Colombo, Sri Lanka

Kuala Lumpur Street Food

Night at the 'mamak' stall in Kuala Lumpur

Ljubljana

I took an overnight train from Zurich Hauptbahnhof (Main Train Station) to Ljubljana. It was an 11-hour train ride, and it cost me CHF146. Arriving the next morning, I called the hostel to have someone picked me up at Železniška postage (Main Train Station). The hostel is about 20 minutes bus ride to the Old Town Square.

Squeezed between the castle hill and Ljubljanica River, the Old Town has two squares, the Mestni Trg (City Square) with the Robba fountain and the city hall behind it, and, farther on, the Gornji Trg (Upper Square). Well-preserved medieval buildings now house local designer shops, and several popular cafes and restaurants. Although they may look creepy, the perfectly safe narrow lanes can lead to charming little squares and buildings in Baroque style.

This compact riverside city offers the romantic delight and hip underground vitality of Prague, without the crowds. Summer in Ljubljana can be pretty nice. I did not waste anytime since I had plan to stay for only two days, and my first point of interest was to Saint Nicholas Cathedral. Easily identifiable due to its green dome and twin towers, it is located nearby Ljubljana Central Market and the Ljubljana Town Hall. Triple Bridge (Tromostovje) which is just a stone throw away from the cathedral, consists of three separate picturesque bridges located next to one another. They do provide a majestic entrance to the Old Town.  If you are not in a hurry, just sit by any cafe for tea or ice-cream, and watch the world go by. The water from Ljubljanka River does give a very nice relaxing feeling, with tour boats creating small water waves as they slowly move back and forth. Further down from the river, there's the Dragon Bridge. Completed in 1901, it is guarded by four detailed dragon statues from the city's coat-of-arms. One has to be careful around this area, as traffic can be heavy, and being a tourist you might get inattentive to your surrounding. I almost slipped and fell admiring the dragons. 

Between these two famous bridges, is Ljubljana Open Market. There is a flower market, fish and dried fruit on one level, bakery, dairy and meat on another level. There are also stalls selling herbs, spices, and local handicrafts such as baskets, and embroideries. 

Ljubljana has some pretty interesting architectures. Two buildings really stand-out - Ljubljana Town Hall and the National and University Library. The Town Hall is close to St Nicholas Cathedral. It has a combination of Baroque and Classicist style. It has a nice courtyard, and there is a small gallery showcasing its local arts and crafts. The Robba fountain originally located outside the Town Hall was renovated and moved into the National Gallery in 2006. What stands today in its previous site is just a replica. The National and University Library is designed by Jože Plečnik, a famous Slovenia architect. The central staircase which leads to a reading room, set between colonnades of dark stone, is characteristic to his design style. Surrounding the walls outside the reading room, are pictures of famous political figures and inventors. They are the ones who shaped the world as we know today.  There is a souvenir shop by the entrance, and I couldn't help but got myself three printed art pieces. 

I took a bus to Postojna Cave the next morning.  The bus station is just outside the Main Train Station. One way ticket is €6 and it is less than 2 hours trip. The cave is amazing. It is one of the top tourists sites in Slovenia. However, be prepared to pay €19 for the entrance. It is home to the blind endemic olm, the largest trogloditic amphibian in the world. Going into the caves through the tunnel is a 10-minute electric train ride from the cave railway station. Tour starts at the Conference Hall, which is large enough to host meetings and concerts. 

As I was planning to go to Zagreb later the next day, I took the opportunity to visit the Ljubljana Castle. Entrance to the Castle Courtyard, Chapel and Gift shop is free although you have to pay for the funicular railway ride up the hill, and there is a charge for access to the tower. The tower has magnificent views all over the city. After some time relaxing in the Courtyard with a cup of tea, I went back down and head to the Outdoor Market again. 

I had a tomato and mozzarella cheese salad for lunch before my departure. I noticed that the waiters were allowed to smoke while on the job. This was not going to happen in America. It was really nice to be able to see Ljubljana. It came as a surprise to me that for such a small city, there was no deficiency compared to the bigger cities in any way except for its size. 

Off the beaten track in Thailand

Betong is a town in southern Thailand, near the border of Perak, Malaysia. It is often refer to as the 'town in the mist' as evidenced by the mist that tends to bathe Betong in the early morning. Almost surrounded by rubber plantations, Betong is famous for three unusual reasons.

First it is the Siberian swallows that migrate here every year to perch on the city's rooftops, and weigh down the electricity cables, and not to mention the poop they bring with them to the small town. Secondly, it has the world largest mailbox, located at the Clock Tower Intersection in the tower center. It was built in 1924 by Mr Sa-Nguan Jirajinda, the former head of Betong Post and Telegraph Office and the Lord Mayor of Betong. It has a total height of 320 cm (126"), and it is presently used as an ordinary mailbox.

