjaAMvMb0sJPyglMiZgiTrwKzD8D/s4096/HQUW1880.JPG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuCat_qNFz_wjwDAChxdgRDaiGgFBwM-bX_8BAD2CJeu3ayKACcUztrQLKPrIot-SiupXwVB4CaF-zaUIw7-yhbhQEuIVvJDtI8eatfF4qADsMw9uyv66B-_pupCMbfjtw-9aWxamDaD_YvjOvz9XBGLhqxM2efjaAMvMb0sJPyglMiZgiTrwKzD8D/w640-h640/HQUW1880.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div>Early start for the day. Buddhi came to our hotel to pick us up at 5.45am and took us to the airport. The hotel breakfast doesn't start until 6.30am and the hotel was nice enough to prepare to-go breakfast box for us.</div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrGIe27kOku6G2-0H0_KZmRlUDxzY4xFNSCBIkzJWp_YDhfG60kuRp_-dlPlhkjKuBwfLZID8AKq79crQwg1N_NM00_EepStHblTA9IwDaw_a-Q9Yor9e3nGMOk-VNnIlgRwNgW7Pxf7deS6E1DoafA_GiEVX-grV5G6qkcb3MsjGAnEjO6edCe0IQ/s4096/VQZX4314.JPG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrGIe27kOku6G2-0H0_KZmRlUDxzY4xFNSCBIkzJWp_YDhfG60kuRp_-dlPlhkjKuBwfLZID8AKq79crQwg1N_NM00_EepStHblTA9IwDaw_a-Q9Yor9e3nGMOk-VNnIlgRwNgW7Pxf7deS6E1DoafA_GiEVX-grV5G6qkcb3MsjGAnEjO6edCe0IQ/w640-h640/VQZX4314.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div>Arrived at the airport around 6.15am and was guided to Shree Airlines' office to complete our paperwork and received out handwritten boarding pass. We also had to weigh ourselves, including our bags, as we'd have to split our group and make 2 trips to go up to the Everest view point (highest point) if our total weight was above 250kg. It would also cost us an extra $200 ($50/pax) if we had to make 2 trips. Fortunately, we were able take advantage of our lightweight group. =P Our flight was scheduled to depart at 6.30am to the 'Mountain'...lol!</div><div><br style="text-align: center;" /></div></div></span></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicd8U0yEYQAGVeP1gXVdpYe0FDMaoubJflq8pS4SD4ZuMh3S-9MHyngg6MU3JvMJ2UmP8OOiyd16CCAl945NCNB8BL8stYIPx8n-EHnfSSAUXi3Ir7_vG3us5NlIPOfqoKa36ivlsjkRgBhGzXW_8V6dW24JV8qB3ORm5QjgBBg6HBSEWUW9WJNir0/s4096/QSMN0546.JPG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicd8U0yEYQAGVeP1gXVdpYe0FDMaoubJflq8pS4SD4ZuMh3S-9MHyngg6MU3JvMJ2UmP8OOiyd16CCAl945NCNB8BL8stYIPx8n-EHnfSSAUXi3Ir7_vG3us5NlIPOfqoKa36ivlsjkRgBhGzXW_8V6dW24JV8qB3ORm5QjgBBg6HBSEWUW9WJNir0/w640-h480/QSMN0546.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="text-align: justify;">After a short bus ride from the airport, we were greeted by our helicopter pilot, <a href="https://www.afar.com/magazine/in-nepal-helicopter-pilot-priya-adhikari-is-saving-lives" target="_blank">Priya</a>. I came to find out later that they intentionally assigned us the female pilot to keep our total weight lighter so that we could do just 1 trip to the highest point. P.S. Every kg matters on a helicopter. I also found out later that our pilot is pretty badass as she is the only female helicopter pilot in Nepal...more about her later. We were so busy taking photos after boarding that we didnt' know we were supposed to put on the headset. Priya was happily talking to us through the headset and got no response...lol!</div></span></div></span></div></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaRW8eTTxRyCjv30VTh2_2_x43e9v4a2Goe1LPLGXs8JMr7gUk4_nq7GkJaLSoLR9oF6rTW3htMAhN9M-vjZT8rdYA0sBwXPby5sMTjSmeU4PWBbUVDZmYy1TUyxrBP6f2DvoHqPCl0Kc4s3ty7XHj0YaJVB48ClAA2uiUgm7ayjtZdv-XWZLi21P1/s4096/IJVM9748.JPG" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaRW8eTTxRyCjv30VTh2_2_x43e9v4a2Goe1LPLGXs8JMr7gUk4_nq7GkJaLSoLR9oF6rTW3htMAhN9M-vjZT8rdYA0sBwXPby5sMTjSmeU4PWBbUVDZmYy1TUyxrBP6f2DvoHqPCl0Kc4s3ty7XHj0YaJVB48ClAA2uiUgm7ayjtZdv-XWZLi21P1/w640-h640/IJVM9748.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">The helicopter could fit 4 passengers at the back but we felt it was just nice for the 3 of us. For the first leg of the tour, I took the right back seat. P.S. We took turns to take the front seat. Since we knew each other, we could easily hand out caemera of to the other person to help take photos/videos or exhange footages after the trip.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheGu96wTmpLMobATvOuMA_Lzy4dGBx8VQYeRmoHnUzitk8hF-0_n0Fbz4S8q6qfSLnkuoO0P5XoKR526-MEa5ZNF8gsk0s3qsWeCTNpI_t1GvVSxga7wgjiUJkukrqNOeHz5H4TlVeE-CxDWRVH0dgvo8a9Vu6tLNwkklRAxZ9k8YLVVnSOI1wryAs/s4096/HEBI3721.JPG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheGu96wTmpLMobATvOuMA_Lzy4dGBx8VQYeRmoHnUzitk8hF-0_n0Fbz4S8q6qfSLnkuoO0P5XoKR526-MEa5ZNF8gsk0s3qsWeCTNpI_t1GvVSxga7wgjiUJkukrqNOeHz5H4TlVeE-CxDWRVH0dgvo8a9Vu6tLNwkklRAxZ9k8YLVVnSOI1wryAs/w640-h480/HEBI3721.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">We took off around 6.50am...flying towards the rising sun. </span><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Throughout our flight, we could hear talk to each other through the headset and could also hear Priya interacting with other pilots</span><span style="font-family: "Open Sans";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Open Sans";">to exchange information about the flying conditions. She informed us in advance that we may have some turbulence based on information provided by other pilots, but thankfully it was a mild one coz turbulence definitely feels more scary on a helicopter as compared to an airplane.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb-wfHojGQMCz4ROQ3x1om2ysMch7u9ZmfFdJEAqpw5lxvdMIlJ2HFFILgVVzeentbZrz6A8MuyPinQoJnUvdyn4spuYcW8xOwkAYXzoaNWQky8fJT__aNREfuAmjian4ffLMtNquDFhcBg2cIAELQiRlCL-woiy0-uXSODFY5QJlBxCoydDcYJf2D/s4096/UABB2300.JPG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb-wfHojGQMCz4ROQ3x1om2ysMch7u9ZmfFdJEAqpw5lxvdMIlJ2HFFILgVVzeentbZrz6A8MuyPinQoJnUvdyn4spuYcW8xOwkAYXzoaNWQky8fJT__aNREfuAmjian4ffLMtNquDFhcBg2cIAELQiRlCL-woiy0-uXSODFY5QJlBxCoydDcYJf2D/w640-h640/UABB2300.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">The sun, clouds, mountains....so mystical!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkKpSe4puOr3OiFtqNgw3zqRJZbvPIpouPaN91lo_8YlYWNuCEYkVrsHsb_NXj63hrja0WI0bkgn5YCzMnP8f_0wJtwlTRmt5EnJkSIXRi8UiigPjTTMNW75Vq8BhIr1doxl1ToMEslkr_-5EwgaZw4kegh6iTXGmcnnY8IROyTeJWJpGRjz6yVe-0/s4096/FNEN2511.JPG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkKpSe4puOr3OiFtqNgw3zqRJZbvPIpouPaN91lo_8YlYWNuCEYkVrsHsb_NXj63hrja0WI0bkgn5YCzMnP8f_0wJtwlTRmt5EnJkSIXRi8UiigPjTTMNW75Vq8BhIr1doxl1ToMEslkr_-5EwgaZw4kegh6iTXGmcnnY8IROyTeJWJpGRjz6yVe-0/w640-h640/FNEN2511.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Quick stop at Lukla airport at 7.15am to drop off some fuel which will be used for the return trip. This was to reduce the weight before flying to higher altitude. Even though it was just a short 3 min stop, we were lucky to spot a plane taking off at this airport. Located at 9,383 feet above sea level, Lukla airport is one of the most dangerous airports with one of the world's shortest runway hemmed in by the Himalayan mountains.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfRLxBpMXLIlgeuTme0wOsGvPZbs8SNLaoX6ywhEgTgU0OptTIz1NHCL6BIFnacaPWgzBhR2aGGIXiY9l9Pk8sLOC3wpvVVZbXME2Dngbcb1YP2T7voTL0oECeHmd1LyULQXNWb_8JxYAw61TD77DR0nv3m5zQdNif1bR70JDGZc6EZBrJeN5JbYwD/s4096/MHFN0960.JPG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfRLxBpMXLIlgeuTme0wOsGvPZbs8SNLaoX6ywhEgTgU0OptTIz1NHCL6BIFnacaPWgzBhR2aGGIXiY9l9Pk8sLOC3wpvVVZbXME2Dngbcb1YP2T7voTL0oECeHmd1LyULQXNWb_8JxYAw61TD77DR0nv3m5zQdNif1bR70JDGZc6EZBrJeN5JbYwD/w640-h480/MHFN0960.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg10TzcQnuIj4CJDDUeGDePWwSS62DYtjAIIJoJv8KYp8bGqLm30XJzTcs0KqptKl5b3JTeBpMizvOH-u4xuqTdWoN-7NC5XTstQLjU70Y9l3QdRuiQ0HvxBKNU65NhnoLp4tq1cfE71ZpThyQen5CqjFRfBOqKQxTG0z1fC1kEQHT7Kv0BzDKkcUcb/s4096/IABK1887.JPG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg10TzcQnuIj4CJDDUeGDePWwSS62DYtjAIIJoJv8KYp8bGqLm30XJzTcs0KqptKl5b3JTeBpMizvOH-u4xuqTdWoN-7NC5XTstQLjU70Y9l3QdRuiQ0HvxBKNU65NhnoLp4tq1cfE71ZpThyQen5CqjFRfBOqKQxTG0z1fC1kEQHT7Kv0BzDKkcUcb/w640-h640/IABK1887.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">It was so cool to fly </span><span style="font-family: "Open Sans";">through these mountain terrains.</span><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Open Sans";">On the way, we saw the world’s highest glacier, Khumbu Glacier. </span><span style="font-family: "Open Sans";">I asked Priya how it feels getting to see these amazing sceneries every single day, and she said she feels blessed and privileged. I already feel very blessed and privileged doing this just once...lol!</span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFORRvt2NgH7ORi1X4S1Xc4fWVxbcGvcMICWXZOVVkXuwFRWqDsvs_d0ooVCTiZWzZtlqWEzqFzrZ12Mpl8lK-Sb3x60HnK39bCR1gQpefTmxMWDt4Wp7GSi0h1OUwgTngLazNhfWIOLBFzP4dam7fvCzxN5DlHGiHFH1OGFrMNaKQWK0wC7BVfUTB/s4096/FIAX8208.JPG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFORRvt2NgH7ORi1X4S1Xc4fWVxbcGvcMICWXZOVVkXuwFRWqDsvs_d0ooVCTiZWzZtlqWEzqFzrZ12Mpl8lK-Sb3x60HnK39bCR1gQpefTmxMWDt4Wp7GSi0h1OUwgTngLazNhfWIOLBFzP4dam7fvCzxN5DlHGiHFH1OGFrMNaKQWK0wC7BVfUTB/w640-h480/FIAX8208.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Flying towards Mount Everest. </span><span style="font-family: "Open Sans";">Everest (8,859m, 29,035ft) is the highest mountain above sea level so you'd think the sharp pointy peak is Everest but nope, that's Nuptse (7861m, 25,790ft). Everest is the pyramid shaped peak (first peak from the left) in the top right photo above. Optical illusion made Nuptse look taller than Everest from this angle.</span></div><div><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioATpM2NrwJGAVPhd5m0bAK0L1X6rpVzlTrJ-A3x9JFydsTYcYYvOChPruTtS_bNEplAV0N6eKobBaPLF6CyYE4e39DNI_fY9kPMAjRO80qxReL9FjXOSMwTaigHg5s1EBrPNRqCgGfB-TkYkzwORB4RaxqU0x5F0uXkopeCw6qbE40qTxo6rCWd-4/s4096/NMZT8547.JPG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="851" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioATpM2NrwJGAVPhd5m0bAK0L1X6rpVzlTrJ-A3x9JFydsTYcYYvOChPruTtS_bNEplAV0N6eKobBaPLF6CyYE4e39DNI_fY9kPMAjRO80qxReL9FjXOSMwTaigHg5s1EBrPNRqCgGfB-TkYkzwORB4RaxqU0x5F0uXkopeCw6qbE40qTxo6rCWd-4/w638-h851/NMZT8547.JPG" width="638" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="text-align: justify;">Landed at Kala Patthar (5,644m,18,519ft) around 7.30am. Kala Pathar is considered the highest altitude most will reach without a climbing permit and provide the most accessible closeup view of Everest. Our helicopter was the first and only one there as we were able to take advantage of our 'lightweight', and fly direct from Lukla to Kala Patthar (Everest Base Camp) without having to make an extra stop at Pheriche to split our group. There was actually another helicopter that arrived Lukla before us but we beat them to Kala Patthar because of this reason. =P</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKQTTVf81zlU4hvg6Lap5qEfkWhCv7ehtPFTDsYcf32QN748xZrUes2Nd9hig51tV4qcCA95Qht-YOHYqU9XSJ4QC-ZGS-VsjU0mgcDJaoEZTO7dT375xyWaE2GYEG15Yu9hAMf0ayVfe7dk8OIJfPiZLhV-8pRUrMDRFqE8YvMgz31F3U6h5k6gvf/s4096/FPZS6265.JPG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="847" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKQTTVf81zlU4hvg6Lap5qEfkWhCv7ehtPFTDsYcf32QN748xZrUes2Nd9hig51tV4qcCA95Qht-YOHYqU9XSJ4QC-ZGS-VsjU0mgcDJaoEZTO7dT375xyWaE2GYEG15Yu9hAMf0ayVfe7dk8OIJfPiZLhV-8pRUrMDRFqE8YvMgz31F3U6h5k6gvf/w634-h847/FPZS6265.JPG" width="634" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div>Our pilot had a request from the FIFA Ambassador to take a photo of this banner with Everest so we happily obliged. =) Our pilot said she doesn't usually get off the helicopter at this stop but she got off this time to take photo with the FIFA World Cup banner (World Cup was going on in Qatar during that time). </div></span></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS6HMRDMTheRMkIfyCw-nOb29GhwagmraG4BqozCrCsPOs5yhZordXaZ0GGrypU64vk9tIPfGhPdgqOG3iAUGNDvXZHPZaBidar44KSyWhVlw7sRWB5yWFoaUub90-WjkHPzoKB3bKoMMtFpTeih-3Cy7ix7vBsgEeqp1UTM0r5UlB2uxX3Oxv-pR8/s4096/FKBZ6243.JPG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS6HMRDMTheRMkIfyCw-nOb29GhwagmraG4BqozCrCsPOs5yhZordXaZ0GGrypU64vk9tIPfGhPdgqOG3iAUGNDvXZHPZaBidar44KSyWhVlw7sRWB5yWFoaUub90-WjkHPzoKB3bKoMMtFpTeih-3Cy7ix7vBsgEeqp1UTM0r5UlB2uxX3Oxv-pR8/w640-h480/FKBZ6243.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div>Ironically, Everest is the one that's not snow-capped. Due to the high altitude, we only stayed here for 15 minutes and I was busy taking photos and videos the entire time. It was pretty cold (-5°C, 23°F) but I had so much adrenaline rush that I didn't feel any altitude sickness nor cold...lol! I have no interest to climb here so this was as close as I'd like to get to the mountains. As quoted by our pilot Priya, she has seen enough death and destruction on the mountains as a rescue pilot to rid her of any desire to climb peaks.</div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7dz5AWHsf0R-7FHKtRIRXPPo73QbLaYn4Bb0yBimfl6FYsavOnclOaEWVk6LCHg6aQyoy44W7hJ1ULBCg1vaMAgT7CwtANGyA6iMuwYIMXf_tgeGoNt7QyPdFuS4q8JCMDM_37BrfMHvAFr25dEkHHAp4cjVvGKlPXlMEooA5VPr0N8OHGiRgtnNm/s4096/RVSN8271.JPG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7dz5AWHsf0R-7FHKtRIRXPPo73QbLaYn4Bb0yBimfl6FYsavOnclOaEWVk6LCHg6aQyoy44W7hJ1ULBCg1vaMAgT7CwtANGyA6iMuwYIMXf_tgeGoNt7QyPdFuS4q8JCMDM_37BrfMHvAFr25dEkHHAp4cjVvGKlPXlMEooA5VPr0N8OHGiRgtnNm/w640-h640/RVSN8271.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">After a quick and exciting stop at Kala Patthar, we switched seats and I took the left back seat for the journey from Kala Patthar to Hotel Everest View. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhXG6ue_MACncPWTKeSOGiRT_cwKGTLdCKdi-rZWrrNAK7kmURerI87uz1l9ZKf6ZiEVhXQMYS1MuSXdzKcuWD6-UEK1LrgRif3Z-l5BdQb8kyO0GpR0hWu-rni-SoFu3MBtckqrk_RRbb8VCn9DtjTGdD76J9nxKOCULTAFhkfYedOXDasDK3p1oZ/s4096/XLDW8733.JPG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhXG6ue_MACncPWTKeSOGiRT_cwKGTLdCKdi-rZWrrNAK7kmURerI87uz1l9ZKf6ZiEVhXQMYS1MuSXdzKcuWD6-UEK1LrgRif3Z-l5BdQb8kyO0GpR0hWu-rni-SoFu3MBtckqrk_RRbb8VCn9DtjTGdD76J9nxKOCULTAFhkfYedOXDasDK3p1oZ/w640-h480/XLDW8733.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div>Can't get enough of these views of the mountains and valleys.</div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzDt3NmyMeKAK6gDBHrVwT-BkFnyTcZ4kFvPFE-0ViAn_eoyS9eTlqmsTm0_Q-6hMj8f2lyZXo6dL2-2rNl-O4AqNDnqDRE8xEtxagCs4ClIOuzndSPoWij97101cd2uxjT1gadJiXgMv8VSrGytnumQQsn1Ouxmj4tCugBQEUk93lLJhy6AvCh0bc/s4096/TLRX2417.JPG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzDt3NmyMeKAK6gDBHrVwT-BkFnyTcZ4kFvPFE-0ViAn_eoyS9eTlqmsTm0_Q-6hMj8f2lyZXo6dL2-2rNl-O4AqNDnqDRE8xEtxagCs4ClIOuzndSPoWij97101cd2uxjT1gadJiXgMv8VSrGytnumQQsn1Ouxmj4tCugBQEUk93lLJhy6AvCh0bc/w640-h480/TLRX2417.