Causeway was jammed in the old days too!

Seems like the traffic on the Johor Causeway as always been quite nightmarish since time immemorial! Judging from the water pipe location in the pic, looks like the crowd is headed into JB... weekend makan + shopping, perhaps.

And this is the crawl we see now in modern-day Johor Causeway. Must be the weekend crowd rushing back to Singapore on Sunday night. Sometimes I can't imagine the thousands of commuters who cross the causeway daily just to earn a living.

If only one day, Malaysia and Singapore do away with the immigration checks and allow hassle-free travel between both countries. Just like in the EU!

Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri!

The "Festival of the Breaking of Fast" is called...

• Idul Fitri, Hari Lebaran by the Indonesians
• Hari Raya Pusa by the Malaysians
• Riyoyo, Riyayan, Ngaidul Fitri by the Javanese
• Boboran Siyam by the Sundanese
• Rojar Eid by the Bengalis
• Ramazan Bayrami by the Turkish
• Eid-e-Sayed Fitr by the Persians
• Choti Eid by the Urdus
• Ramazanski Bajram by the Bosnians

Wherever you are from, whatever your nationality... I wish you "Selamat Hari Raya Puasa", "عيد مبارك‎", " ঈদ মুবারাক"... Maaf zahir dan batin! Have a blessed festival and happy holidays!

Btw, above is an Eid Greeting postage stamp issued by US in 2001.

During years when we had Hari Raya together we Chinese New Year, we Malaysians celebrate Kongsi Raya. When Hari Raya is close to Deepavali, we celebrate Deeparaya.

Do you know by 2011, we would be celebrating Hari Raya on 31st August. Merdeka-Raya?

Old Vũng Tàu (Turbulent Years)

I have always been a fan of old photos. Found the above old photos of Vũng Tàu, probably in the 1960-70s (the turbulent years of the Vietnam War). Those were the days when Vũng Tàu was a R&R for combat troops. It is amazing that the Grand Hotel withstood the war years and is still in operation as part of Palace Hotel now. Must have been the grandest hotel those days. Still is now!

About Vũng Tàu

Vũng Tàu is a small city about 2 hours north-east of Ho Chi Minh City. It is a famous holiday haunt for Vietnamese as it boasts a long and beautiful beach, just outside of bustling HCMC. The most iconic landmark of Vũng Tàu is a large statue of Jesus Christ sitting atop a hill. It reminds you of Brazil's statue and is a must-see when in Vũng Tàu.

During the Vietnam war, Vũng Tàu is a popular R&R for the American troops (and some say Vietcongs too!). It was so popular that troops stationed in Vũng Tàu refuses to go for R&R elsewhere for fear that they will be transferred out. After the fall of South Vietnam, Vũng Tàu became a popular launching point for the Vietnamese boat people fleeing to other countries.

Modern-day Vũng Tàu is a beautiful and charming city. It has boomed due to the many industries sprouting around the province of Ba Ria - Vũng Tàu. Most notably are the power stations, fertilizer plants and O&G facilities. Many expats stay during the weekdays in Vũng Tàu and so the city is lined with many bars, cafes and good-quality restaurants. On weekends, it is packed with Vietnamese who date along the beach fronts.

Old Vung Tau

Found some pictures of old Vung Tau. The first one looks like the beach near Palace Hotel, facing the White Villa.

Vietnam again

Back to Vietnam after more than a year. This is one those charming countries with nice people, wonderful food and laidback environment. The airport landing visa counter is as chaotic as ever. The streets are still busy and heavy with traffic as bikes, cars and trucks jostle for limited space. The sound of horns is deafening. I think the traffic now is heavier than a year ago but maybe it's because of the timing of my arrival.

Vung Tau city hasn't changed much. There are some new shops but things have remained pretty much the same. The same people are selling their "wares" in front of the hotel and the same people are offering USD4/hr motorbike rides around town Sadly, my favorite Vietnamese restaurant has closed down. It has been quite tiring so far coz of the travelling time and seemingly endless routines of waiting and waiting. Work is quite relaxed... not much to do, like I said, it's lotsa waiting and waiting.

Fringe on Channel 5

They are screening the sci-fi series called "Fringe" on Channel 5. Now I can pick up from where I've left watching when I was in Syria. And I can even recap some episodes that I missed during the odd-chance when I went to Aleppo.

I just realized how winding the new slip road between the CIQ and causeway is, particularly the incoming into JB. Actually, it's the first time I took the causeway in the direction to JB since the CIQ opened. Simply horrible... and I notice ever since the new CIQ is open, the traffic crawl has appeared on the JB side back-flowing to Woodlands! And whilst, Dr M didn't get his "Scenic Bridge", Pak Lah definitely built a "Scenic Road" from the causeway to the CIQ. Or maybe he was jealous that Singapore is having their F1 night race. Thus, an F1 circuit as you enter JB!