I came to Betong for the third reason. Betong is home to the Piyamit Tunnels - tunnels excavated by the Malay communists in 1976 to avoid bombardment by the Malaysian government. My brother-in-law, Jeffrey drove me and Jack (a history teacher in New York) to the border between Perak and Betong from Kuala Lumpur. It took about 4 hours in driving. We parked the car in Perak, and hired a taxi to drive us to Betong. 

It took us another hour before we arrived at the Piyamit Tunnels. The entrance fee was 50 bht ($1.50). To reach the bunker, we had to walk up the hills through lush forests where sounds from the insects were deafening. Once we reached the bunker, I could feel that the temperature dropped as the weather became less humid and cooler. The Pyamit Tunnels stretches for over one kilometer (2 miles) in the jungle. The tunnel was dug by the Malay Communists Party fighting for their ideologies in the 70s'. It served as a hide-out with resting and sleeping areas, and a cooking area. There is a museum that displayed the artilleries and communications tools used during the party occupancy. As it was Chinese New Year, firecrackers were set off from a nearby temple for the devotees. 

We met an Ex-Sergeant from the Communist Party, Mr Chiam, who was a survivor from the camp. He was involved in building the tunnel from 1976 till 1987 when the tunnel was eventually closed. Although Mr Chian is a Malaysian citizen, he is not allowed to return because of his involvement. So now he stays there to help run the place. 

Betong is compact and a pretty interesting place to explore. The locals are friendly, and the cuisine is a mix of Chinese, Malay and Thai. Not too many tourists know about the place, but I hope more will do after reading this.

Summer in Zurich

My first visit to Europe was almost 20 years ago, and it was Zurich that I came to love the most at that time. I still do. I went back to Zurich 3 years ago for the Annual Summer Street Parade. Comparable to Berlin's Love Parade, the Street Parade is one of the largest techno parties in the world.

Kelvin, an old friend of mine who lives in Zurich, greeted me at the arrival hall in Zurich Airport. After he handed me the keys to his apartment, he left for his job at the airport. His apartment is at Kempfhoweg, which is about 30 minutes walk to the city center. It is a beautiful apartment with a large outdoor veranda good for barbecue. 

The same day I took a walk along the Limmat River toward the city center. Nothing much has changed in Zurich. But I noticed a few new Starbucks establishments in the city. Bahnhofstrasse is the main shopping area in Zurich. The residents enjoy one of the best qualities of life in the world, and here, you'll find the latest luxury and international brands as well as major departmental stores such as Jelmoli and Globus for the general affluence where shopping is their favorite pastime. Uniquely Swiss-made are the fine chocolates, cheese, Swiss Army knives, watches, embroidery and handmade clocks.

On the top floor in Jelmoli, you'll find delicious cuisines which are self-service and charge by weight. It's a good way to enjoy an afternoon lunch without breaking the bank.

Kelvin and I went shopping (again!) the next day. We took a walk to Old Town, a cobblestones streets with many specialty and antique shops adding to its charm. The three old churches in Zurich are clustered around this area: The Grossmünster ("great minster"), Fraumünster (Church of Our Lady) and St. Peter's Church. St Peter's Church is the oldest. It has the largest clock face in Europe with the minute hand 12 feet long! 

After a day of walking, we went home on the tram.

Public transportation is extremely popular here, and it is one of the bests in the world. Here, you find S-Bahn (local trains), trams, and buses. Tickets are purchased on vending machines which are located at every stop. Like most cities in Europe, ticket agents occasionally check the passengers with valid tickets. If you do not have one, you pay a fine. 

That night we stayed in to watch the opening of the Summer Olympics 2008 in Beijing. Zhang Yimou choreographed the spectacular opening sequence. It was an eye opener to the rest of the world. China is finally here to stay.

The following day was the Street Parade. We went out early to Odeon Cafe off Bellevue. A popular hangout among locals, Odeon Cafe has a classic art-nouveau interior with outdoor sittings as well. The cafe was already packed when we got there. Crowd was jamming the streets, and people were dressing up to their favorite characters. It reminded me of Halloween in America. Parade of floating trucks moved slowly along the road by Lake Zurich with people dancing and drinking with techno music blasting away from the speakers on each truck. 

After hopping from one place to another, we finally ended up back at the apartment for a barbecue. And to end the night, we proceeded to the bar to drink. It was fun as we bumped into some old friends that I have not met in years.

Zurich is a leading global financial center in the world. Most of the research and development centers are concentrated in Zurich. According to several surveys, Zurich is constantly ranked among the wealthiest cities in Europe with the best quality in life. I can't think of anything unsatisfactory about the city. As I left the city the next night to Ljubljana, I was already looking forward to my next trip in Zurich.