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div>Arrived Hotel Everest View at 8am for breakfast. This hotel has been listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the highest-placed hotel in the world at 13,000ft/3,880m and the only way to get to this hotel is by helicopter. </div></span></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguWR6OsATPg8efneNDHAVhVYRyPdRd0Enk3_LXYpdemmE0vexEpySA9nyDFeNavm0ltL24gUukmZCZDcoVhy2VMfzcPOZWs5kk8JJky01RvK6y4Uu38h9ttm2wNppCPW0jgohIOgMLTtWhushEMAUZIINQGrRfIFUZx4HuxuGS4L8broepbHWSIfjF/s4096/KLJA5708.JPG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguWR6OsATPg8efneNDHAVhVYRyPdRd0Enk3_LXYpdemmE0vexEpySA9nyDFeNavm0ltL24gUukmZCZDcoVhy2VMfzcPOZWs5kk8JJky01RvK6y4Uu38h9ttm2wNppCPW0jgohIOgMLTtWhushEMAUZIINQGrRfIFUZx4HuxuGS4L8broepbHWSIfjF/w640-h640/KLJA5708.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIZnHKnXpL6uL0ZYlXS-_1UnfLYCvqKsA9caFuOGYCvIp9_PipWZG-YeEqXyhU20OCNCceykJEJ460ok0YsBzSnDEMfDOdByPOsu1VxGRYZwnPCGF3xpVDssKvlT2t-esfosWFnLdh8h7cvI50wS4q3PizwwlorQdUm8GYmCs6iRpdtYQJL9vzqzV0/s4096/HBPR8818.JPG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIZnHKnXpL6uL0ZYlXS-_1UnfLYCvqKsA9caFuOGYCvIp9_PipWZG-YeEqXyhU20OCNCceykJEJ460ok0YsBzSnDEMfDOdByPOsu1VxGRYZwnPCGF3xpVDssKvlT2t-esfosWFnLdh8h7cvI50wS4q3PizwwlorQdUm8GYmCs6iRpdtYQJL9vzqzV0/w640-h480/HBPR8818.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">We were the first to get here and had the entire place to ourselves. We were lucky with the beautiful weather and had fun taking lots of photos and videos. =) Thankful to be able to experience all these with this group of Ne'Pals' (Me-Malaysia, Eduardo-Puerto Rico, Kenny-New Orleans, Lakshya-India) who were crazy enough for us to charter a helicopter. =P</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9S2_U7Th5_SOLroQtQ3qNwID52yaKq5CN-NQKyJ_rIDSx-ax1HQtmLwgGXAtyrVEp3bW8HvAP-22Z9Zr6K60ORj_rJ5xMudSx0ctxVBiFOOQC0jZRQAb4gPTeUhD_O8VZQd2_IDQuahhu8pAng188ju9H0ZBOh49uDEALe3tK6wwXS8ttEJsk_Y6Z/s4096/VMJR8300.JPG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="851" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9S2_U7Th5_SOLroQtQ3qNwID52yaKq5CN-NQKyJ_rIDSx-ax1HQtmLwgGXAtyrVEp3bW8HvAP-22Z9Zr6K60ORj_rJ5xMudSx0ctxVBiFOOQC0jZRQAb4gPTeUhD_O8VZQd2_IDQuahhu8pAng188ju9H0ZBOh49uDEALe3tK6wwXS8ttEJsk_Y6Z/w639-h851/VMJR8300.JPG" width="639" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Breakfast at this hotel costs $31/pax and is optional. Yes it is pricey but given how difficult it is to get any supplies up here and with an amazing view of Everest, it was definitely worth it. </span><span style="font-family: "Open Sans";">Eduardo and I opted to have breakfast here and we had a good time chatting with Priya over breakfast.</span><span style="font-family: "Open Sans";"> Priya also does a lot of rescue mission in Everest so we asked her what is the most common reason for people to get rescue from the mountains...and her answer...LAZINESS...lol!!!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-TWcSKejlkq0HRkRniaeRubRWGFWosdr2GjtQ9-nN1Egy2aqXktOlzXDcdzp9teqg2DGsv4-Y9vkVQp_kTQ_djiKvANwmGFzzsesal1nen3g4qwu06a1dFXoVIdPWuyyV06vnU7uxsZDguvbVzHTjk9het_TxWLBfZ3Vi9Wd3Wcb1kNO_Bg2YNKlq/w640-h640/LYIJ1146.JPG" width="640" /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">More helicopters arriving as we were leaving around 9am. This is the coolest parking lot I've ever seen...lol!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHt2NVZb7V3zNegi_UkiGlz7KfLiZcmUJMnhWUBaeW1LhNZ-khDhGew3_gHHYBRA7T3MvRI3hEBR2cTauP7bexBgM5JmCKsiq7xynB7jLIR8W0cTWemO3j7ndPFBR8Jx7QqSZIpYAaiRoNsVs4pT_6oZSOxuEWca9R3PifM9Oew34wGgLnpZ_2GgdC/s4096/BBSQ8044.JPG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHt2NVZb7V3zNegi_UkiGlz7KfLiZcmUJMnhWUBaeW1LhNZ-khDhGew3_gHHYBRA7T3MvRI3hEBR2cTauP7bexBgM5JmCKsiq7xynB7jLIR8W0cTWemO3j7ndPFBR8Jx7QqSZIpYAaiRoNsVs4pT_6oZSOxuEWca9R3PifM9Oew34wGgLnpZ_2GgdC/w640-h360/BBSQ8044.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Switched seats again and it was my turn to take the front seat with a "co-pilot" view from Hoel Everest View to Lukla airport.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUzwSfD0gTy0cH-8nsHodBuSdjPiRCfwBClq940PGJW1oL2Ch45kTkzJVRiTzOOAtSCKW6SKTCVXcJ_60Fq3fT6-U68s4Ea4Xnjw6eKuR7Kx_T36IGy9M_aCoziT7rtZIp6zxRoKnYBOGUy5dUhvi5dWnFnt99drOhY-srYvc8nWmA0Oa8BOz-F1LH/s4096/MWNH6014.JPG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="1271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUzwSfD0gTy0cH-8nsHodBuSdjPiRCfwBClq940PGJW1oL2Ch45kTkzJVRiTzOOAtSCKW6SKTCVXcJ_60Fq3fT6-U68s4Ea4Xnjw6eKuR7Kx_T36IGy9M_aCoziT7rtZIp6zxRoKnYBOGUy5dUhvi5dWnFnt99drOhY-srYvc8nWmA0Oa8BOz-F1LH/w636-h1271/MWNH6014.JPG" width="636" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">It felt like a rollercoaster taking off the cliff. It was cool to see the approach into Lukla airport from the front seat this time around.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhUTS4MlxfPdGjWWFKvtb6_wM1LA1aud4cJpUuL8pww8QGNetMyl--phVL54RgGJt19i60hXLCPO7vvdTc7ZNAsflCYUBqsKGcgVbrBG3sqS6Svi9lrjKksN-aphm30OaXswhoVpPMYsYZ1OMd3_oTwXUOPVqe8psI977tPczjyUzsKD4jlpeo0e_M/s4096/EGYM9882.JPG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhUTS4MlxfPdGjWWFKvtb6_wM1LA1aud4cJpUuL8pww8QGNetMyl--phVL54RgGJt19i60hXLCPO7vvdTc7ZNAsflCYUBqsKGcgVbrBG3sqS6Svi9lrjKksN-aphm30OaXswhoVpPMYsYZ1OMd3_oTwXUOPVqe8psI977tPczjyUzsKD4jlpeo0e_M/w640-h640/EGYM9882.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Another quick 5 minute stop at Lukla airport at 9.15am to refuel with the fuel that was dropped off earlier during our first stop. We also switched seats again and I took the back right seat again for our journey back to Kathmandu. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTmqC6RczsVnUxDtm3VVfrjQjhCkvmydEW3DxUDeL-eed3g_UtpjKFCGozkSdJOREmCPHK0Z8ZiGd0I1BgELVrNQJCUq_jJW4vTq6ZVlcbdzHHcDH7Q7HqrgJOrTFZvkSOPy99E4BSoI6FpAmBCwSjVUYhAgOlPuuzPyjRccc13edfg_ZfIldAzCXJ/s4096/SGCA7523.JPG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTmqC6RczsVnUxDtm3VVfrjQjhCkvmydEW3DxUDeL-eed3g_UtpjKFCGozkSdJOREmCPHK0Z8ZiGd0I1BgELVrNQJCUq_jJW4vTq6ZVlcbdzHHcDH7Q7HqrgJOrTFZvkSOPy99E4BSoI6FpAmBCwSjVUYhAgOlPuuzPyjRccc13edfg_ZfIldAzCXJ/w640-h480/SGCA7523.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Clear skies on our way back to Kathmandu. Saw a few villages in the mountains and I wonder how do people even get to these villages.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN_mUNhNpVeJa0EPewfS2Tjq3XCro0N89C1BZSarC41VVjf2v0HTy9VlT-RO09l9cafLGR0N5Ix3WfUqCAM7w-3O5bbfftwMxICdGAXN6hkpmcdKzqX1y3ymKej7wLFHsdy_vHsHNx2bOSYhtI50WrAykfsxJ2seSGlZq0bcYDzmbya-fibf9_ZRk2/s4096/NLTB2385.JPG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN_mUNhNpVeJa0EPewfS2Tjq3XCro0N89C1BZSarC41VVjf2v0HTy9VlT-RO09l9cafLGR0N5Ix3WfUqCAM7w-3O5bbfftwMxICdGAXN6hkpmcdKzqX1y3ymKej7wLFHsdy_vHsHNx2bOSYhtI50WrAykfsxJ2seSGlZq0bcYDzmbya-fibf9_ZRk2/w640-h480/NLTB2385.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">The clouds made this mountain look so cool!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNI3SABpnGS1dBmNKDSTunZJg3q_pH-BG3uPGKiKpw-z55f63Nf5OpcWxT5wJWVTQpOTLfEPrPB9kKy7HFFYVOkLTFUXAQPmqiM392xIelKCZNlyVmjlZ5W8-aperWI6rFCdn7cmfVybuLNAEtGuaMPDaMh8InRdxo7pZ1GeSpOp8A-QwuGXnrpXXr/s4096/CJOL4753.JPG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNI3SABpnGS1dBmNKDSTunZJg3q_pH-BG3uPGKiKpw-z55f63Nf5OpcWxT5wJWVTQpOTLfEPrPB9kKy7HFFYVOkLTFUXAQPmqiM392xIelKCZNlyVmjlZ5W8-aperWI6rFCdn7cmfVybuLNAEtGuaMPDaMh8InRdxo7pZ1GeSpOp8A-QwuGXnrpXXr/w640-h480/CJOL4753.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Made it back to Kathmandu airport at 10.15am. Spotted so many airlines that I didn't know about...like Buddha Air, Guna Air, Yeti Airlines (the one that crashed recently). I thought about taking the Buddha Air scenic flight initially as they offer a 1-hour Mount Everest sightseeing flight for $250/pax to fly around the mountains with no stops, but so glad I chose the 4-hour helicopter tour instead. It was pricey but definitely worth it!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgutk5m1hRfcy1EdMrrb2VEGV4y3Uh_OblVxqqbbIADr8oi7-1xCwxOQbQ0z6A5zq23S4GpAtmcCpIpQoPpShvunc19s5ydB0Gnn1oS9bBNBmJBv3gPjVmbViwXkEuefYnCInlRaohbl5QF48HecbOiiCP4eGx5kL75iatwZOePl4qpRr0IljJW8m9C/s4096/QFGF7665.JPG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgutk5m1hRfcy1EdMrrb2VEGV4y3Uh_OblVxqqbbIADr8oi7-1xCwxOQbQ0z6A5zq23S4GpAtmcCpIpQoPpShvunc19s5ydB0Gnn1oS9bBNBmJBv3gPjVmbViwXkEuefYnCInlRaohbl5QF48HecbOiiCP4eGx5kL75iatwZOePl4qpRr0IljJW8m9C/w640-h640/QFGF7665.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">So...how much did this tour cost? We chartered this helicopter for $3,600 + 4% credit card fee + National Park Fees of NPR 5,500/pax, so the total was approximately $975/pax. Bonus, we got the only female helicopter pilot in Nepal, Priya </span><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Adhikari,</span></span><span style="font-family: "Open Sans";"> who not only does high altitude rescus missions, and also has a degree in Environmental Science.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDox906O7RE-r2W2Q3UrxzwzptO1X5chdhTBK2k8_WPdTTDXKGrI-wL1oreKF7bR97MaXOepdQDVC2bjSiayib7JlQ8XdUCeW1A4_0XCyEpOCM41nBX56C3TOll6iJ_pQfW7EHB3E6oFUDfCJwH1Fgv3RufPJD42TPITZm4TqrrTNbGsNGXJoev02E/s4096/VCIZ8558.JPG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDox906O7RE-r2W2Q3UrxzwzptO1X5chdhTBK2k8_WPdTTDXKGrI-wL1oreKF7bR97MaXOepdQDVC2bjSiayib7JlQ8XdUCeW1A4_0XCyEpOCM41nBX56C3TOll6iJ_pQfW7EHB3E6oFUDfCJwH1Fgv3RufPJD42TPITZm4TqrrTNbGsNGXJoev02E/w640-h640/VCIZ8558.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTe8V8IT184zZrUrLmkWoG6btsiQPcOmTXsBuYyKKNtJr1ZalmQOjJ2dhMkrejREtVgMW-0XPCBOUiJF2PY52hisM9kEW3wnFs7HGNcssNrnQXLnzNIg-NrcDI-m74w1oDgsrgcc8yA2GY7Ar3GmXwzCyQnSvwoYriGdrPT_2lry_1Ss2ukWliGyq-/s4096/JLBV5817.JPG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTe8V8IT184zZrUrLmkWoG6btsiQPcOmTXsBuYyKKNtJr1ZalmQOjJ2dhMkrejREtVgMW-0XPCBOUiJF2PY52hisM9kEW3wnFs7HGNcssNrnQXLnzNIg-NrcDI-m74w1oDgsrgcc8yA2GY7Ar3GmXwzCyQnSvwoYriGdrPT_2lry_1Ss2ukWliGyq-/w640-h480/JLBV5817.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Buddhi dropped us back at our hotel at 1pm after the tour. We spent the afternoon walking around the city, had momo for lunch, and bought some souvenirs.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIfZ_rMbvyHJszPkeC3Te9oO6KzU3ly_WKgdyrnnf1kA91Yfiy1B3exUhtt7Ci6Fx9YE_2rCp-7aWUsQ8lKAef9wQcl2EmTDXQrvXbkzNHigZ-p-_W121I4LwAmmjQRKxvnLP_PZXVGgECC6u9rbDa4dzDi3L4FrVVSKw7WUaF9O130ou0oLxf95ZC/s4096/IMGT2341.JPG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIfZ_rMbvyHJszPkeC3Te9oO6KzU3ly_WKgdyrnnf1kA91Yfiy1B3exUhtt7Ci6Fx9YE_2rCp-7aWUsQ8lKAef9wQcl2EmTDXQrvXbkzNHigZ-p-_W121I4LwAmmjQRKxvnLP_PZXVGgECC6u9rbDa4dzDi3L4FrVVSKw7WUaF9O130ou0oLxf95ZC/w640-h640/IMGT2341.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">One thing that caught my eye as we were walking around the city are the cables hanging messily across the streets and poles. Definitely not OCD-approved and I'm sure it's 'fun' finding the right cable to fix...lol!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6afb0G_ytPfUPMIk-bwtg1L_mg_wxz4xrzpkk6k_ZMTnL-a_6xJU3DGaBapPDKZec52j7dC4IjhwUv7Z6FpTA9SizmMCN6VT1rAzD0e6nPx3n5Sym331bRwBxjrqC1t91MdiF7zzt4frwL_BvLkYVGiJABo3S-UJj39Y_aKkG5ZwwSWUl7Njib78M/s4096/KBRA1021.JPG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6afb0G_ytPfUPMIk-bwtg1L_mg_wxz4xrzpkk6k_ZMTnL-a_6xJU3DGaBapPDKZec52j7dC4IjhwUv7Z6FpTA9SizmMCN6VT1rAzD0e6nPx3n5Sym331bRwBxjrqC1t91MdiF7zzt4frwL_BvLkYVGiJABo3S-UJj39Y_aKkG5ZwwSWUl7Njib78M/w640-h640/KBRA1021.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGvwiBTe4JqmuqqLr7KKbNMo4WxzzaNNIqGB4qmcJTCKUftn7PIhHSKLFjC3wKrY8a4hED-FX2J3-zHR2ApSP0x7efjGe9DUALqYuu1xnNFYMt2bE0Bk2V6CesXY33aNNesUUD65RRJQuT--KNwKXZud450R8ZG_p1RbkqCkIs51-Z2TG1p70YXAGh/s4096/LECK3791.JPG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGvwiBTe4JqmuqqLr7KKbNMo4WxzzaNNIqGB4qmcJTCKUftn7PIhHSKLFjC3wKrY8a4hED-FX2J3-zHR2ApSP0x7efjGe9DUALqYuu1xnNFYMt2bE0Bk2V6CesXY33aNNesUUD65RRJQuT--KNwKXZud450R8ZG_p1RbkqCkIs51-Z2TG1p70YXAGh/w640-h640/LECK3791.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Hung out at the hotel bar with the Ne'Pals' for the rest of the evening and enjoyed our 1 complimentary drink, a benefit for elite members at the hotel.</span></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><b>12 December 2023 (Mon): Kathmandu</b></span></div></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpVxXnSBrwAQNU8MA8wQ9DurmVjU6JVWEIMnVW8PYrCSUrLkE7xthhi9qU3b3Au_gQDanFGFqE6HCq5AqqK1kKBJwxpKWg48XpTqFDRdAMs9oUxJMhrf6VuY0Jc495EXXzDcrK6ZKHL6d-DoK59rncbl6CAOSxHF6I-61Ygwl-vlkaTgak-L6XGi18/s4096/LULK7484.JPG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpVxXnSBrwAQNU8MA8wQ9DurmVjU6JVWEIMnVW8PYrCSUrLkE7xthhi9qU3b3Au_gQDanFGFqE6HCq5AqqK1kKBJwxpKWg48XpTqFDRdAMs9oUxJMhrf6VuY0Jc495EXXzDcrK6ZKHL6d-DoK59rncbl6CAOSxHF6I-61Ygwl-vlkaTgak-L6XGi18/w640-h640/LULK7484.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Decided to stay in for the day to get some work done, and went for lunch at Hankook Sarang Korean restaurant, located 5 minutes walk from our hotel. Had tofu stew, egg rolls, soju, and tea. =P</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggof-PSVfKyNf4s00TUJLtjv4Y5EypO6b-8ZWtIT7w3w5TPEJ5RO2kg6aEV2hrswPSzC3TkgQoiIkGawqIUCtuxHC7ccfqoU74v8aGLWjYnHTty6qNCnEi9MS16fiGqpFeFs4HNcaBAPYvbXONiWU9d6MImWj6-6DI4Cse7WcamhdY1Vtl1pm7wOOy/s4096/XBID8248.JPG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="855" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggof-PSVfKyNf4s00TUJLtjv4Y5EypO6b-8ZWtIT7w3w5TPEJ5RO2kg6aEV2hrswPSzC3TkgQoiIkGawqIUCtuxHC7ccfqoU74v8aGLWjYnHTty6qNCnEi9MS16fiGqpFeFs4HNcaBAPYvbXONiWU9d6MImWj6-6DI4Cse7WcamhdY1Vtl1pm7wOOy/w642-h855/XBID8248.JPG" width="642" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Enjoyed the view of Kathmandu from my hotel room.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><b>13 December 2023 (Tuesday): Kathmandu - Kolkata</b></span></div></div></span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcD1iHpFsLJEBuAe9hVbtxyaHeJmwsgGUdMW6t4hQV556c5pX8_VaViA1r-vsh-7FWPBl4x_rTdnAPmYa01LKM0H22CYVMnG1lF9LXRf88iZNdMgeqWADBDkPuFnyvNDPQ77SkLVO2XKNdYQBoJY20qynWThLHnTYptCNMMtTIrNF98ncNNxFEUCjJ/s4096/JCCU7372.JPG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcD1iHpFsLJEBuAe9hVbtxyaHeJmwsgGUdMW6t4hQV556c5pX8_VaViA1r-vsh-7FWPBl4x_rTdnAPmYa01LKM0H22CYVMnG1lF9LXRf88iZNdMgeqWADBDkPuFnyvNDPQ77SkLVO2XKNdYQBoJY20qynWThLHnTYptCNMMtTIrNF98ncNNxFEUCjJ/w640-h480/JCCU7372.