Author: Y C

CI, SQ, PK, MH, includes a 6 hour layover in KLIA. The final destination is Islamabad. Amazing how many flight permutations there are to get there. Some go through Dubai and double back (!!! :-o). Some via Beijing. There’s a direct from Tokyo via TK. No one goes back via how they came. Amazing stuff. It makes me think that I can nail Amazing Race if given the chance. Wonder how one can sign up for it…. There’s a prize right?

Hope you folks had a good picnic and with more comfortable weather. Summer there hasn’t been so bad but then, I’m back in A/C environs with a typical corporate desk job.

Last trip back from Malaysia was good. I stayed at the KL Hilton for the conference instead of the Le Meridien. Good but I like Meridien better, more comfortable all around. We tried out their steak place called Prime which served all the traditional style cuts etc. They even had Australian Wagyu Beef which appears to be more common in some of the high end steak places in Asia. Friday night at a friend’s farewell to Taiwan party, we went to Robin’s Grill which also had it but at extremely pricey pricey prices :-o. I’ll have to go back and do the Wagyu beef at some point in time with some Joseph Phelps “Le Mistral”, a fabulous fabulous fabulous red. I think even better than the Duckhorn that I’ve had in the past.
Good food… that’s what’s important. Now just missing the good friends in Asia to join me in this passion!

Catching up on some blogging now at the Dynasty Lounge in Jakarta international airport before heading back to TPE. Been on the road now for 8 days, KUL -> SIN -> CGK (Jakarta Airport code). Glad to have missed the Typhoon up north but the weather down here has not been normal either. Lots of rain in the early and late mornings. In Malaysia, flash floods due to heavy rains is a real danger on the road. Hills around the KL -> Ipoh -> Penang highway get washed away forcing the road crews to rebuild around the clock. Making it harder is the fact that the soil around Malayia is soft redish sand/clay like substance.

It’s a lot of work traveling getting to know people and learning what’s going on. Met a few really nice and smart people. Impressed with the folks here in the Jakarta office. Wish I had them. Team and relationship building along with skills development are the driving forces now.

What I haven’t figured out yet is that although it’s only 1.5 hours away from Singapore, Why is Jakarta an hour behind? I’ll have to take a look at the map again. I thought they’d be in the same window.

Jakarta is a city of 11 million people, sprawling megapolis and quite beautiful, even though areas of it area quite poor. In between Manila/Makati City Philippines, and KL. Food delicious and the people here are just so warm, friendly and welcoming. Refreshing compared to Taiwan despite the Taiwanese reputation for being friendly people. My colleagues took me to Hotel Borobudur Jakarta which is famous for its oxtail delicacies and boy, it didn’t disappoint. I’d love to come back again soon.

Not-so-looking forward to a busy travel schedule the next 6 weeks. I’ll be headed back to HK a couple of times, KL again, London, Singapore again. In between I’ll have to find time to move.

Ouch.

Happy trails folks and be well!

PS-was in my drafts, not sure if it ever made it… from May time.