What is wrong with Gulf Air?

Had a most unmemorable flight on Gulf Air. No wonder, this is the only airline from the GCC which almost folded...

• I had to wait for half-an-hour to check-in my luggage despite having only 1 person in front of me. The check-in crew was disorganized and she did not give me a seat-by-the-aisle which she has promised me!
• My first flight from Damascus to Bahrain was delayed for more than an hour. Nobody was around to handle the impatient crowd and an Arab lady almost fainted in the commotion.
• The flight from Bahrain to KL was even worse. It was operated by Jet Airways India. Apparently, the "flight attendant" button was merely a decoration on the console. None of the attendants bothered to respond to calls. In fact, I saw some just walking pass briskly ignoring calls from the passengers. I almost died of thirst trying to get a cup of water from them.
• As we almost reached KL, breakfast was served without drinks. And they started collecting the breakfast even before we dug in. Still without drinks.
• Flight attendants are generally not courteous, especially males. Reminds me of Qatar Airways.

GCC Airlines as ranked by me:

1. Etihad Airways
2. Emirates
3. Qatar Airways
4. Gulf Air

Goods and Bads of Syria

Having spent some months in the Syrian Arab Republic, I believe I can sum up some of the good and bad sides of Syria.

The Good Sides of Syria

1. Untainted - still relatively isolated from the outside world. The country is still untainted with modern development. Makes an interesting visit for those who likes to explore things as it is.
2. Heritage - never did realize the many historical sites in Syria until I visited this country. Definitely a must-see for those who are into ancient civilizations and history.
3. Hospitality - Syrians are generally helpful and they go all out to assist anyone that comes along. Only problem is they can't speak English.
4. Safe - Despite widespread poverty, Syria is incredibly safe with low rates of crime.
5. Scenery - North western Syria is green and beautiful especially in winter/ spring. If you just ignore the Arabic words and rundown buildings, the scenery is exactly like Switzerland.

The Bad Sides of Syria

1. Ignorance - Syrians have been (and pretty much still is) living in a cocoon and is therefore ignorant of the outside world. Many still think that the way things are done in Syria couldn't have been better! This couldn't have been farther from the truth.
2. Food - Arabic food is not exactly rich in diversity and in Syria, you hardly come across food that is not Arabic. Taste one, taste all!
3. Disorganized - Syrians are incredibly disorganized, whether in terms of driving or government bureaucracy. They definitely bring a new meaning to the "tidak apa" attitude of Malaysian civil servants.
4. Disconnected - Telecommunication and internet couldn't be worse in this country. Not to mention many web sites including Facebook, Youtube and "politically-sensitive sites" are banned.

All in all, Syria is nice to visit and holiday in for short periods of time. For a non-Arab, I wouldn't really like to stay too long in this country.

The Long Journey Home

It was a really long journey home from Syria. I woke up as early as 6 AM and I left Jisr Al Shoghour at 7AM. I headed to Damascus and was at the airport by 12 NOON. The queue was not too long but somehow the management of the check-in counters was absolutely chaotic and disorganized. This of course I've learnt to be a trademark of Syrians. Anyway, immigration clearance was smooth and I entered the duty free zone. There is a pathetic restaurant which only serves cheese sandwich. I just grabbed that with a glass of orange juice. Thereafter, I walked around. Nothing much of interest. The flight was delayed by an hour due to late arrival of the airplane. The crowd was impatient and an Arab lady almost fainted while waiting to board.

The airplane finally departed from Damascus at about 4.15pm. By the time we arrived in Bahrain it was dark. There was a sandstorm and everything was dusty. I changed the remaining SYP1000 into Bahraini Dinar. Shopped for some souvenirs and dates. Time flies and by the time I know it, I'm already on board the connecting flight to KL. Gulf Air aircrafts were quite good but I could not say the same for their flight attendants. Their service is horrible and they do not seem to attend to the passengers even after repeatedly pressing the flight attendant button. During breakfast time, they delivered the food minus the drinks. Before we even touched it, they were collecting it back again. I've always thought that Lufthansa was the worst in service but from now onwards the honor goes to Gulf Air. No wonder the airline almost folded some years back.

After a long 8 hour flight, we finally landed in KLIA. It was such a good feeling to reach back home. Bought some stuff at the airport, cleared immigration and customs. Took the taxi and by the time I reach home it was past 11am. Counting back, I spent almost 24 hours travelling from Syria to KL. The journey home was definitely not an easy one!