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Complimentary buffet breakfast at the hotel. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGHl1jyxJBeMeZMdVuNwvaqYZ2EIZd8Z-0pecwUa89L2Z7WvLqi266i37m5GMbQPuHTsKP7d71ajLb3PZ2AmlOmg5I2oZ2O453bD7HbSmSUb1ulwxgq5DpyHMOIicnGnp5QLj1-upDFmsHczJ3AB8hXbxdslBSuZEHl0oeKdYDvCnE6pA0HXOjxeWC/s4096/EWEJ7677.JPG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGHl1jyxJBeMeZMdVuNwvaqYZ2EIZd8Z-0pecwUa89L2Z7WvLqi266i37m5GMbQPuHTsKP7d71ajLb3PZ2AmlOmg5I2oZ2O453bD7HbSmSUb1ulwxgq5DpyHMOIicnGnp5QLj1-upDFmsHczJ3AB8hXbxdslBSuZEHl0oeKdYDvCnE6pA0HXOjxeWC/w640-h640/EWEJ7677.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Checked out of the hotel at 11am and arrived at the airport at 11.30am with plenty of time to spare before my flight at 2.30pm.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXwICeyPFM8Nqb8d0RTUsk97Qmalpa1GnBAGBHuEoJWa1Qbl__MyOphyZqm8X5UkNLR4MfaOmE7teWYcgb_uwSkJ1bSIT8Xq3ShiEDvKNZ3Q5npJQDIGgLYwZg4IkWNXb-0SrcahDqNXs0CZ5el7UPjSIEi8O456WSnID3ehU1Nuf4P6WhgqIdQHfU/s4096/CGMT1658.JPG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXwICeyPFM8Nqb8d0RTUsk97Qmalpa1GnBAGBHuEoJWa1Qbl__MyOphyZqm8X5UkNLR4MfaOmE7teWYcgb_uwSkJ1bSIT8Xq3ShiEDvKNZ3Q5npJQDIGgLYwZg4IkWNXb-0SrcahDqNXs0CZ5el7UPjSIEi8O456WSnID3ehU1Nuf4P6WhgqIdQHfU/w640-h640/CGMT1658.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Visited the Executive Lounge with my Priority Pass and left within 5 min coz I wasn't impressed.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC6rRobpKRzZLTjX93M1hIS4Ub4IYz3VifiETTWONCCX170JlIYlsFihEGo3-EP-B1OkIpCcp3llaOKoDtT6Z7blx2iZqNuSJktxKA4LOkxR_morwmjxTVK_frIrfmmfUfwBS9DpwqkiPgLw_t_NXLtSYRbnWrb2g2KsRQyh1xtgQcpa5-M5c7AdCx/s4096/FVBP7374.JPG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC6rRobpKRzZLTjX93M1hIS4Ub4IYz3VifiETTWONCCX170JlIYlsFihEGo3-EP-B1OkIpCcp3llaOKoDtT6Z7blx2iZqNuSJktxKA4LOkxR_morwmjxTVK_frIrfmmfUfwBS9DpwqkiPgLw_t_NXLtSYRbnWrb2g2KsRQyh1xtgQcpa5-M5c7AdCx/w640-h640/FVBP7374.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Went downstairs to check out the Horizon Lounge, also accessible with my Priority Pass and it was so much nicer and better. I was happily hanging out at the lounge and was almost late to board my flight coz the lounge was before security.</span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0eAPE8jn1vb7BrB4ZunQ3VBPPt2XV1qwGd0kvhnf58RzqDgBgC6dVWOWcgcmwaTDC_KjU-stfNrbRUud77Qu406zcLosjELrM6UdjX9VuC4WaanH7kKqngjLnp3W511mGn9Kg5pdA4rwWqT6mL3x3VLUTvWKhRuRWRsle9NeetTjbdGotmybI2b_M/w640-h640/IMG_3758.JPG" width="640" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">First time having to stand in line on the tarmac for about 15 minutes to go through another round of bag check right before boarding the flight.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiD9v03ScliozctISi8-yGqj0R7ygn_gTIAcfjUYeCWeADNPVQiLFSmJ1n3umWHpdjchVPWoggSuDYWds_tvnKrGwzBFZwAGHPrrezk-xJmXUyX8i9iQKhjA85UsJeAIs01904uUfvIz8WIXSU3HM4H2VkqQ94e4WgjewaDPfoUMUQV3yL3KDQ4tSr/s4096/GBBQ6196.JPG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiD9v03ScliozctISi8-yGqj0R7ygn_gTIAcfjUYeCWeADNPVQiLFSmJ1n3umWHpdjchVPWoggSuDYWds_tvnKrGwzBFZwAGHPrrezk-xJmXUyX8i9iQKhjA85UsJeAIs01904uUfvIz8WIXSU3HM4H2VkqQ94e4WgjewaDPfoUMUQV3yL3KDQ4tSr/w640-h480/GBBQ6196.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Goodbye Nepal!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQXowJYws7M844UaDkPs-8Nl36WQl9gw0YBP6tYMVRvCqcsygBNydRYSsrsuxP_faKaApYPGa_PFf0MUcoDkcz812wdhNSJLty4UI0dQSRQ3-ltY_VY4queKybSnr0LePEenQaiS33SpxzUPWDhXGQcczAJfgHaxmapl8gPWuzHH3Bx6E0JIBqI31T/s4096/IIKU6940.JPG"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQXowJYws7M844UaDkPs-8Nl36WQl9gw0YBP6tYMVRvCqcsygBNydRYSsrsuxP_faKaApYPGa_PFf0MUcoDkcz812wdhNSJLty4UI0dQSRQ3-ltY_VY4queKybSnr0LePEenQaiS33SpxzUPWDhXGQcczAJfgHaxmapl8gPWuzHH3Bx6E0JIBqI31T/w640-h480/IIKU6940.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Back to hazy Kolkata! =P</span></div> <div class="blogger-post-footer">http://khaishing.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default</div>khaishing.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05154189313956844355noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3659547063209051949.post-88947940181287809002023-05-06T00:53:00.002-05:002023-05-06T00:54:04.169-05:00India Work Trip 2022 ✈ Training in Bangalore & Kolkata<div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><i>In the last 2 months of 2022, I was given the opportunity to travel to India for a work secondment. I signed up to travel to India without any expectations, but the entire experienced turned out way better than I expected, all thanks to the warm hospitality I received throughout my stay in Kolkata.</i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/82QUKhFXO_k" title="YouTube video player" width="640"></iframe></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">13-18 November 2022: Training in Bangalore</span></b></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">One the main reasons of my work trip to India was to conduct upskilling sessions for our team members in India. As majority of our team members are located all over the country, we gathered team members located in the south in Bangalore for the week-long training. This was my 2nd visit to Bangalore after 2013.</span></div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="851" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiMVbmPiEYjaBzZrKTvPTnm0q57PMmySNWJZOQJ6nXUcMcDyfqgDAiFpNioETq5fJatTCvtssTezVVTuHg_PnIxiIyUeYfdy-0QDZqx12TsuDGwa9SXXH1LaLFWOGUhMvaD_PHrkFnDf0lUlePOZHuD0x8yVpah3EwpEdelWDK-OSfgoHhyX_eHPGe/w639-h851/IMG_3430.JPG" width="639" /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Stayed in Westin Kolkata the night before and got he hotel to drop me off at the airport at 2pm for my 3.50pm flight. It's been quite awhile since I traveled with Airasia, and I didn't know Airasia India is a completely different company from Airasia until I tried adding my Airasia Big number.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_k1gAvswSnurIRCs6l6FGRc5BkgX3e79LCLFCAfu1Kfma3NyxcgLGaI8iFR1Xb9qbJKe6migyaw5zoCgfBKf9sjClmOM85J7JuU3CGs3yGJcrluvvivO3QSHEOoZXFOHSmdTxX2hQxNkoMokwcjplAxHaygtNEeLcIevmTwGE548al0-U9UPeCJC3/s4096/DKVE9711.JPG"><span style="color: black; font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_k1gAvswSnurIRCs6l6FGRc5BkgX3e79LCLFCAfu1Kfma3NyxcgLGaI8iFR1Xb9qbJKe6migyaw5zoCgfBKf9sjClmOM85J7JuU3CGs3yGJcrluvvivO3QSHEOoZXFOHSmdTxX2hQxNkoMokwcjplAxHaygtNEeLcIevmTwGE548al0-U9UPeCJC3/w640-h640/DKVE9711.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">My first domestic travel out of Kolkata airport was pretty smooth, but I learnt that I had to take out ALL electronics from my bag when going through security, which meant taking out almost everything from my bag. I had to take the bin and go through security all over again coz I only took out my laptop the first time. =.= Another thing I learnt was that pharmacy in India is also called 'druggist'...lol!</span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLai4MOURtuAq1pRMBpbRLZM8j2fyhGETdPAk4l6njRlogw9GuiJjcolq_HZgOopwI3I6H9fTbwfEcwddAK6sFg-wrlji11YwPAR-gHqdXX5vA6jlu5ajNhviMomc9dcg0GFKepvHA0Volj6kibXLl_HbVZ-Jmd5-_RR9j_1FLud3zDMgZUlsb7sUd/w640-h640/IXCJ5307.JPG" width="640" /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">The flight was delayed by an hour and was completely full. Light refreshment was served but I didn't feel comfortable eating coz a guy sitting close to me was coughing and many people weren't wearing masks. I was ready to get away from the crowd after the flight.</span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQhla7ka-ctMcVUrJh4sW3H-kQDLIJRiU_2CQTlb8C_UZQQPYNmoDLXj-nVhp6ZEg2vuWb3G_sHV4_j8soFMCQR4AP4xnGcgvrH9bWzl7duKszFZjgCY46AVgciZs_OG6EYi-gpZOO9WV-U7nE1lwx_8NZtQQSMVQnofz8-sx5Ez-gNX1f1ipTWtGx/s4096/HEDY2972.JPG"><span style="color: black; font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQhla7ka-ctMcVUrJh4sW3H-kQDLIJRiU_2CQTlb8C_UZQQPYNmoDLXj-nVhp6ZEg2vuWb3G_sHV4_j8soFMCQR4AP4xnGcgvrH9bWzl7duKszFZjgCY46AVgciZs_OG6EYi-gpZOO9WV-U7nE1lwx_8NZtQQSMVQnofz8-sx5Ez-gNX1f1ipTWtGx/w640-h480/HEDY2972.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Thankfully the hotel staff from Renaissance was already waiting at the arrival hall when I got out at 7.05pm and led me to the hotel vehicle. Bangalore is known for bad traffic and the airport is located quite far from the city so it took about an hour to get to the hotel. </span></div></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjohNqXTVJGvoH1t-FIZhQsuWjQPJJOXd6GO63q4LqHLIdzqvXUthl2IwpzpMLQFW4HAdWe6gAp1a-3HYYuTmbDpuxd0j4ENd5qZ7HRQ9U2urPsbg6u0Pb7QoJh7sjUnsq6E51qBhbNQOddMG4e8q53W-RUCwP322900mB3wf8pjy_mr3DMvnrYfXje/s4096/GYJK4562.JPG"><span style="color: black; font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjohNqXTVJGvoH1t-FIZhQsuWjQPJJOXd6GO63q4LqHLIdzqvXUthl2IwpzpMLQFW4HAdWe6gAp1a-3HYYuTmbDpuxd0j4ENd5qZ7HRQ9U2urPsbg6u0Pb7QoJh7sjUnsq6E51qBhbNQOddMG4e8q53W-RUCwP322900mB3wf8pjy_mr3DMvnrYfXje/w640-h640/GYJK4562.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV6YJdKT4hv7NyIIgWGp5Vagg3-yOriZ5P27KxNAbeXDdhxNuyaGRUFlqw2ZPUUqwXAAd77WwrFV5VAPDjoOTuKJ6b1Bm6Ko7SPBEq_gmmgaGLrcFBBQCalfn0yQw8tDliJDqkFeadS4tgpoqhp8oESIDj9sF2oR9JA2_d6OtRFauQ7GqoeLo1va9a/s4096/CYEE4508.JPG"><span style="color: black; font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV6YJdKT4hv7NyIIgWGp5Vagg3-yOriZ5P27KxNAbeXDdhxNuyaGRUFlqw2ZPUUqwXAAd77WwrFV5VAPDjoOTuKJ6b1Bm6Ko7SPBEq_gmmgaGLrcFBBQCalfn0yQw8tDliJDqkFeadS4tgpoqhp8oESIDj9sF2oR9JA2_d6OtRFauQ7GqoeLo1va9a/w640-h480/CYEE4508.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmnjkX3jquWRd-B2j2LY-7EeOdAyNcoH0jFIsqUyls1ifr8c0PWME83seu-yZeDuVKE_7Akb_cEKbHc1EkK_ToyIF5FV4uTuDJFZGow37c9AG9Rw1zq94rynwmPfuERB6lsPbFPEwZqUiqSO7J8Tt4kw73SwkdyE8mcgCpGxT6mc7GKvoizgCCjyg3/s4096/CCNU4935.JPG"><span style="color: black; font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmnjkX3jquWRd-B2j2LY-7EeOdAyNcoH0jFIsqUyls1ifr8c0PWME83seu-yZeDuVKE_7Akb_cEKbHc1EkK_ToyIF5FV4uTuDJFZGow37c9AG9Rw1zq94rynwmPfuERB6lsPbFPEwZqUiqSO7J8Tt4kw73SwkdyE8mcgCpGxT6mc7GKvoizgCCjyg3/w640-h480/CCNU4935.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><div><div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><span>My accommodation for the week...</span><span>Renaissance Bengaluru Race Course Hotel. I could see the race course from my room.</span></span></div></div></div></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJgb18KqS6yIyM0_w2wBKbVQsS97Bqh9m9VOJKlvzfm8yasYFpboX9jrzA9ydrTEHzS0YJQVbO7kVNmUh4WuCqt4_Qw35-aGNBVsJ-dU9FGXKrAtup4D3JzEPBVXvLKgn3l8aB3r1cHi8zVukTOXBe12SZuQcPURsswQixLx2qGE3Xf8e1kKqtNrn2/s4096/HBPF7286.JPG"><span style="color: black; font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJgb18KqS6yIyM0_w2wBKbVQsS97Bqh9m9VOJKlvzfm8yasYFpboX9jrzA9ydrTEHzS0YJQVbO7kVNmUh4WuCqt4_Qw35-aGNBVsJ-dU9FGXKrAtup4D3JzEPBVXvLKgn3l8aB3r1cHi8zVukTOXBe12SZuQcPURsswQixLx2qGE3Xf8e1kKqtNrn2/w640-h480/HBPF7286.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><div><div><div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">The layout of the hotel is kinda weird with the swimming pool and gym located in a separate building.</span></div></div></div></div></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixKpbkGsP8oshD1Mhb2Zah9OzVzdLbNYj5XxJg9bKjbgrN-hWAMMiAET9cDe9jpf_n_9nItE76dTxEiI070LOe0QzNFTpb9eXNCK-OO4rrIBN_43O0TakmZN3qDDfL_bVKZEn9sTE3DBo8yps7WKKynGrALaOXiwkMW01I2GZAijyHb3gQw3MiQX0c/s4096/SBWB2995.JPG"><span style="color: black; font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixKpbkGsP8oshD1Mhb2Zah9OzVzdLbNYj5XxJg9bKjbgrN-hWAMMiAET9cDe9jpf_n_9nItE76dTxEiI070LOe0QzNFTpb9eXNCK-OO4rrIBN_43O0TakmZN3qDDfL_bVKZEn9sTE3DBo8yps7WKKynGrALaOXiwkMW01I2GZAijyHb3gQw3MiQX0c/w640-h480/SBWB2995.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><div><div><div><div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">It took about 15-20 min from our hotel to the office with the hotel pick-up and drop-off services. It was good that our office at RMZ Latitude was not located within the city so we were able to avoid traffic as we were going against the rush hour traffic. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTZqan4UzOOq_QIVwRE1zWV78PojfozDXGu-nOeq17yLu_mCumkDDd-KL9phe6vQgIeo2uoRYA05FloutWiVBkCdz82nvcth3h93ZZdCnkFUMKabgiFXH62JS3AdjWw64e3Kc8pN0efB3mb8-Ar_KaNWLTNiqLqP9fRVtjdmLd_EsD5ro78CJm5I2m/s4096/AWDM8751.JPG"><span style="color: black; font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTZqan4UzOOq_QIVwRE1zWV78PojfozDXGu-nOeq17yLu_mCumkDDd-KL9phe6vQgIeo2uoRYA05FloutWiVBkCdz82nvcth3h93ZZdCnkFUMKabgiFXH62JS3AdjWw64e3Kc8pN0efB3mb8-Ar_KaNWLTNiqLqP9fRVtjdmLd_EsD5ro78CJm5I2m/w640-h640/AWDM8751.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6nZlDVqOe9Nghoas5bLocpvNQEd0qm5OfAvGO4DKK4TAbEBzmdMxvbsjhV4oJho7QrM9dfdyZwz5raF72Bn0VM0sL4N1fEzSHGiWwsa5CcP6eDoDM9Y3ONhRvRkvE8fA1wRFuy3DaOEbdjT9P8uEWyLUkMyH8LzOubmsg7e8WIcZacGHcYrh5_km_/s4096/MTJL3935.JPG"><span style="color: black; font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6nZlDVqOe9Nghoas5bLocpvNQEd0qm5OfAvGO4DKK4TAbEBzmdMxvbsjhV4oJho7QrM9dfdyZwz5raF72Bn0VM0sL4N1fEzSHGiWwsa5CcP6eDoDM9Y3ONhRvRkvE8fA1wRFuy3DaOEbdjT9P8uEWyLUkMyH8LzOubmsg7e8WIcZacGHcYrh5_km_/w640-h640/MTJL3935.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Our team is completely remote so this was the first time many team members came to the office and met each other in person. This was the first training we conducted and I was glad it went well. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqwIZnsjiJrDJl5xDpqa7Ja2Vm9KXSDpvGl4OcwNCI_Z6T-3IAymmxuyVzR8bXJAr-A5fb71aTWlpvUWn0UEYY2SO63IcalGsU0UFfCLQiQ2KwTTWgtSSSbcYrcNSdgU3CVrINPw8K0B5mHQr85yaiI4xO5AvpZyIzpIwEk1s6-8dfFREmIlHiAyh3/s4096/CRNO4582.JPG"><span style="color: black; font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqwIZnsjiJrDJl5xDpqa7Ja2Vm9KXSDpvGl4OcwNCI_Z6T-3IAymmxuyVzR8bXJAr-A5fb71aTWlpvUWn0UEYY2SO63IcalGsU0UFfCLQiQ2KwTTWgtSSSbcYrcNSdgU3CVrINPw8K0B5mHQr85yaiI4xO5AvpZyIzpIwEk1s6-8dfFREmIlHiAyh3/w640-h640/CRNO4582.