Makati in Money-la

Welcome to the business capital of Manila

Makati is what you expect to see in a city... 

lot of tall buildings with a lot of development

Manila Bay

My first exposure to Manila was Manila Bay...
I do not know where it starts or where it ends...
At that point of time, I didn't even know that it had a name...

MotoGP: What was left

 After all it took to get there.... I decided to check out the grounds

MotoGP: It ain't all bad

Sometimes when one thing goes wrong, it all seems to go wrong...
Since I had time on my hands, I decided to visit MotoGP in Sepang International Circuit

KLPF2018

 

 KLPF....
It has been a long time since I've been to this annual event.

I have had fond memories 

being with friends and meeting new people

Many la...

"Philippines so nice ah...?"
seems to be the common question I get when I tell people the destination of my travels.
As it is with all the countries I travel to, there are the good and the bad.

While I wait til I can travel again I might as well share the few experiences I have in the places I've been.

ASEAN pass: Cheap way to travel?

I'm envious of people who seem to be always exploring new places.
Of course things aren't always as they seem.
Every once in a while, I get asked how I get to travel so much.

When I first started travelling I was on a tight budget.
Even now my budget has grown but is still tight.
In order to save money, a lot of research helps....
The more you know and all that.

When I first discovered AirAsia flights, I was truly shocking how cheap it was.
With all the economic fluctuations over the past few years, flights are not as cheap as they used to be
Good offers can still be found but good gems are hard to find.

Recently I discovered AirAsia's ASEAN pass.

Getting a Kick out of it

"Don't let perfect get in the way of good enough"

A quote from one of my favourite vloggers....
Sometimes I get so obsessed with getting photos nicely touched up 

and even trying to put words to my thoughts....

Sometimes you just have to do it...

VMS: Very More to Say

Cars, girls, drifting...
VMS18 had it all...
Guess it is so sucessful that they already have VMS19 scheduled in April.

Upcoming, I'm coming...

Just to remind myself of upcoming events if I can make it...


Malaysia Hobby Expo 2018: 3rd Edition

6 Oct at 10:00 – 7 Oct at 22:00

MAEPS, MARDI, Serdang.
Entrance Ticket can be purchase WALK-IN on the event day:-
RM15.00 for Adults (2 days)
RM3.00 for Kids (2 days)

Rolling Speed Night Chapter 2 : Legends of the Rising Sun
Saturday, 20 October 2018 from 18:00-23:59
MIECC,Sri Kembangan

Art Expo Malaysia 2018
12 Oct – 14 Oct

MATRADE Exhibition and Convention Centre
Admission fee: RM 10
 It will feature 65 reputable art galleries from 22 countries, exhibiting some 1,500 pieces of artworks under one roof.


Kuala Lumpur Photography Festival KLPF
26 Oct – 28 Oct
Mid Valley Exhibition Centre

AW Drift Championship Round 4
Sunday, 28 October 2018 from 08:00-18:00
Time : 8am - 6pm
Spectator fee: RM5
Event Format: Drift Competition
Venue: Pintu 2 MAEPS, MARDI, Serdang
GPS Coordinates: 2.974885, 101.686101
Google Map : https://goo.gl/maps/iv7v1fywJE52

Motonation 2018
19 Oct at 10:00 – 21 Oct at 18:00
MATRADE Exhibition and Convention Centre


Motonation Autofiezta
3 Nov at 10:00 – 4 Nov at 22:00
IOI CITY MALL Putrajaya



Battle Of Machines : Time Attack Challenge 2018
Venue : Sepang International Circuit (North Paddock) Full Track
Date : 17th November 2018
Day : Saturday
Time : 8pm ~ 4am

Sepang 1000km Endurance Race 2018
Sunday, 25 November 2018 from 09:00-21:00
Sepang Circuit


Kuala Lumpur International Motor Show 2018
23 NOV – 02 DEC 2018, 11.00am - 10.00pm
MITEC, Malaysia International Trade and Exhibition Centre, Kuala Lumpur

Category	Weekdays (per entry)	Weekends (per entry)
Adults	RM 20	RM 25
Child (12 years old & below)	RM 5	RM 5
Student	RM 5 (with Student ID card / school uniform)	N/A
Handicapped	Complimentary Entry (with handicapped card / physically handicapped) FREE for accompanying person, 1 ticket only

Euro AutoShow 2018
Sunday, 9 December 2018 from 10:00-17:00
Sutera Square, Sutera Mall , Skudai, Johor

Comic Fiesta 2018
Saturday, 22 December 2018 from 09:30-19:00
KLCC Convention Centre (Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre)

AW Drift Championship (Rd5) FINAL
Sunday, 23 December 2018 from 09:00-18:00
Malaysia Agro Exposition Park Serdang (MAEPS)

VMS: Very Much to See...