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">I was very impressed by the Blinkit app, a grocery delivery service. I could order whatever I wanted on the app and they'd be delivered within 10 minutes with live updates of the driver's location! Definitely one of the apps I used the most in India. =)</span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglwa6IxebiMrpboiNhIu-uX5miBIdgePTJJC8h_1v7-Oi-lqIOPff511Ps-yrXOTZrDisB5I0rlevfamkU0gA9C8dmc6WHhv3r8HcPOt3UTtvxjld1UqzYtl7_pYPE6YP80N8WENm8FdS4JKEM9wJSe5HzgDjZP5uSgdVk94EY3zzll6cEM5KL6nU4/s4096/AHKP2310.JPG"><span style="color: black; font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="833" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglwa6IxebiMrpboiNhIu-uX5miBIdgePTJJC8h_1v7-Oi-lqIOPff511Ps-yrXOTZrDisB5I0rlevfamkU0gA9C8dmc6WHhv3r8HcPOt3UTtvxjld1UqzYtl7_pYPE6YP80N8WENm8FdS4JKEM9wJSe5HzgDjZP5uSgdVk94EY3zzll6cEM5KL6nU4/w625-h833/AHKP2310.JPG" width="625" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Swiggy delivery for lunches and room service for dinner.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv-ujYG0uUZcwcDfiQh5nb6kkZeL4SrWI-RHYCua0f9SkpNlLYAH3pqUpkQ6mWtbiashxaTYkHymRORyw0IJkTaBVwF0a8HFUyEvPYLYG81tInuEB-a7_mA6NvxGBIGY8FXAm0NCvqpVCoAaKENd59cnHgPQnwnuMWl3ZdYAWjN1f87lsbN5n8dmqO/s4096/SNGV9543.JPG"><span style="color: black; font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv-ujYG0uUZcwcDfiQh5nb6kkZeL4SrWI-RHYCua0f9SkpNlLYAH3pqUpkQ6mWtbiashxaTYkHymRORyw0IJkTaBVwF0a8HFUyEvPYLYG81tInuEB-a7_mA6NvxGBIGY8FXAm0NCvqpVCoAaKENd59cnHgPQnwnuMWl3ZdYAWjN1f87lsbN5n8dmqO/w640-h244/SNGV9543.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">No more working in pyjamas...lol!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7bxQEiePpdDfrn4G5QRS_MDxg7IcTSnqqaTuiQdCihoUT9r2pdj32B4RoR1VjF4ZWJyY1_LD-IGOIYwdwRI18HMtoYwM1wyKUj0unpYvfLD0EjgRAjmqBNpk6qhcUJAzENMELKHMM-mHl_tL9FWey9NLybLBe6oUpYccw3xlklmXNDGoAztxEzDtw/s4096/TYVD3078.JPG"><span style="color: black; font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7bxQEiePpdDfrn4G5QRS_MDxg7IcTSnqqaTuiQdCihoUT9r2pdj32B4RoR1VjF4ZWJyY1_LD-IGOIYwdwRI18HMtoYwM1wyKUj0unpYvfLD0EjgRAjmqBNpk6qhcUJAzENMELKHMM-mHl_tL9FWey9NLybLBe6oUpYccw3xlklmXNDGoAztxEzDtw/w640-h640/TYVD3078.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Went to Orion mall on our last evening in Bangalore. Not glad to be stuck in traffic for 30 min to travel 5 kms but was glad to have Nandos!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">21-25 November 2022: Training in Kolkata</span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></b></div></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4UjejBEhMU0yMe1VhR91QvPRScLCy46gZUx5Isc-2L3KQqxqQBmUUnnef8f2eguWImLl1vhCM-IzjkjMkSRDT5ieGaNMxRoaqs2aWqXf4nFCWp66tItKHN2VS2vgN4n8HiBBOfDRD2mG22APz8r0i8EKPdXanJvaWMmtcX8cZdeb0W3ZT3oQSyHdJ/s4096/ODHY4361.JPG"><span style="color: black; font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4UjejBEhMU0yMe1VhR91QvPRScLCy46gZUx5Isc-2L3KQqxqQBmUUnnef8f2eguWImLl1vhCM-IzjkjMkSRDT5ieGaNMxRoaqs2aWqXf4nFCWp66tItKHN2VS2vgN4n8HiBBOfDRD2mG22APz8r0i8EKPdXanJvaWMmtcX8cZdeb0W3ZT3oQSyHdJ/w640-h480/ODHY4361.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><span>Following the week-long training in Bangalore, we conducted another week-long training in Kolkata for team members located in the northern parts of the country. </span><span>A full office is a rare sight after Covid. </span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1OV0WNk6WbNWH8-l8qk4aKoD1325PVDSjYzBSmOAwyNBzq96qwSrBFi8VDsEXq6KpR2SdES9fmlMbjbLED8YQKLjrxYNNAFbY3gzNW0xSL-OZx4S3IgZb6OKw894zuA7QdShLYZethrKnlr1DzWlj0z2r-IUvZIrTZv75YhfX4h9ssK7ck33lTi1v/s4096/CEIC1400.JPG"><span style="color: black; font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1OV0WNk6WbNWH8-l8qk4aKoD1325PVDSjYzBSmOAwyNBzq96qwSrBFi8VDsEXq6KpR2SdES9fmlMbjbLED8YQKLjrxYNNAFbY3gzNW0xSL-OZx4S3IgZb6OKw894zuA7QdShLYZethrKnlr1DzWlj0z2r-IUvZIrTZv75YhfX4h9ssK7ck33lTi1v/w640-h480/CEIC1400.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Similar to Bangalore, this was the first time we brought a lot of team members together in Kolkata and it was the first time many of us met each other in person after working together for almost 2.5 years. As much as I enjoy working remotely, it was great to finally meet a lot of our team members in person and putting a face to the names we known for awhile now. =)</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVtPqj0_ThJk4RVT5_0a20Noe4F2Z-dquICfnD_pvagAuA92aA0KvPiVHKnFDmF_EE-gfCToJBaHLren7BwxKveIk9zrDD_CT_5EDLh-3CIQxgStBIcdKvtSfgOzgahZdO1rDlP8kiSQblqqA4M6JT11Q6GbKNBjqKWD2kEyAmLn7qx4UaBFyHSciH/s4096/BFRO7143.JPG"><span style="color: black; font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVtPqj0_ThJk4RVT5_0a20Noe4F2Z-dquICfnD_pvagAuA92aA0KvPiVHKnFDmF_EE-gfCToJBaHLren7BwxKveIk9zrDD_CT_5EDLh-3CIQxgStBIcdKvtSfgOzgahZdO1rDlP8kiSQblqqA4M6JT11Q6GbKNBjqKWD2kEyAmLn7qx4UaBFyHSciH/w640-h480/BFRO7143.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Team connectivity lunch at Tipsy Tiger.</span></div></div> <div class="blogger-post-footer">http://khaishing.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default</div>khaishing.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05154189313956844355noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3659547063209051949.post-75972452699646121412023-04-14T22:38:00.001-05:002023-04-14T22:43:56.760-05:00First Quarter of 2023<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;">After traveling almost non-stop for the last 7 months for both personal and work reasons, I've fallen behind on my blog updates and I've been busy playing catch up on all the backlogs (still not done). Anyway, all these travels meant that the pandemic is finally over and work travel has also resumed. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;">After spending 2 months in India training our team members in India, I volunteered to travel to Tampa again this past busy season for 5 weeks to support the secondees from India. The last time I traveled to Tampa was 3 years ago for similar purpose, so being back in Tampa again felt like deja vu. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;">Here's the photo dump of all things I did during the first quarter of 2023...</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><b>Work Travel to Tampa</b></span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC9RYJrv8g3zfAQSU3YiOJ5Q8hmhbMZqxfETht6UvBoSabM8hp_x4WbFw5dcxo1VkaiAg6FCILF88aadwzCYwYiyPY2QJG2Eu4lCHJ8rWMIkG9iHGutDu1sREAiwy-VcgKQKj-_0I7uzLnJpBAU8xSTE0lPAo0KunWMg7-Qf23bSXsWEipyLT4UYj-/s4096/CCHG6128.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC9RYJrv8g3zfAQSU3YiOJ5Q8hmhbMZqxfETht6UvBoSabM8hp_x4WbFw5dcxo1VkaiAg6FCILF88aadwzCYwYiyPY2QJG2Eu4lCHJ8rWMIkG9iHGutDu1sREAiwy-VcgKQKj-_0I7uzLnJpBAU8xSTE0lPAo0KunWMg7-Qf23bSXsWEipyLT4UYj-/w640-h640/CCHG6128.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs-1ANBh9RBkfJUJHZVmUMJrYx9PkFO2vtjxDXvAF70pLZHQbEN0Slwwj_z3dVm8up0RgMLr2OfVECuPj8UV5c1Mr5IcXSmNSKiPuv6nBGB01W2Scjbzvbj-4bBbOKPtDCqv31xsJMHH4u0QsVMV-C0x_KKe2bqm-ZJGFVn_PZxx01xi9OflowJ9hm/s4096/BLYA7263.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs-1ANBh9RBkfJUJHZVmUMJrYx9PkFO2vtjxDXvAF70pLZHQbEN0Slwwj_z3dVm8up0RgMLr2OfVECuPj8UV5c1Mr5IcXSmNSKiPuv6nBGB01W2Scjbzvbj-4bBbOKPtDCqv31xsJMHH4u0QsVMV-C0x_KKe2bqm-ZJGFVn_PZxx01xi9OflowJ9hm/w640-h640/BLYA7263.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;">Flew back and forth to Tampa, and got upgraded for to first class for a few flights, thanks to my American Airlines Platinum Pro status that I got as part of a status challenge. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv_I76vfmjNSZXx0TvHbiNpiFrqui12AF3k7K1Tk9-Hqf43lR4_DEDOZZfZ6T4RPrC4BXah_0jb4h3ikqVx-yWk3C8bz8Sth7zoPHsAxSXnTCvOTOSa5_aPTdxnmbi0PZsEVhRs8sM20I0yJom71i-DB2GUJdo_VSaKuY3bB0vTUspkUzGIjByvb50/s4096/MUXQ4799.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv_I76vfmjNSZXx0TvHbiNpiFrqui12AF3k7K1Tk9-Hqf43lR4_DEDOZZfZ6T4RPrC4BXah_0jb4h3ikqVx-yWk3C8bz8Sth7zoPHsAxSXnTCvOTOSa5_aPTdxnmbi0PZsEVhRs8sM20I0yJom71i-DB2GUJdo_VSaKuY3bB0vTUspkUzGIjByvb50/w640-h640/MUXQ4799.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAr_nAugLqxe7XsciqTZyl5S5VOah0wYq3pFn3qEUKsUTYO0583Ke9Y-IBfkpa4XbnF3rdYnhsvkDBY_dIKyvAAraS0z_fzhKDxmgfY-GIFszXFU0vhdogdvnQ6N7q_gz6DRSS_vAa-UfyyZRd0Y9HP4ddHZovvZOAGyH8MBu6HfCgkI1eTsdydSql/s4096/BEZD0344.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAr_nAugLqxe7XsciqTZyl5S5VOah0wYq3pFn3qEUKsUTYO0583Ke9Y-IBfkpa4XbnF3rdYnhsvkDBY_dIKyvAAraS0z_fzhKDxmgfY-GIFszXFU0vhdogdvnQ6N7q_gz6DRSS_vAa-UfyyZRd0Y9HP4ddHZovvZOAGyH8MBu6HfCgkI1eTsdydSql/w640-h640/BEZD0344.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;">Visited The Club lounge at Charlotte airport with my Priority Pass. The lounge is usually full and I only had time to visit twice coz the transit time for most of my flights were too short.</span></div><div><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNvl4c3XVSoSOpdbuCUNwLKjQG74_-eAo-ZVVbbcY7BCH4_5C-dE_i0SGSJB5GgPpzxc_6YOBR1UEGtAuoYyVHQHTOrG1MMmA-V_dNq9fVk7cXtZdh9V7D1T_CH2VQsZN_Iuor1YRisoXtM8K8WG-3D0EXtksgR9aufEZTilRmncx7mgmDsQ5IsvFS/s4096/NJVU9542.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNvl4c3XVSoSOpdbuCUNwLKjQG74_-eAo-ZVVbbcY7BCH4_5C-dE_i0SGSJB5GgPpzxc_6YOBR1UEGtAuoYyVHQHTOrG1MMmA-V_dNq9fVk7cXtZdh9V7D1T_CH2VQsZN_Iuor1YRisoXtM8K8WG-3D0EXtksgR9aufEZTilRmncx7mgmDsQ5IsvFS/w640-h640/NJVU9542.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;">It was good to be back in the Tampa office again after 3 years. Contrary to the last time I was here, the office was still very empty post-Covid. I don't mind coz there are plenty of seats to choose from and I don't have to wait to use the massage chair. =)</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-THumaWY-klkvZv9NDyVahxx81NYazVUkbCe5jy5Gqh1y-mPOIWlBy70GAE_Rc-u11RVUDeA7jxvheMgKYPGWrQRKTg4pY4TKYhDi3Wdl-rejDdPIKN9Y4pdIzktqkdWIBCifIkwkCHnP9c-stjO8HXwx8oEn2kXw08TZmTM3Xghs4_G1NsTQ47UZ/s4096/LSPB7700.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="845" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-THumaWY-klkvZv9NDyVahxx81NYazVUkbCe5jy5Gqh1y-mPOIWlBy70GAE_Rc-u11RVUDeA7jxvheMgKYPGWrQRKTg4pY4TKYhDi3Wdl-rejDdPIKN9Y4pdIzktqkdWIBCifIkwkCHnP9c-stjO8HXwx8oEn2kXw08TZmTM3Xghs4_G1NsTQ47UZ/w634-h845/LSPB7700.JPG" width="634" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;">Going to the office meant I had to dress up instead of just rocking my pajamas everyday...lol!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMB59uQlPrQG6pMQd4JfzmIGGLj5duv3TKIcTz3wH5euOe7P9dA4XVDZXFU5oCylha-iSlq4GQTMWL4xSzZdJVeTA04w0JWZCFK5zKCEQwCoCeX8SJJZhY39SgUTwRKolKmFGtuDk3VcrAifZ3JEBQCjoyzX2ptMtixeuq_TYE6S83kAIkcRvA626G/s4096/QHSC1674.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMB59uQlPrQG6pMQd4JfzmIGGLj5duv3TKIcTz3wH5euOe7P9dA4XVDZXFU5oCylha-iSlq4GQTMWL4xSzZdJVeTA04w0JWZCFK5zKCEQwCoCeX8SJJZhY39SgUTwRKolKmFGtuDk3VcrAifZ3JEBQCjoyzX2ptMtixeuq_TYE6S83kAIkcRvA626G/w640-h640/QHSC1674.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKNue4T4GxLWTLgs6sVuGuuHRDiQqkHhhiOINgv-l9esXE-KBCMk4__HGT0viwSLqKGqS5PSqCUmGGVOI1o8sRhKhUd5xSPn4iF5ITXFDR9RJ4oJ49vIj9n3C_jd1dLI75wCN8gWYVweZS7-Nq_DBGSvZ91lSLcJCbbE5Xh0OWJ0zUFWYUp5R-lzXi/s4096/XILE3025.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="843" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKNue4T4GxLWTLgs6sVuGuuHRDiQqkHhhiOINgv-l9esXE-KBCMk4__HGT0viwSLqKGqS5PSqCUmGGVOI1o8sRhKhUd5xSPn4iF5ITXFDR9RJ4oJ49vIj9n3C_jd1dLI75wCN8gWYVweZS7-Nq_DBGSvZ91lSLcJCbbE5Xh0OWJ0zUFWYUp5R-lzXi/w633-h843/XILE3025.JPG" width="633" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;">Feb 28 (Tues): Had dinner with the leadership team and secondees from India and South Africa at Fleming's Steakhouse.</span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjznapm7SuXtPBrBND4yADafATZtJSb1230dfGYQB0LANTBowXcS-58TMdulfRikEfumc1QApAkOtTlX15JxlsacP6ADQe1B1yPWzTsKFj8uYZUvh9XyR2Vpf8adb2HiG9HXveUqLOhvT9-TVNpWqaP4LLeGw3qrrSH2OJD4F0ZLuymdYR6H6Xm-rY7/s4096/BGBH8640.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjznapm7SuXtPBrBND4yADafATZtJSb1230dfGYQB0LANTBowXcS-58TMdulfRikEfumc1QApAkOtTlX15JxlsacP6ADQe1B1yPWzTsKFj8uYZUvh9XyR2Vpf8adb2HiG9HXveUqLOhvT9-TVNpWqaP4LLeGw3qrrSH2OJD4F0ZLuymdYR6H6Xm-rY7/w640-h640/BGBH8640.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9A0BHiM8iQ_dDouNokPffsa8XbAz2t9yn71906NbvU4iz-mm7NVO0jOrS28ABydLMyJGJMwuHJeEc5g7e5VQ6ySbdlPHxs7V5bqjEJwXvacePMhsWzxq0OgJTsW06jRmocA0aSISfSST3Bh5UVbTJFMoBAUKGf_wfD4vEkqzVvD0h2bPdvttuAlVc/s4096/PTVY2295.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9A0BHiM8iQ_dDouNokPffsa8XbAz2t9yn71906NbvU4iz-mm7NVO0jOrS28ABydLMyJGJMwuHJeEc5g7e5VQ6ySbdlPHxs7V5bqjEJwXvacePMhsWzxq0OgJTsW06jRmocA0aSISfSST3Bh5UVbTJFMoBAUKGf_wfD4vEkqzVvD0h2bPdvttuAlVc/w640-h480/PTVY2295.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX9t1q4W-tB3K5naWMWBfuNRHlL5a1bShMvkH4LCKrfQRZEIvmQBrKeLO2TV9k0eycN4uhqjl9qSX1hpkrhOqvPmm-enCoUCtIkVBK5gGlUvwlswNC57awgeMWdvkqy3w_Ns33_68zOEwnVZKFApf1W4NjGjTGSLyvrLkUT7yC1n_HoSf9wxEZ7234/s4096/KRSP3198.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" 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/></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;">Stayed mostly at Marriott Westshore hotel but hotel-hopped for 3 nights to Hilton Westshore, Hotel Alba, and Embassy Suites at USF to retain my Hilton Diamond status.</span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4adsZxQrqJ6vjZg5QWjxMqRXoowvcX7JnbwUQmyEY_Dshd65SCjb22k2Fh4V2500M8utc8bcT_Ao-V5LU1-zTA41iv8Ln9ZiAOFrHU_6pzo_IffPAwANOLg69qpaptzleerlNfFUhMnD6zJpFv0zdDtLA06DstI3By4oHRQTAFJLE8Lsc5QF7xBLO/s4096/IISB5779.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="640" 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style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;">Found out that one of my favorite sushi restaurant in Tampa had closed permanently during Covid but good to see that this Korean restaurant is still in business. Went there at least once a week and consistently ordered the kimchi sundubu soup. =)</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbt9jWw-v-pHqvXYULqNzrAKe85oQAfA46fwk4s6UgGPnS-m5KcGwORG5OLcQwYoigQXy9GWWNX_Bo8RmAsURym0qkYjdKWs9jbh4dONlOZwbgJDugEPf_Io_a2KKQ6emCWARWRIulRgXsPA6zSMi_0Wh0P8WJp9OZjtp8gjfGn1EiHKpZMHSjInRv/s4096/CMJM1584.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbt9jWw-v-pHqvXYULqNzrAKe85oQAfA46fwk4s6UgGPnS-m5KcGwORG5OLcQwYoigQXy9GWWNX_Bo8RmAsURym0qkYjdKWs9jbh4dONlOZwbgJDugEPf_Io_a2KKQ6emCWARWRIulRgXsPA6zSMi_0Wh0P8WJp9OZjtp8gjfGn1EiHKpZMHSjInRv/w640-h640/CMJM1584.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqGUOTyVVxMKuKSoKM0Rz-YeN4OqQEYsHS15Epd97jVE8n9fNiAaaUyOLKAjaf1Ou5OlU5cFNetmiHOowdWvEige2QximBQwxcf204HGd7Z-4kn51HOZJG-Zq7i3_4Bg6EKXn-jSzr2KZthvX2klC-EEc_BlsqBFHzIjODw5DS6pgeFheEs4RwjNjM/s4096/GBGK3503.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqGUOTyVVxMKuKSoKM0Rz-YeN4OqQEYsHS15Epd97jVE8n9fNiAaaUyOLKAjaf1Ou5OlU5cFNetmiHOowdWvEige2QximBQwxcf204HGd7Z-4kn51HOZJG-Zq7i3_4Bg6EKXn-jSzr2KZthvX2klC-EEc_BlsqBFHzIjODw5DS6pgeFheEs4RwjNjM/w640-h480/GBGK3503.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;">Ordered room service for most nights as and ate out a few times.</span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilrYIkJDob2d1ca81RsoWlBLd-GP5kP3p_H_WfOZgv9JmkbGkWypUNfIpcVBz61P2zYzzqM-cnYMkZK0ypJKXOCD9i_p4yAmmIHRGn9Huyrklu3VE1mk6qdQl3EYVUsnqzXuLEXUtgxSIXximgEzaw6AuH6PmwTgOValXH5UJsTrYw_tX3i7AChOxh/s4096/XUJJ8217.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilrYIkJDob2d1ca81RsoWlBLd-GP5kP3p_H_WfOZgv9JmkbGkWypUNfIpcVBz61P2zYzzqM-cnYMkZK0ypJKXOCD9i_p4yAmmIHRGn9Huyrklu3VE1mk6qdQl3EYVUsnqzXuLEXUtgxSIXximgEzaw6AuH6PmwTgOValXH5UJsTrYw_tX3i7AChOxh/s320/XUJJ8217.JPG" /></span></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7Vd0wYdHzm3-70p_tiBOE18heu5L8zCbHVq016c_BMifu0hKw58INPHRWZ1WAYnp8CW9Svz-tiGx6FOxAST3YAu8NdC58SuGn4Xlwqu4eX5Y-wu9ARRNctopmEV35wsg8rtM5YGWZTTMfnJA2Rr7HMdnCGkX-t3Vh15UfLC1cWPi97NvsYYhiR7FB/s4096/XMVZ9474.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" 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href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbFkanC-H8bHTh5J6eI4x8WMEhJ9490O8xkLT6M3Sa-FN51qzSEVQZaQV8EcrEj0vLZ-e6_iMjhPMWE4Kfm3rvYVZNgNRq5lls3gXfgzj58tN4piSDa4u4-VoWvxrzf3I1gbucesxedBCUVf8WTCiRmMRcHpHujO1XxEdy6mhk5VKG2qKzGMWmKtSN/s4096/KNYH9705.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbFkanC-H8bHTh5J6eI4x8WMEhJ9490O8xkLT6M3Sa-FN51qzSEVQZaQV8EcrEj0vLZ-e6_iMjhPMWE4Kfm3rvYVZNgNRq5lls3gXfgzj58tN4piSDa4u4-VoWvxrzf3I1gbucesxedBCUVf8WTCiRmMRcHpHujO1XxEdy6mhk5VKG2qKzGMWmKtSN/s320/KNYH9705.JPG" /></span></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMXy18pjsNoOlmU8QNJGp8Sq3Wb2ZYpXIWq4Ev7thHevp1zV4kNQC7ula_JBEhMqxJOAFOJZpIPm5u9gv2eM2lHcQQEtCEbmwjOw9ypmvrT-4QTU1m95c6cxQfcrAWPrnjV0OwqZQCRbPZxP5XCBzAfv9J6kbnbBXQ53zMpQ6YM80PkORtHyVo8ftG/s4096/KLLX7144.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMXy18pjsNoOlmU8QNJGp8Sq3Wb2ZYpXIWq4Ev7thHevp1zV4kNQC7ula_JBEhMqxJOAFOJZpIPm5u9gv2eM2lHcQQEtCEbmwjOw9ypmvrT-4QTU1m95c6cxQfcrAWPrnjV0OwqZQCRbPZxP5XCBzAfv9J6kbnbBXQ53zMpQ6YM80PkORtHyVo8ftG/s320/KLLX7144.JPG" /></span></a></div><div><div><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;">Had my random-rental-car fun 'test-driving' different cars from Avis and National...Volkswagen Taos, Volkswagen Tiguan, Volkwagen Passat, Jeep Renegade, Honda CRV, Mazda CX-9, Cadillac XT4, Cadillac XT5, Hyundai Santa Fe, Hyundai Tucson, </span><span style="font-family: "Source Sans Pro";">Toyota RAV4, Toyota Corolla, Toyota Cross, Ford Explorer Limited, Chevrolet Traverse, and Chevrolet Camaro. =P</span></div></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUswoTEx1kAeGF769OWoBfNksSnmCmvzWKw0IDF6wfYlpOAPegg2ozT1b4kD1Q1ybT9oTnKx-Mswf8HXNnjXssJjcke_1_rk7nbpjBuXsEv2A1fvM2V95eRizEAtG6EEqudtjzbz1l1AHTwAVkFRZlwPYVmXS0xCyPejBctQLZFb0QRxyzVxWvQfay/s4096/XZZB5822.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUswoTEx1kAeGF769OWoBfNksSnmCmvzWKw0IDF6wfYlpOAPegg2ozT1b4kD1Q1ybT9oTnKx-Mswf8HXNnjXssJjcke_1_rk7nbpjBuXsEv2A1fvM2V95eRizEAtG6EEqudtjzbz1l1AHTwAVkFRZlwPYVmXS0xCyPejBctQLZFb0QRxyzVxWvQfay/w480-h640/XZZB5822.JPG" width="480" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;">Feb 12 (Sun): Took the secondees to Tampa Premium Outlet for shopping and had Indian food for dinner at Curry Leaves.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><b>Work Goodies</b></span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn1vs-8ZBd98TsCbHiEfsvZrkqH1CGSBJMYAsEy5fuDoLdvUe3g-WfHMLJrBcUxD5ovlpYZDBBrMZ5QRy3kPwmWvHpQZCILx3kHsj27lqw-G4fhAXcJPTtohkDhenwW7pl-LYry6Y9VoeUpIAy0Y___OiZjtiYad0bvL7HO7Z9_H_LwzqvCd42OuyU/s4096/SBYB8517.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn1vs-8ZBd98TsCbHiEfsvZrkqH1CGSBJMYAsEy5fuDoLdvUe3g-WfHMLJrBcUxD5ovlpYZDBBrMZ5QRy3kPwmWvHpQZCILx3kHsj27lqw-G4fhAXcJPTtohkDhenwW7pl-LYry6Y9VoeUpIAy0Y___OiZjtiYad0bvL7HO7Z9_H_LwzqvCd42OuyU/w640-h640/SBYB8517.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSXQGbn4aobvUOELgLTSNsBLDLVgk-7_vokuIa8jU-7svz_URyciOS__VWWQsdpy_K3JgZWRpNb6RuZwGj-W6fALpPZs9kM5KbfhYXXM3cx9Vyv9yVsa5VIBD9A6OJsnU3ELRURKy_hdURoxEP3p2nfbENGANk-FAANUW-HAUmwGWVAs6rcnnsTqVF/s4096/UXDP2912.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="845" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSXQGbn4aobvUOELgLTSNsBLDLVgk-7_vokuIa8jU-7svz_URyciOS__VWWQsdpy_K3JgZWRpNb6RuZwGj-W6fALpPZs9kM5KbfhYXXM3cx9Vyv9yVsa5VIBD9A6OJsnU3ELRURKy_hdURoxEP3p2nfbENGANk-FAANUW-HAUmwGWVAs6rcnnsTqVF/w634-h845/UXDP2912.JPG" width="634" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinQWR4DnW6ZL-78N3KKHNIoyrV8NzXevenMbSnS7U-Y_pJXBAM4DEdSJm4BNCAKPrQeaDvazfn2_464_WryrtcpkamTRajpz4qNpUeeuUFsa9NA9QoUZx-Zdo0Wx1ioh8iZZZzQbnvQwIpAEFtAOjxjvTvS6ZAC7O1GFikLofTPcoe88f8oKZzLBY1/s4096/LPIO6597.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="845" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinQWR4DnW6ZL-78N3KKHNIoyrV8NzXevenMbSnS7U-Y_pJXBAM4DEdSJm4BNCAKPrQeaDvazfn2_464_WryrtcpkamTRajpz4qNpUeeuUFsa9NA9QoUZx-Zdo0Wx1ioh8iZZZzQbnvQwIpAEFtAOjxjvTvS6ZAC7O1GFikLofTPcoe88f8oKZzLBY1/w634-h845/LPIO6597.JPG" width="634" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><div><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;">Busy season and Post-busy season goodies</span></div></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHccYzgk21VK7loASf8qcmcQPlxy25mJUdh5DlkRU1Op49XXQ8k1D8qxafwMpNGHK1_0CtzVQSmk84o3i49SaTmabp8NncPRr97y1ESnATUTSZBkdq5p7J-U71AScVKM_lhlGEV46Z2r74lhF8AvP_qlyXR40I_7l0inU9_d9suSWa5VTeOzgqZYeg/s4096/RISR8062.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHccYzgk21VK7loASf8qcmcQPlxy25mJUdh5DlkRU1Op49XXQ8k1D8qxafwMpNGHK1_0CtzVQSmk84o3i49SaTmabp8NncPRr97y1ESnATUTSZBkdq5p7J-U71AScVKM_lhlGEV46Z2r74lhF8AvP_qlyXR40I_7l0inU9_d9suSWa5VTeOzgqZYeg/w640-h480/RISR8062.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;">Got United Premier Platinum status for the year thanks to the company's fast track program for United. =)</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><b>Family Time</b></span></div></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkLH1yAfAkIngLwdzwXHfJDY4cQnnhHt6quXuwPekK_CJgR_7TjLuWdiZvCGeNejYgCRRQoZvKQCCYt_LhsXGkXQfViAxZP8DZCTdaPjSDS8OyuJiE2Rh8I2WhfOpadASO4fm0S2vaTUx99W1noGvvjWQHwrLVxtufuJg713cETMl2LSemqJezNp2p/s4096/HDYX1715.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="858" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkLH1yAfAkIngLwdzwXHfJDY4cQnnhHt6quXuwPekK_CJgR_7TjLuWdiZvCGeNejYgCRRQoZvKQCCYt_LhsXGkXQfViAxZP8DZCTdaPjSDS8OyuJiE2Rh8I2WhfOpadASO4fm0S2vaTUx99W1noGvvjWQHwrLVxtufuJg713cETMl2LSemqJezNp2p/w644-h858/HDYX1715.JPG" width="644" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvTvYZubQHwaeDTjqH9J-v94ryZcSit3mok08Q8gXEIbxXQXDvPxeGGZiUB8BN5vDoTMLXF1yAO3CEDi_xZGX_D0ymH1kP3W5USe7FsptOBX5s1y_bfAkpOljVsWRZGy_z2O-Za2VwtQSVuexlEd-Lo5dFmO9ksI9nPU4RMkf43FPtZHdmGIHvk83t/s4096/IVNB4160.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="853" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvTvYZubQHwaeDTjqH9J-v94ryZcSit3mok08Q8gXEIbxXQXDvPxeGGZiUB8BN5vDoTMLXF1yAO3CEDi_xZGX_D0ymH1kP3W5USe7FsptOBX5s1y_bfAkpOljVsWRZGy_z2O-Za2VwtQSVuexlEd-Lo5dFmO9ksI9nPU4RMkf43FPtZHdmGIHvk83t/w640-h853/IVNB4160.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8vBMPGvkDexY5nS6mNvFb3AFNxcdQ0wmaodeJyFGq0YySXuwt0b6ESniIa8rDJTUBiEcttjmlSCQjtgt_VQni00JcAwdr_CJTL_wxtaj1ZTxHBgxdCkBnXpzJ4fReECIK_z8d1Ym2Ls2Vvlc9RDW4Etwjjs1KUrMlKlGueVeP_2FKJlr6vCj9-4Km/s4096/WXQE6887.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8vBMPGvkDexY5nS6mNvFb3AFNxcdQ0wmaodeJyFGq0YySXuwt0b6ESniIa8rDJTUBiEcttjmlSCQjtgt_VQni00JcAwdr_CJTL_wxtaj1ZTxHBgxdCkBnXpzJ4fReECIK_z8d1Ym2Ls2Vvlc9RDW4Etwjjs1KUrMlKlGueVeP_2FKJlr6vCj9-4Km/w640-h640/WXQE6887.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3HQoCGbG0QzkTJG7AX17HOgkHqKsJeiWNXx2gYdxyhDds4LWTTTStcUthYZb9N29XqrXa3rRjmHBn8AsZu0tkrxo0Nsj8ZwPppaWkZU5MsHYpCMma3hy9B-VRIR3UngXrKF9aVOGmfae-Xw-iqWzQlzX79bqtaCjpO2ORIZniFo2r1-KiQwJC_Oal/s4096/MYSE7208.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3HQoCGbG0QzkTJG7AX17HOgkHqKsJeiWNXx2gYdxyhDds4LWTTTStcUthYZb9N29XqrXa3rRjmHBn8AsZu0tkrxo0Nsj8ZwPppaWkZU5MsHYpCMma3hy9B-VRIR3UngXrKF9aVOGmfae-Xw-iqWzQlzX79bqtaCjpO2ORIZniFo2r1-KiQwJC_Oal/w640-h640/MYSE7208.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU0nFMwSxCuBiuvb-2y3l3d6COfwmdVgBbrNKPkbhVG8e7ID7lzmoTZ3rBWBHSpJU9XhMkYnmTgNANtkw4gYUV6HvtX7MGjWaWY3_3qNh2zHTKlFIA8UBuTJPOkRAgGh6mnysdgphxKT2xaqAMgTpw-hghbK5S0LMnxbiVxRbw_04W9GSJhC7ug7AX/s4096/JQJD2549.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="848" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU0nFMwSxCuBiuvb-2y3l3d6COfwmdVgBbrNKPkbhVG8e7ID7lzmoTZ3rBWBHSpJU9XhMkYnmTgNANtkw4gYUV6HvtX7MGjWaWY3_3qNh2zHTKlFIA8UBuTJPOkRAgGh6mnysdgphxKT2xaqAMgTpw-hghbK5S0LMnxbiVxRbw_04W9GSJhC7ug7AX/w636-h848/JQJD2549.JPG" width="636" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;">Jan 14 (Sat): Thanks to the family for waiting for me to return to celebrate our belated Christmas.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy-YISei4kTwEyGx9cbVcxHYlAkL9frhA02uxrDfyAWtJ0AI_L9bSEt4SWmDL_yPta3X8vl8AFnbznBBTQz_4QAkTtlXMb9qnTQOMSXML2lHFLZkbgw-GnTeoU7-jo0Vaowt4s5TIZXlcanx1MrZYqAGlI_m4MNUKqggWJqoSOdf3FsuNjJJVUcBho/s4096/VUZN8242.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy-YISei4kTwEyGx9cbVcxHYlAkL9frhA02uxrDfyAWtJ0AI_L9bSEt4SWmDL_yPta3X8vl8AFnbznBBTQz_4QAkTtlXMb9qnTQOMSXML2lHFLZkbgw-GnTeoU7-jo0Vaowt4s5TIZXlcanx1MrZYqAGlI_m4MNUKqggWJqoSOdf3FsuNjJJVUcBho/w640-h480/VUZN8242.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtNOfXAJ2cxmoECtRYos36ONg40zfm7Zom1X2ibJBX2IbG4GlY_Ul0SBGx6Bv_7lfE6j1yftr8aKWMeH1efHhGVxEdnAFayHxkxew6ky7294foO7GrRjVwNlCqyvCGYb-l5WdnRR9bOsh_MoVNYjSLkFEB0wBFV9eH8nI8W9LauMY8J_lZOwKL-KSD/w640-h640/ERKU5136.JPG" width="640" /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;">Jan 21 (Sat): Virtual CNY Reunion dinner with the family in Malaysia</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3wrlb2pqGtQwrfkLQDkRcg34Sn-ot7jmwx-sywiZLaq5IDOA-uC2aMWJoSmOQBz5WOvQVcbPRD16HnM-3Q8B7I-FoknV81HsGW9RFH3mmSbV5d0ywAJrrpmf1Oc0qEDK8_hz7-SOPqmYjYAIdb7P9eK8D682jIc4Vw0-EQTVnSc9HeC61axFuFrjl/s4096/CPGI6251.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3wrlb2pqGtQwrfkLQDkRcg34Sn-ot7jmwx-sywiZLaq5IDOA-uC2aMWJoSmOQBz5WOvQVcbPRD16HnM-3Q8B7I-FoknV81HsGW9RFH3mmSbV5d0ywAJrrpmf1Oc0qEDK8_hz7-SOPqmYjYAIdb7P9eK8D682jIc4Vw0-EQTVnSc9HeC61axFuFrjl/w640-h640/CPGI6251.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;">Mar 5 (Sun): Celebrated SIL's birthday</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqt30af-QUfR3JdfRGs95Lb-ktU2Dm8VgCkQ4zT1Ub98HrUo1KMsvoPGI6j9uV0cc3z5WnzxyQHwfBbQnEoXbJYs9BOQXJ2IUh5DxieLplSpu3AKEmCv19gGrobp2lng-Sv8fJneiNeU7YQrb3Vr_giUVPMtEeJDiMTF6JfqHq6pQ-isbpJt3B_yZp/s4096/RKWI7523.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="849" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqt30af-QUfR3JdfRGs95Lb-ktU2Dm8VgCkQ4zT1Ub98HrUo1KMsvoPGI6j9uV0cc3z5WnzxyQHwfBbQnEoXbJYs9BOQXJ2IUh5DxieLplSpu3AKEmCv19gGrobp2lng-Sv8fJneiNeU7YQrb3Vr_giUVPMtEeJDiMTF6JfqHq6pQ-isbpJt3B_yZp/w636-h849/RKWI7523.JPG" width="636" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;">Apr 8 (Sat): Early birthday celebration for the nephew as we won't be in town during his birthday</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><b>Ordinary Days </b></span></div></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBYDf1kptuExxAi64Gb-NY7-Ityt2N1QdseMI5wrhMKwMCN9B4aisEevSlNDk6u5d8SHGNJlM-HrEhP4DlLnnjqGGxoTZJ514vrcpAZsAKuxqPy_h3BG_q-ewvpEFok_xiuwf1BB2R0ekG2uXiGAgv8dFO3JTjNoZJeJKGRztN6ZRSBfbgph9hr_g6/s4096/NSCE9752.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBYDf1kptuExxAi64Gb-NY7-Ityt2N1QdseMI5wrhMKwMCN9B4aisEevSlNDk6u5d8SHGNJlM-HrEhP4DlLnnjqGGxoTZJ514vrcpAZsAKuxqPy_h3BG_q-ewvpEFok_xiuwf1BB2R0ekG2uXiGAgv8dFO3JTjNoZJeJKGRztN6ZRSBfbgph9hr_g6/w640-h640/NSCE9752.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;">Experimented with this 'survival' stove hubby got as his Christmas gift and successfully made hamburgers. =P</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmLEnGKNQvCCNKygx9ecS4uH-8zbEZ1PLcldKvCWA0pr8RSx7nCFQlhJ6HmfMjOxM90gov5yZJ2rHRjBQ-E9bUkyrBnXZmmSz2wz4o4lT9-DUe1oADOORYGSTt9XsPlc6_9nNlM3JNUNiUthQw9WCTZrefhcJrTvWe0GpUKsHfFZy_B3fujJRP6-ae/s4096/YIPD4193.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmLEnGKNQvCCNKygx9ecS4uH-8zbEZ1PLcldKvCWA0pr8RSx7nCFQlhJ6HmfMjOxM90gov5yZJ2rHRjBQ-E9bUkyrBnXZmmSz2wz4o4lT9-DUe1oADOORYGSTt9XsPlc6_9nNlM3JNUNiUthQw9WCTZrefhcJrTvWe0GpUKsHfFZy_B3fujJRP6-ae/w640-h640/YIPD4193.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div><div><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;">Introduced hubby to Somaek (soju+beer) and he enjoyed it....and the outcome is a good sleep...haha!</span></div></div><div><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div><div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><b>Sunday Meal Prep Routine</b></span></div></div></div><div><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOLwKMhE5d53poL9SRG-8XqpI1Zu6h_xG3nz2QJHUre54XWJfFjPXWuquAaRSorkbDXAn-_ZBbC4X31nnmAmJbfvQjx8KzZngNQj8CZxMdChOESDxDcuiSmMD1B6K_DyzTXJaxhHNKxPjOdFNjfblJflGUjRpcs3jVwFHTdmeaAe_V9cItJJBH9s5-/s1280/IMG_8838.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOLwKMhE5d53poL9SRG-8XqpI1Zu6h_xG3nz2QJHUre54XWJfFjPXWuquAaRSorkbDXAn-_ZBbC4X31nnmAmJbfvQjx8KzZngNQj8CZxMdChOESDxDcuiSmMD1B6K_DyzTXJaxhHNKxPjOdFNjfblJflGUjRpcs3jVwFHTdmeaAe_V9cItJJBH9s5-/w640-h640/IMG_8838.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRxZuYoj5Ld5LrFRmWptye0ymOif3B4JIY8aos42YH19hzFwW__u0NtD86yDrtfGCCikMHvJY_w8IPl4kOyJzdBx2m0Oq4h0DbjUDTczg6bxs62HLyfDn_BpXBhO0zElmQ8oRBQ53NkVpuNoyUJD8f2NhGzh7RuYfzYBLVz5Mu6-LAu3_CiyhZqytM/s1280/IMG_8839.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRxZuYoj5Ld5LrFRmWptye0ymOif3B4JIY8aos42YH19hzFwW__u0NtD86yDrtfGCCikMHvJY_w8IPl4kOyJzdBx2m0Oq4h0DbjUDTczg6bxs62HLyfDn_BpXBhO0zElmQ8oRBQ53NkVpuNoyUJD8f2NhGzh7RuYfzYBLVz5Mu6-LAu3_CiyhZqytM/w640-h640/IMG_8839.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;">Jan 8, 15, 21 & 29: Chicken herbal soup, tomato chicken, LuRouFan, brocolli and carrot salad, pork loin, jambalaya rice with meatballs, mash potatoes.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8sQSCObr8_A1tTxPzyMPT6einGO4jLdpn0qQCkL3rn1jTKJ9d_gtFcw0TeXk5pRmmK0Ju37L5l06SesfKRbJdWMGG40jaZAnevchD2N60sp6NJbTxMP9XipUWFjn2RYiM8nIpeyH6vZkDytPBBIJGWq-ChYDVK2hrtAPboR2z1hBtlh6TMihAHy_5/s1280/IMG_8840.