After Day 1's adventure in drifting,

I took subsequent days to walk arond the grounds of VMS.

A big part of carshows in Malaysia and many events 

tends to be the car models...

Mending D rift

 

Day 1 of Velocity Motorshow.

It has been a long time since I have regularly attended events.
Not sure why. Probably a combination of work life and changing landscape of events in Malaysia.

Whichever the case is, I just acquired a second hand camera to replace the outdated and out of focus EOS 40D. I love the camera but there isn't much choice there... even Canon doesn't support the camera any more. Can't even get it fixed.

It is a big adjustment getting used to the newer camera. What better way than at a car event.
It has really been a while since I've attended one of these. In the weeks leading up to this Malaysia Day weekend event, there seemed to be a lot more chatter on my facebook and maybe I just so happen to notice it. Didn't seem anything out of the ordinary, but then the advertisement for drift event caught my attention.

Preah Vihear: Feeling on top of the world

Despite the challenges getting here,
I had yet to reach my destination.

It was not difficult finding a motorbike to take me there (for the right price of course)
The road there was not difficult with personal transportation.

The ride up early in the morning was serene and peaceful.
Not what one would expect from a place at the centre of a violent dispute.

 

Thanks to the driver, there was not much bumps in the road..

except the bumps in the road.

After paying the entrance fee and a 15 minutes ride we arrive at the entrance to the temple grounds.

Not really an exciting welcome...
but after the many months of planning and anticipation,
I was feeling excited at what I would find.

After making sure the driver would be waiting when I exit, I begin the climb up the slopes to the temple.

Again nothing exciting
But the serenity and casual walk was a stark contrast to Angor Wat which felt like going to war just to get a good view of the place.

The ruins adds to the mystery of the place and without a guide, I could only wonder the significance of each location.

The first sign of a temple is not very encouraging as it is clear that some rebuilding needed to be done thanks to the years of conflict and bombings.

It was intriguing to see the carving in the stones...
would be nice to have a translator at that moment.

 

Wasn't too impressive yet.

But having the place all to myself felt so freeing.

The further I ventured the more interesting the ruins became...

Curiouser and curiouser!

What are these holes for?

Were these beams just a temporary support or were there plans to actually rebuild?

My mind was distracted of its questions as I begin to notice the surroundings.

What a grand view just at its doorstep.

Though there was no one to welcome me...

Mother nature was doing a good job in making up for it.

It was such a welcoming and an intriguing sight

 I wondered if this was the Khmer style or is it clearly showing foreign influence.

Every pathway seems to lead to somewhere beautiful.

I couldn't wait to traverse them all.

I couldn't wait to see what greeted me around every corner.

up every stairs... in every doorway.

The combination of nature and these ancient ruins was truly a sight to behold.

My favourite being the trees that grew out of these sacred sites.

I've seen similar structures in Angkor, but here I had the opportunite to take it all in.

It was like it was my very own playground..
I was free to frolic and to explore

Every once in a long while I'd catch the sight of another living being...

but that would still be only once in a very long while.

The final location was the most breath taking....

Located at the cliff,

the view was indead breath taking, 

In an age where solitude and nature is hard to come by

Preah Vihear does it so effortlessly.

 It was sad to see so much of the place in ruins...

(I am sure by now much of the repair work is underway)

but without these ruins, I wouldn't be here...

I wonder now, if it had been preserved in a good state

would it have been over run with tourists?

would I ever get the opportunity to wander the beautiful walkways

connecting with nature?

This place left a great impression on my heart and mind...

it will forever be etched in my memory as one of the best adventures I've ever had...

So if you have come across this post because you were wondering if Preah Vihear is worth a trip...

I would say a big YES.... 

why bother with Angkor Wat when Preah Vihear has all the history and more beauty?