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8sQSCObr8_A1tTxPzyMPT6einGO4jLdpn0qQCkL3rn1jTKJ9d_gtFcw0TeXk5pRmmK0Ju37L5l06SesfKRbJdWMGG40jaZAnevchD2N60sp6NJbTxMP9XipUWFjn2RYiM8nIpeyH6vZkDytPBBIJGWq-ChYDVK2hrtAPboR2z1hBtlh6TMihAHy_5/w640-h640/IMG_8840.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM8zSqYBO5hlYekQ9Y1L8YMkmnrARJgp8jajQ_UFUZOiFDP29yJjsWJbIXA1ddfTfJnCEUtSQoUTkmbqKEosswxM_adcQyDL0NIi4mGIHLjb3nc-N20TCKN7F2sPjKf_2HnCGMWDu5lCjmxToR1ngyiVBZwjCeG6np573ylPIO6A__e-mVqws4Sbji/s1280/IMG_8841.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM8zSqYBO5hlYekQ9Y1L8YMkmnrARJgp8jajQ_UFUZOiFDP29yJjsWJbIXA1ddfTfJnCEUtSQoUTkmbqKEosswxM_adcQyDL0NIi4mGIHLjb3nc-N20TCKN7F2sPjKf_2HnCGMWDu5lCjmxToR1ngyiVBZwjCeG6np573ylPIO6A__e-mVqws4Sbji/w640-h640/IMG_8841.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;">Feb 5, 19, 26 and Mar 5: Beef chili, c</span><span style="font-family: "Source Sans Pro";">hicken herbal soup, LuRouFan, brocolli and carrot salad, pork loin, mash potatoes, tomyum noodle soup with vegetable and mussels, ham with baked beans.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><br /></span></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHYLqAgX6Bo_qVNPd6F_nikQFlACceHC7Xp5qvvxKZ6H2JPwxBp402-I1LgT2jW7krRxoUZdnhSOSrLaKlWX_thgJPeUSjhlZqD1NPuQpKr4mnISafNwyJJHasI5b6rBrTdXh4hPEoOrgTNJWGGpOR2207ergstkVnx-jzt-pBNm6sh5BlDw0Y5YhE/s1280/IMG_8843.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHYLqAgX6Bo_qVNPd6F_nikQFlACceHC7Xp5qvvxKZ6H2JPwxBp402-I1LgT2jW7krRxoUZdnhSOSrLaKlWX_thgJPeUSjhlZqD1NPuQpKr4mnISafNwyJJHasI5b6rBrTdXh4hPEoOrgTNJWGGpOR2207ergstkVnx-jzt-pBNm6sh5BlDw0Y5YhE/w640-h640/IMG_8843.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijmOOUNqzag2029XxDZoBvh4tj8hQan1NCg_EWERh9qR7S374SR5SFT2l3x8BJa1YbQGHWRqfxIG-zCmawU0V5H5SASzYEQwVIN__VWY6jV8UEoh-UEfSoGeOLLcK26WlaQ7vhqNEYxI-3ZOnzGyCkJncj6btot7MAsWCEyJJyy3bYgEJllQozzmET/s1280/IMG_8842.JPG"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijmOOUNqzag2029XxDZoBvh4tj8hQan1NCg_EWERh9qR7S374SR5SFT2l3x8BJa1YbQGHWRqfxIG-zCmawU0V5H5SASzYEQwVIN__VWY6jV8UEoh-UEfSoGeOLLcK26WlaQ7vhqNEYxI-3ZOnzGyCkJncj6btot7MAsWCEyJJyy3bYgEJllQozzmET/w640-h640/IMG_8842.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Source Sans Pro;">Mar 12, 19, 26 and Apr 2: Gumbo rice with sausage, pork loin with mash potatoes, tomyum soup with vegetables and mussels, hamburger meat with mash potatoes,</span><span style="font-family: "Source Sans Pro";"> brocolli and carrot salad.</span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://khaishing.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default</div>khaishing.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05154189313956844355noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3659547063209051949.post-41685288051668090872023-04-12T03:37:00.006-05:002023-04-12T03:55:12.918-05:00India Work Trip 2022 ✈ Taj Mahal<div style="text-align: justify;"><div><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><i>In the last 2 months of 2022, I was given the opportunity to travel to India for a work secondment. I signed up to travel to India without any expectations, but the entire experienced turned out way better than I expected, all thanks to the warm hospitality I received throughout my stay in Kolkata.</i></span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/KN65fGnGOV0" title="YouTube video player" width="640"></iframe></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><b>18 November 2022 (Fri): Bangalore - New Delhi</b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">After wrapping up my week-long work trip in Bangalore, I made a detour to New Delhi & Taj Mahal for a short weekend trip to before heading back to Kolkata. Taj Mahal had been on my list of places to visit on this India work trip so I am very grateful that my co-worker graciously offered to take me from Delhi to Taj Mahal and be my 'tour guide'. =)</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin5dQZpngprY00J3q4WUwV9mO5Bw-kXLySpFxKPQC9wAO8kXDOfVVE_qIW_KV8T27g89GWChpgMA-UupRTy5ZdNnu2eEVwniCT73QhPokCa0EjgrtQwaygqUifgEbVOkaEjZ9REjENmqVvxIA_age3-BaAt8mebyDZFqVzxhfKrlJ4B88PbcCG8IEq/s4096/WRYL9461.JPG"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin5dQZpngprY00J3q4WUwV9mO5Bw-kXLySpFxKPQC9wAO8kXDOfVVE_qIW_KV8T27g89GWChpgMA-UupRTy5ZdNnu2eEVwniCT73QhPokCa0EjgrtQwaygqUifgEbVOkaEjZ9REjENmqVvxIA_age3-BaAt8mebyDZFqVzxhfKrlJ4B88PbcCG8IEq/w640-h640/WRYL9461.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div> <div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMUDXHgzoaPmwM8nCyeut2EHUoTa91qgt60AyoPMHgySJ-siP_px_9Dds17recWJGbcYWVgEiYlJgIyOCoJpFLOmBrzLnzBIsp57KRj-it4kNfTpe787q1UB6-LFuzcU2pXIjcx2IUrA39ht0cfvRyuH2E8to1IDg6UxIamjapT_JZqP94WroqFbVM/s4096/ADXV8117.JPG"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMUDXHgzoaPmwM8nCyeut2EHUoTa91qgt60AyoPMHgySJ-siP_px_9Dds17recWJGbcYWVgEiYlJgIyOCoJpFLOmBrzLnzBIsp57KRj-it4kNfTpe787q1UB6-LFuzcU2pXIjcx2IUrA39ht0cfvRyuH2E8to1IDg6UxIamjapT_JZqP94WroqFbVM/w640-h640/ADXV8117.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">Arrived Bangalore airport around 2pm with plenty of time before my 5.10pm flight. Visited the 080 Domestic Lounge with my Priority Pass. There are 2 similar lounges in the airport and I noticed that one side of the lounge is for India bank card holders, and this side of the lounge for Priority Pass seemed to be a bit more 'exclusive' with less crowd.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIEpg829xzuyUSv-jBw7MTdKz0iYS_YAfEVquz6JqlYbRbImmBsCiKtSUBu_pgkdQsIxlwEeQfnsjL-yxo05Bdx-zSuKt6hzqK7rpLAQEd9wduo9UxxW4SZENAAwBu9soSRomxfdPlFaUxNa1Du_CKWJAueIvp8AImfXW34Fmf7JvWNQ_yMz4Ohotg/s4096/HRGA2692.JPG"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIEpg829xzuyUSv-jBw7MTdKz0iYS_YAfEVquz6JqlYbRbImmBsCiKtSUBu_pgkdQsIxlwEeQfnsjL-yxo05Bdx-zSuKt6hzqK7rpLAQEd9wduo9UxxW4SZENAAwBu9soSRomxfdPlFaUxNa1Du_CKWJAueIvp8AImfXW34Fmf7JvWNQ_yMz4Ohotg/w640-h480/HRGA2692.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">This was my first time traveling on Air India and to be honest, the interior of the plane looks dated. However, this was a relatively short flight (2.5 hours) so it was fine for me. In fact, it was much better than the Air Asia India flight I took from Kolkata to Bangalore so I'm not complaining. Besides, Air India is part of Star Alliance so I was able to credit the miles to United. Our flight departed about 20 minutes behind schedule and I was surprised that they had a full meal service for this short flight.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3WXfNUt6WqAnWJZApVy356_7dCpOVkzOWo1JstGd8N9NalbRmmyFX6_wSQ4XnDrM6apYhLnfJzm2qV3eTXjmWoE244vmVvkXNI4tiaIdW3UbyRel4705Uai5Qj8Yr4jw44Lb9swhJfdv3cecr07zf1SutTG7t95GZCW8M9G0rz-5zvtIcmSFWQsZd/s4096/JQHS3786.JPG"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3WXfNUt6WqAnWJZApVy356_7dCpOVkzOWo1JstGd8N9NalbRmmyFX6_wSQ4XnDrM6apYhLnfJzm2qV3eTXjmWoE244vmVvkXNI4tiaIdW3UbyRel4705Uai5Qj8Yr4jw44Lb9swhJfdv3cecr07zf1SutTG7t95GZCW8M9G0rz-5zvtIcmSFWQsZd/w640-h640/JQHS3786.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">Arrived New Delhi airport at 9pm and my first impression of the city...pollution was pretty bad. It was hazy and I could smell smooke as soon as I got out of the airport. I had previously provided my filght number and arrival time to the hotel to arrange for pick-up, but I didn't see anyone from the hotel at the arrival hall. Had to call the hotel twice to ask where the driver was. Apparently the driver was waiting at a different terminal. =.= Anyway, we were out of the airport by 9.45pm.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbPI0fGstMf6zOQXIOHzo-qpx6VQRKut_0yAB_w9LPBJDTaCKY6cbScdI15JzNTp5zDI0B8WHDUkwcdqdnIf_PPV60hMgfoStLaNF7NH1OUmRRWN-6JyVesGhOCXB2Wh0-9et1kAFS8XB31m0zTseoe4Nxf0uYQWnj7HS7CaakZKQowYioK3QkPFjU/s4096/IQJV8086.JPG"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbPI0fGstMf6zOQXIOHzo-qpx6VQRKut_0yAB_w9LPBJDTaCKY6cbScdI15JzNTp5zDI0B8WHDUkwcdqdnIf_PPV60hMgfoStLaNF7NH1OUmRRWN-6JyVesGhOCXB2Wh0-9et1kAFS8XB31m0zTseoe4Nxf0uYQWnj7HS7CaakZKQowYioK3QkPFjU/w640-h480/IQJV8086.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">The drive from the airport to hotel was smooth and there weren't any traffic. </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">Arrived at ITC Maurya New Delhi at 10.15pm. As usual, a quick security check of the vehicle and all bags before entering the hotel. This was my first time staying in an ITC hotel, a Luxury Collection Hotel under Marriott. </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"> </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">ITC Maurya Delhi is a 5-star hotel situated in the diplomatic enclave of New Delhi, and is the preferred accommodation of Heads of States, royal dignitaries, and business leaders across the world. Atas lo!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvT8liejjyysKhPncO4SV8SEHroP0K7Oe7V8zZgljiW6Zz18kH78sGICfmiExKcxCBjDfYjzmdblLa9bZf41ieSLen8Lqroo3WbwwhmaTeFp5ek04856wyTMIY77S6yy7vauD8vQ5fWLHIEVvC-IfVjqy1x92LnL27WDcKroY-_0-jbm8o7o_x887t/s4096/BXZP0263.JPG"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvT8liejjyysKhPncO4SV8SEHroP0K7Oe7V8zZgljiW6Zz18kH78sGICfmiExKcxCBjDfYjzmdblLa9bZf41ieSLen8Lqroo3WbwwhmaTeFp5ek04856wyTMIY77S6yy7vauD8vQ5fWLHIEVvC-IfVjqy1x92LnL27WDcKroY-_0-jbm8o7o_x887t/w640-h640/BXZP0263.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><div><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><div>Check in was pretty quick and I got to my room (3109) at 10.30pm. I think I got an upgrade but I have no idea which room type this is and I can't even find it online. Anyway, the room was spacious and had a separate study area with a massage chair!! I prefer hotels with more modern design but I'm only here for less than 12 hours so the interior doesn't really matter...haha!!</div><div><br /></div></span></div></span></div></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw8i2cXZ8DwhUl5PM6RhBAA4nMKQuQbwm-tP9SICAISs4bAMNMu1yHFVu0PjstXCzJt5zlMN42A9AezwyW7oFdQ23Qqg-m9PRcCxGjeq1pgSugpbYr6m1W_YaljnQCz4UBMYHX9q4Y3Sb1hmcZ9I-ILOmgv9GhOGY2DPgXHAPA_0dFwDWVANJdU4bv/s4096/JOZZ8955.JPG"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw8i2cXZ8DwhUl5PM6RhBAA4nMKQuQbwm-tP9SICAISs4bAMNMu1yHFVu0PjstXCzJt5zlMN42A9AezwyW7oFdQ23Qqg-m9PRcCxGjeq1pgSugpbYr6m1W_YaljnQCz4UBMYHX9q4Y3Sb1hmcZ9I-ILOmgv9GhOGY2DPgXHAPA_0dFwDWVANJdU4bv/w640-h640/JOZZ8955.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><div>My co-worker from Delhi told me that I had to try the Dal Bukhara (black lentil) at ITC Maurya as it is the famous signature dish at the Bukhara restaurant. Since it was already pretty late, I decided to order room service and was glad they were able to deliver it for in-room dining. The Dal Bukhara was good but very heavy (see that piece of floating butter), especially for a late night supper. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><b>19 November 2022 (Sat): New Delhi - Taj Mahal (Agra)</b></span></div></div><div><br /></div></span></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTvy-bMhFLMctrqSvvNj5sLz5963QcRNpKGD4zUaBxwuNIAEpDY_MoU5vA8OhAplxy0PsW3oqeraSk-RrU6jr5_hTN5QB-jvb4xAC3epsi81HoWADCHxhJc2NgI4Gb7DNk5yQN2NtsUA69iv6DT9jH9tms5f5_2qZSKYhxwba5ax9Khotixr9v9sa9/s4096/DQNP7164.JPG"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTvy-bMhFLMctrqSvvNj5sLz5963QcRNpKGD4zUaBxwuNIAEpDY_MoU5vA8OhAplxy0PsW3oqeraSk-RrU6jr5_hTN5QB-jvb4xAC3epsi81HoWADCHxhJc2NgI4Gb7DNk5yQN2NtsUA69iv6DT9jH9tms5f5_2qZSKYhxwba5ax9Khotixr9v9sa9/w640-h480/DQNP7164.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><div><div style="text-align: center;">After a good night's rest, I started my day early at 7.15pm with breakfast at the hotel restaurant. The buffet options were quite extensive but I wasn't too hungry (probably still full from the Dal Bukhara) so I had something light before checking out of the hotel.</div></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdWeUrfZn03T__58XJ7W18gl445-Ye6Wit1gL0OKp-M72maqS-IqN5bzEvg-gnvAsuPMBcgKpeRgP_3DotS3H6IMF1DvBwX7LwXzvBSzF3TfSWoZlE24K-Zkvc0XMGUkk9RSYUroYMuqcXITniW08CdMIKxeDPyo3DaYgdSFsgfa3rCnlZ0_obQuYS/s4096/SGDR2626.JPG"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdWeUrfZn03T__58XJ7W18gl445-Ye6Wit1gL0OKp-M72maqS-IqN5bzEvg-gnvAsuPMBcgKpeRgP_3DotS3H6IMF1DvBwX7LwXzvBSzF3TfSWoZlE24K-Zkvc0XMGUkk9RSYUroYMuqcXITniW08CdMIKxeDPyo3DaYgdSFsgfa3rCnlZ0_obQuYS/w640-h640/SGDR2626.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><div><div>Walked around the hotel and took some photos since I didn't have time the night before. The design at the lobby is pretty impressive. I was also impressed by the bathroom which looked super fancy with 'touchless' door.</div></div></span></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXPz6xDxMYbb12xWdJpjYZW-n3M3hdTOZa-Ybv9SVRYWOP9cuzoLy2wd5ejYKgZcNvDp0d8XI3r7cn3DlHj6CH7YgPIwjR49z4ojJeh7RcgPyVoLmBJkk8bhI7UGFLgGdA9561jfVc01pGkVf_AXoAqY86ZAOMNIHUjhm6_R76FRFy6XRweqzDRsb7/s4096/GQNK9831.JPG"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXPz6xDxMYbb12xWdJpjYZW-n3M3hdTOZa-Ybv9SVRYWOP9cuzoLy2wd5ejYKgZcNvDp0d8XI3r7cn3DlHj6CH7YgPIwjR49z4ojJeh7RcgPyVoLmBJkk8bhI7UGFLgGdA9561jfVc01pGkVf_AXoAqY86ZAOMNIHUjhm6_R76FRFy6XRweqzDRsb7/w640-h480/GQNK9831.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><div><div>Vivek, Prachi, and Pravek picked me up from the hotel at 9am and started our 3 hours drive to Agra. Even though we've been working together for two months, this was my first time meeting Vivek. I also found out that his wife, Prachi, used to work in the same firm so we had a lot in common to talk about along our drive to Agra.</div></div></span></div></span></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiucsh1mAFg6AUl5SQhKW9rBiUPr3w3ameZ9hWxk9NSrM0VPzvEuuu6WOwS7vMn972_6IsjNweyx-SVwwlopi-Ue2lf7N8uwA2-m9FEYh4ldo3byyhLMuvVCEImaHMwoS7ws_jcMWQ_sNpU2IdWSAPK3kfG4AvHeUJJC6ByOENhDnANdATT3VbikRRa/s4096/QLDQ5381.JPG"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiucsh1mAFg6AUl5SQhKW9rBiUPr3w3ameZ9hWxk9NSrM0VPzvEuuu6WOwS7vMn972_6IsjNweyx-SVwwlopi-Ue2lf7N8uwA2-m9FEYh4ldo3byyhLMuvVCEImaHMwoS7ws_jcMWQ_sNpU2IdWSAPK3kfG4AvHeUJJC6ByOENhDnANdATT3VbikRRa/w640-h640/QLDQ5381.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><div><div><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><div><div>We arrived the town of Agra around 12pm and went to our hotel, Coutyard Agra, to drop off our luggages, check-in, and had lunch first before going to Taj Mahal. Got upgraded to a junior suite and received a nice welcome note from the hotel. </div><div><br /></div></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></div></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOqQmKx9GUSspROGSyJinlmrv_CIKvd2VeT88yKEw5jT8ddU7u1pJQu0Pys_sL5wkD_f-yKHs9ntPDAfgDsUYO-NgpiiShlMzd-gqdZ4UAnjAoLN2cIAWH2so303UXDH2aKJLliY1lYCcQGSkl9j_00hbUEyGg3vMxC5O4LAmmGXMo4imtFezdBI-7/s4096/FGWK0076.JPG"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOqQmKx9GUSspROGSyJinlmrv_CIKvd2VeT88yKEw5jT8ddU7u1pJQu0Pys_sL5wkD_f-yKHs9ntPDAfgDsUYO-NgpiiShlMzd-gqdZ4UAnjAoLN2cIAWH2so303UXDH2aKJLliY1lYCcQGSkl9j_00hbUEyGg3vMxC5O4LAmmGXMo4imtFezdBI-7/w640-h640/FGWK0076.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><div><div>We tried buying the entrace tickets for Taj Mahal online before arriving but couldn't. We found out later that the reason we couldn't buy tickets online was because entrance to Taj Mahal was free from Nov 19-25, 2022 for the World Heritage Week. Guess we got lucky with the timing of our visit and I saved INR 1,100 (approx. $14) for the foreigner entrance fee. =) There were no lines at the entrance when we arrived at 2.45pm but it took awhile for me at the security check becuase they literally took everything out of my backpack to check. Apparently, things like tea (in my water bottle), gums, food, and mini tripod are all not allowed and had to be deposited before entering.</div></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-4gXLl4M3t-N7tPJ5Xl3JMYNHXFySk7U0rZEO2WlYv1BrIS-hQUDr1uK7YbNVV4BnDE4lgYuGfLWa055iy3M2LZHHFNefS2six2cEI9UslTFaujZvoKpBzwFD7IZ0UL8RaEsm3Z6ItmLzqt-uDM1a5-mFjaKfjNUSOsBC0rCZTVAXG8y48gTnr8gm/s4096/QXKT9655.JPG"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-4gXLl4M3t-N7tPJ5Xl3JMYNHXFySk7U0rZEO2WlYv1BrIS-hQUDr1uK7YbNVV4BnDE4lgYuGfLWa055iy3M2LZHHFNefS2six2cEI9UslTFaujZvoKpBzwFD7IZ0UL8RaEsm3Z6ItmLzqt-uDM1a5-mFjaKfjNUSOsBC0rCZTVAXG8y48gTnr8gm/w640-h640/QXKT9655.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">Downside of free entrance....soooo many people!! You know how I feel about crowded places. =.=</span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMT80BCNGN2W76ASZd1H1ROqdINKAVPAnuiGHxklYzezq27qya7ILLmnIN6Etfg0juXUBoEdnvnIzEjn2pFzn8s8u_0rbEaO1jKT7xsip1EwE2HJtB0axBOj8tsgF6hME0OCvpVEqYjv4kxjizdlVmic9NRLat5HUBysFf6NVxgl9KCnhf6I_vZ09Q/s4096/FBMF4870.JPG"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMT80BCNGN2W76ASZd1H1ROqdINKAVPAnuiGHxklYzezq27qya7ILLmnIN6Etfg0juXUBoEdnvnIzEjn2pFzn8s8u_0rbEaO1jKT7xsip1EwE2HJtB0axBOj8tsgF6hME0OCvpVEqYjv4kxjizdlVmic9NRLat5HUBysFf6NVxgl9KCnhf6I_vZ09Q/w640-h640/FBMF4870.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><div><div><div><div>Top 2 photos are reality, bottom 2 photos are the attempts to hide reality. =P</div></div></div></div></span></div></span></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMcp2KhRH-IJYOOXXeOvhpp_gXCGdeuE2aFTP5rFoYw06hw69G_M6hoMuCb7GGn0A62H-3Jl8HkNLIMpiEtP96XKNwFCpvbixmQKLJAoG9fYNPNggO-lNf4kgo8YU8oLYTlDi0eK7XevEYRBLZ9qWtRzKwSCpywEZQmpxNrIB3y2le-7u-sHiukZTs/s4096/GLCZ4952.JPG"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><img border="0" height="852" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMcp2KhRH-IJYOOXXeOvhpp_gXCGdeuE2aFTP5rFoYw06hw69G_M6hoMuCb7GGn0A62H-3Jl8HkNLIMpiEtP96XKNwFCpvbixmQKLJAoG9fYNPNggO-lNf4kgo8YU8oLYTlDi0eK7XevEYRBLZ9qWtRzKwSCpywEZQmpxNrIB3y2le-7u-sHiukZTs/w639-h852/GLCZ4952.JPG" width="639" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><div><div><div><div>More failed attempts to hide the many many people in the background. </div><div>Side story: So I kinda stood out and got quite a lot of 'stares' from other visitors because there were hardly any foreigners there and I was also holding my gimbal so people probably thought I'm a Youtuber...lol!! Funnily, random people actually asked if they could take photos with me but I politely declined (Vivek helped as well) coz it felt weird. I'm not a celebrity la...hahaha!</div></div></div></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYBAmFrazWhs0TTvdOtjTRAOdwqCtGSWKRisklyrFq0UBKah2EEBtAcAFVyceWJJzIQBlbUebotqepnkoBEAmSjK-KVNqmnDTYbr2HRSipGuF10tlhhYsB-fLpd8bFYljokzKkdHKEnDLKPzWKL6pe0VHvt9uzux13p5m0WB3qE_o_lR2hSVWoO6xK/s4096/JZVD9983.JPG"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><img border="0" height="848" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYBAmFrazWhs0TTvdOtjTRAOdwqCtGSWKRisklyrFq0UBKah2EEBtAcAFVyceWJJzIQBlbUebotqepnkoBEAmSjK-KVNqmnDTYbr2HRSipGuF10tlhhYsB-fLpd8bFYljokzKkdHKEnDLKPzWKL6pe0VHvt9uzux13p5m0WB3qE_o_lR2hSVWoO6xK/w636-h848/JZVD9983.JPG" width="636" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><div><div><div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAMQBKbUcoF50YHwVgqliob5eS-aTtFDEQ2EmCFbLAYfYtl-lqxJMVdaCA_IF7Cm6pRe1FM3Am9Xcekbmezx3n_hGOhiocR7g0UYjUg4QJssq56ehh04tyEzSKC0FuK53ObcEqEJr6cb4-KNKKtZSZaYw9xjHgD43XU7mx8XLPa3meXVdDqkS7YcZf/s4096/UTWM8253.JPG"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAMQBKbUcoF50YHwVgqliob5eS-aTtFDEQ2EmCFbLAYfYtl-lqxJMVdaCA_IF7Cm6pRe1FM3Am9Xcekbmezx3n_hGOhiocR7g0UYjUg4QJssq56ehh04tyEzSKC0FuK53ObcEqEJr6cb4-KNKKtZSZaYw9xjHgD43XU7mx8XLPa3meXVdDqkS7YcZf/w640-h480/UTWM8253.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div></div></div></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><div>Finally found a good spot for photos!! The blue area is supposed to be filled with water but they were doing some maintenance work so it was dry.</div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTY07ufHP_vYgCYqJlcJ3cGk800rOWADCmMOn2AVVcQYWjZIcTtTnZQ56sfg0RJAVNNMvy4x9lRCA0h9HgkiYgI1OMXqdk_7FVMUYIO5JGZKNhzdICSuoCmQVdeCfRZsnXhOrisujKYZgiE8wXCnTZIQcSDfz_ILM8tymqSM-O9oTi2_vZNatLYbRO/s4096/JSNU1681.JPG"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTY07ufHP_vYgCYqJlcJ3cGk800rOWADCmMOn2AVVcQYWjZIcTtTnZQ56sfg0RJAVNNMvy4x9lRCA0h9HgkiYgI1OMXqdk_7FVMUYIO5JGZKNhzdICSuoCmQVdeCfRZsnXhOrisujKYZgiE8wXCnTZIQcSDfz_ILM8tymqSM-O9oTi2_vZNatLYbRO/w640-h640/JSNU1681.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><div>Even though entrance was free, we still had to buy the tickets (INR200/pax) to go into the mausoleum. There was a line to enter the mausoleum but it moved pretty quickly.</div></span></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh94L47egfLP8Bv8F1hdRNdncfw6xFnjxS3OGxpdN5KsSTsWXMW2mG_noXeSMF3Iqbo0_edu8y_HPaB3wJmKt_7wcsmqEBD1gps3JSq8s80jXJfZk0_JEJ_5LN-RC4lOYlBNgMg_PtzU1IeGtmztMTFRI0dRXkNan03uJo1sQ-GUKfXgm22JM1T1Ag4/s4096/YIOH5476.JPG"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh94L47egfLP8Bv8F1hdRNdncfw6xFnjxS3OGxpdN5KsSTsWXMW2mG_noXeSMF3Iqbo0_edu8y_HPaB3wJmKt_7wcsmqEBD1gps3JSq8s80jXJfZk0_JEJ_5LN-RC4lOYlBNgMg_PtzU1IeGtmztMTFRI0dRXkNan03uJo1sQ-GUKfXgm22JM1T1Ag4/w640-h640/YIOH5476.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><div>Took some photos of the surrounding while waiting in line to get into the mausoleum.</div></span></div></span></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHqIg7q1caLsUQzymrADKISahXkRAiJKCaOd7FWqkiHoKoa7z9yrfyWgkgQtgvYthdfAcBG8NVf7XHx1hIl7i7yvamR3IUqD-NeYO7HSLiVFDky74FeIUqycpzHP6isAoPfA8A1C9losun0iAHdFHcPS62pSICH6emij0fHVhLKsNqEpy1HpwVNhMV/s4096/OAZM4385.JPG"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHqIg7q1caLsUQzymrADKISahXkRAiJKCaOd7FWqkiHoKoa7z9yrfyWgkgQtgvYthdfAcBG8NVf7XHx1hIl7i7yvamR3IUqD-NeYO7HSLiVFDky74FeIUqycpzHP6isAoPfA8A1C9losun0iAHdFHcPS62pSICH6emij0fHVhLKsNqEpy1HpwVNhMV/w640-h640/OAZM4385.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><div>Taj Mahal is a mausoleum built in memory of Mumtaz Mahal, the seond wife of emperor Shah Jahan. Upon her death, Shah Jahan built the Taj Mahl for her which until this day is a glorious piece of architecture that stands as a symbol of love. The mausoleum houses the tombs of both Mumtaz Mahal and Shah Jahan.</div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1XB06z2uLB96BhVb0NeQ6UjFvaOvjtPcYFnnEJqHP4_byuE6S11bl9YHcP5lvcMyTy7_uBS11rDvk33wr2z9Y4YElXZXT1EjjQm8Tqbi_NC-28EVlcYPB9SBG4U0vC5WY3aRFhXob9nSTO4a2eV21KSkQLI1QTOwZ1oixad8jJdon3AvuZjN-IwiE/s4096/QFJM1445.JPG"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1XB06z2uLB96BhVb0NeQ6UjFvaOvjtPcYFnnEJqHP4_byuE6S11bl9YHcP5lvcMyTy7_uBS11rDvk33wr2z9Y4YElXZXT1EjjQm8Tqbi_NC-28EVlcYPB9SBG4U0vC5WY3aRFhXob9nSTO4a2eV21KSkQLI1QTOwZ1oixad8jJdon3AvuZjN-IwiE/w640-h640/QFJM1445.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">Big thank you to Vivek and family for bringing me here and being my 'tour guides'! =)</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJEY5OkZFqQgyYeKoWx-CGnpOFjmyvXviB8fW1LPynE-2fCCJgvSL9VgO9-46eqJkpZc-KsoEarLWqVAyjHGs-6OTtYR6V3Ecj10O1WU3FnnQ10Owty6OsKA9vS1JUDNVSTBiLvm8Z3tSJaYCttfvo7hjqznGF39GTwsfGG7WrWadw_3z4jzyoC5hJ/s4096/BVSM6673.JPG"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJEY5OkZFqQgyYeKoWx-CGnpOFjmyvXviB8fW1LPynE-2fCCJgvSL9VgO9-46eqJkpZc-KsoEarLWqVAyjHGs-6OTtYR6V3Ecj10O1WU3FnnQ10Owty6OsKA9vS1JUDNVSTBiLvm8Z3tSJaYCttfvo7hjqznGF39GTwsfGG7WrWadw_3z4jzyoC5hJ/w640-h640/BVSM6673.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">We left Taj Mahal around 4.15pm and took awhile to find our auto rickshaw driver coz we walked the wrong way. Saw some cows roaming along the streets.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAVdhyRYNt2uotiIndY8zJI5KAnBo4fGKEc1Se15oCyZlqAhPk_pzNv8pGgDsQn0-DrkIxtq-J2Za5-BPwxwPUa15Q9TByS8Ljbv7Ymc5CbaI7cx0gmoykDDiSVA1L3iWY1uvW7l48BUJqhW-WtfNEtpkZX2BvfWF797_6vwhU-OWVrghwFtC-6hkS/s4096/WQUG1759.JPG"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAVdhyRYNt2uotiIndY8zJI5KAnBo4fGKEc1Se15oCyZlqAhPk_pzNv8pGgDsQn0-DrkIxtq-J2Za5-BPwxwPUa15Q9TByS8Ljbv7Ymc5CbaI7cx0gmoykDDiSVA1L3iWY1uvW7l48BUJqhW-WtfNEtpkZX2BvfWF797_6vwhU-OWVrghwFtC-6hkS/w640-h480/WQUG1759.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">Headed back to the hotel to rest some before having dinner at the hotel restaurant and calling it a day. Many people do a day trip to Taj Mahal from Delhi but we were glad we spent one night in Agra and split the drive over 2 days so everyone was able to get some rest.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><b>20 November 2022 (Sun): Agra - New Delhi - Kolkata</b></span></div></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifidA3sjchVWR8JnXoUGc_qo7xpcDzHoufLP_9hKm2Run7c7qz7Z0PCTZbqyQVxFLQqr4_-cT3Qds7Zwd6-kZ7k3TgS5NJsacMvVZPXqHIP9K7eLkKaXoMTGUPk8SqF4Nx2Vu3WV8DCcE8PQk6A9NoqODekN1vLsMDZWrJA6-Qz3bVmPmNtla-hJQu/s4096/OQXY5424.JPG"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifidA3sjchVWR8JnXoUGc_qo7xpcDzHoufLP_9hKm2Run7c7qz7Z0PCTZbqyQVxFLQqr4_-cT3Qds7Zwd6-kZ7k3TgS5NJsacMvVZPXqHIP9K7eLkKaXoMTGUPk8SqF4Nx2Vu3WV8DCcE8PQk6A9NoqODekN1vLsMDZWrJA6-Qz3bVmPmNtla-hJQu/w640-h640/OQXY5424.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">After a chillaxing morning, we checked out of the hotel at 12pm and started our drive back to Delhi as both Vivek and I are flying to Kolkata in the evening. We drove by a few attractions such as the India Gate before Vivek dropped me off at the Shivaji Stadium metro station to take the metro to the airport as h</span><span style="font-family: "Source Sans Pro";">e had to drop his family off back home first before going to the airport. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHojxh2kPE-e0wckaX_hXP9v0e9YogVVN_5dC6_Q6KWXDu3FPDb0dLs8qv0g-THwkKG7QzwyEJoztxERPOd034QhTcohPkN23Hffh9Mm3gczSIgN2_5rQg4IihQjzYf9S8r-3aPBdXzXG6kJAdGzPqPdHiBm0nbVq6ONDmD5QDsuIpvbJOFjsgV1mk/s4096/VDCZ9119.JPG"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHojxh2kPE-e0wckaX_hXP9v0e9YogVVN_5dC6_Q6KWXDu3FPDb0dLs8qv0g-THwkKG7QzwyEJoztxERPOd034QhTcohPkN23Hffh9Mm3gczSIgN2_5rQg4IihQjzYf9S8r-3aPBdXzXG6kJAdGzPqPdHiBm0nbVq6ONDmD5QDsuIpvbJOFjsgV1mk/w640-h640/VDCZ9119.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">I have been too spoilt getting chaufferred everywhere so this was a good opportunity to try out the public transportation here.</span><span style="font-family: "Source Sans Pro";"> The metro ride cost only INR 50 ($0.60) for the 20 minute ride. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNMpdwP0lK2Qd54BZZg6yMAn04rCYUgqcnF3IgAprB5YsJLhwUAqTOp4KAEkc-I7McnJ41KW7BDKBt7KF37STri6F7GYaB6fMVEUNpwcp08VYyR0Vi_Ts0j6pJRkRMBiLhoOuxasZ7j1h2SrUAI4BUmiCZFyzLn64lmZ9RvztAdxEa6Rdg6VUCattL/s4096/SKXW3317.JPG"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNMpdwP0lK2Qd54BZZg6yMAn04rCYUgqcnF3IgAprB5YsJLhwUAqTOp4KAEkc-I7McnJ41KW7BDKBt7KF37STri6F7GYaB6fMVEUNpwcp08VYyR0Vi_Ts0j6pJRkRMBiLhoOuxasZ7j1h2SrUAI4BUmiCZFyzLn64lmZ9RvztAdxEa6Rdg6VUCattL/w640-h640/SKXW3317.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">Arrived at Delhi airport at 4.30pm with about 3.5 hours to spare before my flight. Unfortunately, the Plaza Premium Lounge was closed so there weren't any lounges that I could visit with my Priority Pass. So I hung out at a cafe and had momos for dinner. Also met up with my other team member, Ridhi, who was also flying to Kolkata that evening to attend the training that I was conducting the following week. This was also my first time meeting her after working together for 2 months. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikqqJF05TvRTKvMkVo9TQGJw53UUQMNLoHnTJvhkG7BgMpJ-0VaBJeo60F43C00ZOd6fRXlU5oNVKjC3wYgRy0b42azzCNumNVqsNUHlUTRbW8OUmaUmkoTPYCgvIHkO8mpx82lHGzBtDXjFZXCBormdNB5h-Nkl_GHBwdouv28u3KamqnrnS5_H1c/s4096/CKKH7609.JPG"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikqqJF05TvRTKvMkVo9TQGJw53UUQMNLoHnTJvhkG7BgMpJ-0VaBJeo60F43C00ZOd6fRXlU5oNVKjC3wYgRy0b42azzCNumNVqsNUHlUTRbW8OUmaUmkoTPYCgvIHkO8mpx82lHGzBtDXjFZXCBormdNB5h-Nkl_GHBwdouv28u3KamqnrnS5_H1c/w640-h480/CKKH7609.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">Boarded the 8pm Air India flight from Delhi to Kolkata. Similar to the previous flight, there was also a full meal service for this 2.5 hours flight. And that wraps up my quick weekend trip to Taj Mahal. Another 7 Wonders of the World checked! =)</span></div></div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer">http://khaishing.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default</div>khaishing.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05154189313956844355noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3659547063209051949.post-31318721635443112922023-04-08T02:32:00.004-05:002023-04-08T02:32:53.146-05:00India Work Trip 2022 ✈ Kolkata Half Day Tour<div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><i>In the last 2 months of 2022, I was given the opportunity to travel to India for a work secondment. I signed up to travel to India without any expectations, but the entire experienced turned out way better than I expected, all thanks to the warm hospitality I received throughout my stay in Kolkata.</i></span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/OL_BiicLXOE" title="YouTube video player" width="640"></iframe></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>30 October 2022 (Sun): Kolkata City Tour</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">As part of my long stay (at least 30 days) at JW Kolkata, I was entitled to a complimentary city tour. Basically I get to use the hotel car and driver for a day to travel around Kolkata, wherever I wanted. So on my first weekend in Kolkata, I decided to go on tthe tour and check out a few tourist attractions in the city. Since I have an entire van for myself, I asked my team members if they were interested to join and be my tour guides. =P Huge thanks to Saiyam, Ila, and Rupa for agreeing to join me on short notice and graciously be my 'tour guides'.</div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP-6GaWyD9bnbu2sjeDdXjQ-ciW0UJ2C6IdebD86tDC5YRUQQnHZ0X5hHuV-BJCqNYCwR1fwBaajRqNFM8EwRADvGSnGNT7VTb4LYb2gEl9wnUKNn3gClbWHz0h1kv0498iUovIHTolbr-DWcw6J2wyai2ZWwOE_gZaVko5PL8KNSLaPbFU3JOTBbG/s4096/IZWL9064.JPG"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP-6GaWyD9bnbu2sjeDdXjQ-ciW0UJ2C6IdebD86tDC5YRUQQnHZ0X5hHuV-BJCqNYCwR1fwBaajRqNFM8EwRADvGSnGNT7VTb4LYb2gEl9wnUKNn3gClbWHz0h1kv0498iUovIHTolbr-DWcw6J2wyai2ZWwOE_gZaVko5PL8KNSLaPbFU3JOTBbG/w640-h640/IZWL9064.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><div>We met up at my hotel at 8am and departed together in the hotel van. Our driver, Ziaul, was already waiting for us. It was Sunday morning so traffic wasn't bad at all. </div><div><br /></div></span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL2Y6-Cex7zcaosMT2SEFPE532f9baa1O8gdxM-J2TEO_IbWPdMM3tOtWcuGxCZqJvFBOpSgpmhmb6n1ZcHBReWe0Pz29OO0jCnjUmabwVu8lqW4oveQ6MmVCyzDIHIrID_DGxlhDWrmRfQJisQ4X_eSWoMsOXHUz-60ZF4smx3FGQTsoECfSkMX4U/s4096/SOHY8005.JPG"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL2Y6-Cex7zcaosMT2SEFPE532f9baa1O8gdxM-J2TEO_IbWPdMM3tOtWcuGxCZqJvFBOpSgpmhmb6n1ZcHBReWe0Pz29OO0jCnjUmabwVu8lqW4oveQ6MmVCyzDIHIrID_DGxlhDWrmRfQJisQ4X_eSWoMsOXHUz-60ZF4smx3FGQTsoECfSkMX4U/w640-h480/SOHY8005.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">We arrived Dakshineswar Kali Temple around 8.30am and I was surprised to see so many people there on a Sunday morning. Apparently, this temple is always crowded on weekends because many locals come here to give their offerings. Besides, I've been a hermit working from home for the past 2.5 years so it had been quite a while since I've seen so many people...lol! Entrance is free.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">I was glad I visited with this temple with the locals because I would have been so lost and overwhelmed not knowing what to do. </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">My team members had already told me the day before that I'd need to take off my shoes before entering the temple and asked me to bring along a sandals. I went prepared and wore my sandals thinking that I'd just have to take off my shoes before entering the temple, as in a building (like taking off your shoes before entering a house). What I didn't know was that we'd have to deposit our shoes and belongings (including mobile phones) at the deposit counters before entering the whole temple area. Yes, walking with just socks/barefoot outdoor as well. If I</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"> had known this, I would have left all my belongings in the van to save Saiyam the trouble of having to help me deposit my backpack. Anyway, I'm super thankful to have them helping me out and even went all the way back to the van to get me my socks coz he was worried the floor would be too hot for me to be barefoot.</span></div><div><br style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRxJQiA_RcNLWcry3K9zht7ItEtROpMm51Td0fNRkTyo5TyLdAgya47T09LIYnLg0ATNr5Nf2Cx0zkIN3-Rm6OImIGudkrtMZIt_dt2454AZhRGt05jDAPbUCgcVHcuARhwBN7Xo1oSZEWrLiNeXj6cIyzsDg9YWelqXZdxrSQYIsKCPNh9nIRSHwQ/s4096/AMHH9404.JPG"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRxJQiA_RcNLWcry3K9zht7ItEtROpMm51Td0fNRkTyo5TyLdAgya47T09LIYnLg0ATNr5Nf2Cx0zkIN3-Rm6OImIGudkrtMZIt_dt2454AZhRGt05jDAPbUCgcVHcuARhwBN7Xo1oSZEWrLiNeXj6cIyzsDg9YWelqXZdxrSQYIsKCPNh9nIRSHwQ/w640-h480/AMHH9404.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><div><div>We could only take photos outside (before the entrance) since photography isn't allowed and I didn't have my phone. Yes there are pretty strict about checking for mobile phones at the entrance with a pat-down, like going through airport security...lol!</div></div><div><br /></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsiT5CFbAn5AwFvRSSSws2sEVIjEh6TmX6rE1LqT2rmdJLu-sa9POw2zN3H27i7hmvnEIYqKew081U7oMRryFw75SFyShyoorDmSsnEm1K6i0KHOVoqlu0sAwgQXqtqAFVYYqsVGdluakALOqYRmjzkuM0vbBPNpEvZGYMhHltj0vq_R9qceFjv0gV/s4096/KHWT8429.JPG"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsiT5CFbAn5AwFvRSSSws2sEVIjEh6TmX6rE1LqT2rmdJLu-sa9POw2zN3H27i7hmvnEIYqKew081U7oMRryFw75SFyShyoorDmSsnEm1K6i0KHOVoqlu0sAwgQXqtqAFVYYqsVGdluakALOqYRmjzkuM0vbBPNpEvZGYMhHltj0vq_R9qceFjv0gV/w640-h640/KHWT8429.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn-n-degrSJnpadwQGr7zggSKD6gmdkPt0BHL4M1nBOBJyRwpX6O-wm6Lrkd_VbEzKcFwck3tojv7c5f7hLmRN_atUWurwiGOZvqTA3sV9Y9ZhNX2zLEaG1Vpj6Gh4xyMvDCtXiduUcRc-9WR4sXchzyKpOlRlRnvIyMD1BjguS_jm1KwdGv9iJ-D-/s4096/UXNT7947.JPG"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn-n-degrSJnpadwQGr7zggSKD6gmdkPt0BHL4M1nBOBJyRwpX6O-wm6Lrkd_VbEzKcFwck3tojv7c5f7hLmRN_atUWurwiGOZvqTA3sV9Y9ZhNX2zLEaG1Vpj6Gh4xyMvDCtXiduUcRc-9WR4sXchzyKpOlRlRnvIyMD1BjguS_jm1KwdGv9iJ-D-/w640-h320/UXNT7947.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><div>We left Dakshineswar at 9.30am and arrived at Belur Math around 9.45am. Unlike Dakshineswar, Belur Math had less people and was a lot more peaceful. This place is notable for its architecture that fuses Hindu, Islamic, Buddhist, and Christian art and motifs as a symbol of unity of all religions. </div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyW5_qj21sivxeSBtBLzjRVsHt2sRO3shrJvivRCsV76oburfdxvYDMhdf_HCVuWYWTcbIj3exniD0axbapQUIk8h2Cm5DIV1DhoyzenQ3VydOT4hSwR73LF13csM-X10jXOCzOyX5Ahmw4vnT_AKYZLUcn1HnFvi1S-yG-TnFMyHe2jzOmkJZQ-9Z/s4096/IYFC9602.JPG"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyW5_qj21sivxeSBtBLzjRVsHt2sRO3shrJvivRCsV76oburfdxvYDMhdf_HCVuWYWTcbIj3exniD0axbapQUIk8h2Cm5DIV1DhoyzenQ3VydOT4hSwR73LF13csM-X10jXOCzOyX5Ahmw4vnT_AKYZLUcn1HnFvi1S-yG-TnFMyHe2jzOmkJZQ-9Z/w640-h480/IYFC9602.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><div>After a quick 15 minutes visit at Belur Math, we headed back into the city for more sightseeing. Snapped some random photos along the streets of Kolkata, and the iconic yellow taxi. All yellow taxis in Kolkata has the same model...the Ambassador Classic, and they are slowly vanishing from the streets due to their age and the competition from Ola and Uber. </div><div><br /></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg10S5_vhY_KDi5uDIKGu47jKw2JYtLTD182-iBEmTYqKlwovryxs4rTiBEVkXY7fVQWHhqIhn1UxEHAr7rNfqEEgg6gFbcWAf3D2Drl2VftiXTGuaWqgwwFLQ4C__bsIhyXygOsj2SbjgQmH036D0oycuRaZxwAUA_H4mJPDoDzgtBH-s3k8pH8lXF/s4096/XBCH7329.JPG"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><img border="0" height="848" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg10S5_vhY_KDi5uDIKGu47jKw2JYtLTD182-iBEmTYqKlwovryxs4rTiBEVkXY7fVQWHhqIhn1UxEHAr7rNfqEEgg6gFbcWAf3D2Drl2VftiXTGuaWqgwwFLQ4C__bsIhyXygOsj2SbjgQmH036D0oycuRaZxwAUA_H4mJPDoDzgtBH-s3k8pH8lXF/w636-h848/XBCH7329.JPG" width="636" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigRRBcvQFXI4SobnB1R6rtLRHAMCR-pTxnjsxgQTob6bzu8_FkiS7llIcxRgGho3qcaafv5vE104XDI_GFgwTHlWB81UoFiJ5mnhJPJN5IRj1aJ6_c6QSfv6BdHZyt0MjE9LF7y-YXdIzmFBdK0bYFz76eS4A0OtHiYPoomhegXU-3SLAAl23_FuKd/s4096/OWEY5654.JPG"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigRRBcvQFXI4SobnB1R6rtLRHAMCR-pTxnjsxgQTob6bzu8_FkiS7llIcxRgGho3qcaafv5vE104XDI_GFgwTHlWB81UoFiJ5mnhJPJN5IRj1aJ6_c6QSfv6BdHZyt0MjE9LF7y-YXdIzmFBdK0bYFz76eS4A0OtHiYPoomhegXU-3SLAAl23_FuKd/w640-h480/OWEY5654.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWKvFKx4NhxffhbVLWDOn-jsMRfZ0SdNQNDVUF1kQlLJySDTAeO_4KQ8fZaceoBn5_rDX09lQRCsO-iPrkaGRFvZ4HKCxWujtEFQl4hE_P9dnLquQHFrQ8LrfJMu6IlRdR2KUaUGWpJoe_KBC85jGg_0yx2kqd9nCfcVPkRT_BQAxa1DkF-CaGWACS/s4096/QLFC6389.JPG"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWKvFKx4NhxffhbVLWDOn-jsMRfZ0SdNQNDVUF1kQlLJySDTAeO_4KQ8fZaceoBn5_rDX09lQRCsO-iPrkaGRFvZ4HKCxWujtEFQl4hE_P9dnLquQHFrQ8LrfJMu6IlRdR2KUaUGWpJoe_KBC85jGg_0yx2kqd9nCfcVPkRT_BQAxa1DkF-CaGWACS/w640-h480/QLFC6389.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><div>We arrived Victoria Memorial at 10.45am. This is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Kolkata. This iconic structure is dedicated to Queen Victoria, the Empress of India from 1876 to 1901. </div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">A bit of history lesson from Google...Kolkata (formerly Calcutta) was the former capital of British India. Similar to Malaysia, India was also a former British colony, which explains why we share a lot of common in the 'British English' we use. The British ruled the Indian subcontinent for around 200 years between 1757 and 1947.</div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyRDdp1MqPrmtXQ8bNt8Jm8bq9rayqZYj_r-gdA_OHzGIgrxmO7PDQm9IT80FaDpHcnCBbOeXedvvmTgqheOemu_xes0SSnufcnMOEULCcdaIkU5j4uqYLtGKOZmHLit4gAcd4-mEAKlUMSo5tNo1Ycsvi3TLF-uu4GB7bZnUh5CwZSYW1bXrsTNMp/s4096/IMAZ7157.JPG"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><img border="0" height="856" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyRDdp1MqPrmtXQ8bNt8Jm8bq9rayqZYj_r-gdA_OHzGIgrxmO7PDQm9IT80FaDpHcnCBbOeXedvvmTgqheOemu_xes0SSnufcnMOEULCcdaIkU5j4uqYLtGKOZmHLit4gAcd4-mEAKlUMSo5tNo1Ycsvi3TLF-uu4GB7bZnUh5CwZSYW1bXrsTNMp/w642-h856/IMAZ7157.JPG" width="642" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">The building and surroundings are very nice, and we were lucky with the beautiful weather and blue skies because the city is usually hazy and smoggy.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSslC6iDili2YTWzWP6exlZEn8Swaz0NbRt2KKZa6GD9M75zmB16l19OJ4s0_-o-Thzuklm2aM5ObksoXrpCZslTS_lIrzXoPii8FDzmGuUr8RS8ldD62-8chL0waKLpvkwWIBVbss12KNTchCKgEDL1dUPmlPIdb4ZIiwygKKRztnQJOePZPm1JMW/s4096/MADA1203.JPG"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSslC6iDili2YTWzWP6exlZEn8Swaz0NbRt2KKZa6GD9M75zmB16l19OJ4s0_-o-Thzuklm2aM5ObksoXrpCZslTS_lIrzXoPii8FDzmGuUr8RS8ldD62-8chL0waKLpvkwWIBVbss12KNTchCKgEDL1dUPmlPIdb4ZIiwygKKRztnQJOePZPm1JMW/w640-h640/MADA1203.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">Next was a quick stop at St. Paul's Cathedral at 11.30am. </span><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">This white-colored cathedral was the first new-built cathedral in the overseas territory of the British Empire, and was completed in 1847.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1tVy9hL00ZrVuKJwpeVRyZdcXaewQvYQxuh5MrvmoPr_axoeDSSR33mWOcHLGpxVvSpdxGWl7dUAMJD-U4phqkMWDKRNMnBQ0RvA3GEQn9l-jabqI31ZN72cALyUMQ9qxnQu9VuRqUom4vS4zcGrg-NSX4guxmOjMUeCSG6gSmmLzeaDD6WXMT3Nv/s4096/TVRY1281.JPG"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><img border="0" height="855" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1tVy9hL00ZrVuKJwpeVRyZdcXaewQvYQxuh5MrvmoPr_axoeDSSR33mWOcHLGpxVvSpdxGWl7dUAMJD-U4phqkMWDKRNMnBQ0RvA3GEQn9l-jabqI31ZN72cALyUMQ9qxnQu9VuRqUom4vS4zcGrg-NSX4guxmOjMUeCSG6gSmmLzeaDD6WXMT3Nv/w641-h855/TVRY1281.JPG" width="641" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">Arrived our last stop of the day, Mother's House at 11.50am. This convent was where Mother Teresa lived and died, and is the last resting place of Mother Teresa.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrkTyGJnY1_vz3AN3Mw_cCz-qD-h59cx5JY4xWhrESHmHgeqgnSix02H_8mw4taN21alcA4s4SxBO3eZWKe5xDcS5vOtnCq9MbrCT5BW4n0cpHpW7kmDVNo7MekzzW_RZHbACkGZ9MaxIIA6df0qLORy9Mj9A52MHwSnbE7xKd-fiW_HcFgqJFqLz-/s4096/ILGP9336.JPG"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><img border="0" height="844" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrkTyGJnY1_vz3AN3Mw_cCz-qD-h59cx5JY4xWhrESHmHgeqgnSix02H_8mw4taN21alcA4s4SxBO3eZWKe5xDcS5vOtnCq9MbrCT5BW4n0cpHpW7kmDVNo7MekzzW_RZHbACkGZ9MaxIIA6df0qLORy9Mj9A52MHwSnbE7xKd-fiW_HcFgqJFqLz-/w634-h844/ILGP9336.JPG" width="634" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4oqTCP1aDpqlgb12rLITeGfY-GlN5fJMdiYN75DbmxjRuQNGvo9c6dWO0ZbrnccegrvBI-KfmYfxxb7TEBks14dAuTYvmHvr5xlI3ICvrHmCquwMMkbZvirDVnVqJObUZTtQNHB0ufIaszTiUG9JGGSdl7IBZ7qAwc6hQY1guYk5A_zIIAoZXhnSM/s4096/RNUM5667.JPG"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><img border="0" height="847" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4oqTCP1aDpqlgb12rLITeGfY-GlN5fJMdiYN75DbmxjRuQNGvo9c6dWO0ZbrnccegrvBI-KfmYfxxb7TEBks14dAuTYvmHvr5xlI3ICvrHmCquwMMkbZvirDVnVqJObUZTtQNHB0ufIaszTiUG9JGGSdl7IBZ7qAwc6hQY1guYk5A_zIIAoZXhnSM/w635-h847/RNUM5667.JPG" width="635" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">Wrapped up our tour with lunch at Peter Cat on Park Street after a successful morning of sightseeing. </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">We were lucky to get there early at 12.20pm and was able to get a table immediately as we saw people waiting in lines outside of the restaurant as we were eating. This is a popular restaurant in Kolkata. </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"> I ordered the Chelo Kebab (</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">kebabs served with buttered rice, mutton seekh and a sunny side up)</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">, which is their famous must-try item.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">We decided to call it a day after lunch and headed back to the hotel. </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">This tour was definitely a good way to kick-start my 2-month stay in Kolkata. </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">Thank you again to Saiyam, Ila, and Rupa for the warm hospitality and showing me around Kolkata. </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">Also thanks to our driver, </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">Ziaul, for driving us all around and making it so convenient for us to visit each locations. =) </span></div> <div class="blogger-post-footer">http://khaishing.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default</div>khaishing.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05154189313956844355noreply@blogger.com0