Phuket Fantasea
Patong Beach
Phuket city
Butterfly Garden & Insect World
The Simon Cabaret
Met up with other backpackers
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Author Archives: The Traveller
Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai
Other Attractions in Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai
Chiang Mai
Pattaya 芭堤雅
I have been to Pattaya a few times. Once, I took a coach from the basement of the airport and reached Pattaya in about 2 hours. Pattaya is a place where you can rest and relax as it is not that congested as compared to the city of Bangkok.
Other Attractions
Ridey’s Believe It or Not
Underwater World
There is a straight road around the beach from the north to the south. Just hop into one of those public “taxi” to get to either side for 40 bath or you can walk for more than 2 hours from one end to the other.
Mini Siam
The Beach
You can stay a week in Pattaya during the high season as the days are busy and the nights never sleep. There are also many attractions to visit.
San Francisco
Golden Gate Bridge
The Palace of Fine Arts
The Streets in San Francisco
Lombard Street – “the most crooked street in America.
Fisherman’s Wharf
Hyde St. Pier
Chinatown
Japan Center
Alcatraz
Office Related Items
S$1.99. CD on Class 95 Love Songs.
S$1.99. Christmas Songs in Finnish.
S$1.99. Triangle Snake Magic Cube (9cm x 6cm x 2cm).
Packing and Postage : For Singapore is S$2. Add S$2.40 for registered postage. For Overseas, I will need to check with the Post Office on the postage when I have your address.
Payment : For Singapore buyers, payment can be done through bank transfer or Cash on Delivery. For overseas buyers, payment is through Paypal.
Belgium 比利时 – Brussel 布鲁塞尔
The Battle of Waterloo was fought on 18 June 1815 in the South of Brussels, Belgium. I passed by this Napoleonic war zone, which is now a big empty grassland, when I was on the way to Amsterdam
While I was in Brussels I visited the Manneken Pis, Atomium, Central Square, the Palace and Mini Europe. The Atomium and Mini Europe are next to each other and you can spend a day there.
I happened to pass by a funfair where there are food, drinks, rides, sideshows, and other amusements.
France 法国
Hong Kong
I used 20,000 united mileage to exchange for a free return air ticket from United Airlines and travelled to Hong Kong (I only paid about $40 for the processing charge). From Hong Kong, I took the train to Shenzhen and stayed there for 3 days. From Shenzhen, I took a bus to Zhuhai and stayed for another 3 days. I crossed the Chinese border and stayed in Macau for 3 more days before I took the ferry back to Hong Kong.
This is Hong Kong – the busy city
Hong Kong Avenue Of Comic Stars 香港漫畫星光大道
I contacted 3 people while I was in Hong Kong and one of them has a brother working in the Disneyland. He made arrangement for me to enter the Disneyland with his mother for free.
The places I have visted while I was in Hong Kong
我在高山上
你在浅水湾
只要山水有相連
我们就会有來往
The Avenue of Stars
想约你去海边吹吹风
然后告诉你未来的梦
这样心里会快乐和轻松
但你说没必要去吹冷风
我们的未来根本没有梦
和我一起你不快乐也不轻松
天啊! 劉德華, 我失恋了……. 在星光大道
I stayed in Jean’s place when I was in Paris. Coincidentally I met him when I was in Hong Kong. We went out together to visit the Lantau island 大嶼山.
Cheng Huat is a Malaysian working in the Outward Bound Training School in Sai Kung 西貢. I visited him and stayed in his place for 2 nights. During the day, I went for island hopping. The interesting seafood selling market at the pier is an eye opener for me.
I stayed with Donald and his father in Kwai Fong 葵芳. I also stayed in CT’s house.
Nigerian Scams
I have put up some items for sale in the Facebook Marketplace. Recently I received 2 strange emails wanting to buy those items.
The first email was received in September. This buyer wanted to purchase a T-shirt from me and he is willing to pay $25 plus shipping and handling charges (I am selling the T-shirt for $15.95). He said the T-shirt is a birthday gift for his relative in Africa. He wanted to have my Paypal e-mail ID so that he can proceed with the payment to my Paypal account.
I find that this is rather strange as normally people will bargain with me to reduce the price and I wonder why he is willing to pay more than what I have asked for. I feel that something is not right and went to view his facebook. There is no photo and no basic info about him.
I wrote back and asked for his name and address so that I can check with the Post Office for the postage. I also asked whether he is in Singapore or somewhere else. He did not reply.
The second email came in October. This buyer has a more decent profile in the facebook. He has friends and wrote some information about himself. But I still feel a bit strange for him willing to pay US$650.65 plus postage charge for a watch that I am selling for S$495.95.
He said he is getting the watch for his daughter who is currently studying at the British international college in West Africa. Same as the first person, he asked me to get back to him with the final asking price and the Paypal Invoice.
I wrote back and asked why he is willing to pay so much more than I have asked for. I also asked him why does he need to have my paypal account. He could send me cash, money order, postal order or transfer the money to my bank account. I further asked if he is in Singapore we could meet up for the transaction.
According to the facebook, this second buyer hometown is in Columbus, Ohio, USA but he is currency living in Manchester, UK. He is working with a German company. I was thinking why can’t he buy the watch in UK and send it over to Africa instead of going through me? Aren’t there any watches in Manchester, besides football?
There are some significant similarities between these two buyers. Both are willing to pay more than the price I have advertised. Both said that the items are for someone in Africa and both are asking for my paypal account. I gathered and think that this could be the popular Nigerian scams and do a search in the Internet. True enough I found some people were cheated by sending out the goods but never get paid. Through the Internet, I saw one of the addresses given by the scammers is the same as what the second buyer has given me. I confirm that this is a scam and will not send the watch until I have received the money.
I wrote back to the second buyer and asked for cash or postal order to be sent to my post box. Here is the link on the Nigerian scams http://www.whoisandrewwee.com/ebay-auctions/ebay-nigeria-scam-exposed/
Lost in Translation
Someone at the United Nation once fed a common English saying into a translating computer. The machine was asked to translate the statement into Chinese, then into French, and finally back into English. The adage chosen was “Out of sight, out of mind. ” What came back was “Invisible insane.”
A similar computer was given the task of translating into Russian and then back to English the bromide “The spirit is willing, but the fresh is weak.” The result was “The wine is good but the meat is spoiled.”
What’s wrong with the translation? “Out of sight” does mean invisible and “out of mind” does mean insane. “Spirit” does mean wine and “flesh” does mean meat? Well, some sort of correct.
English has been recognized as the international lingua franca and people have begun adopting English for the benefits of visitors. Here are some examples of other languages that have been translated into English and lost the original intended meanings.
- In a Tokyo hotel : Is forbitten to steal hotel towels please. If you are not person to do such thing is please not to read notis.
- In another Japanese hotel room : Please to bathe inside the tub.
- In a hotel in Athens : Visitors are expected to complain at the office between the hours of 9 and 11a.m. daily.
- In the lobby of a Moscow hotel across a Russian Orthodox monastery : You are welcome to visit the cemetery where famous Russian and Soviet composers, artists and writers are buried daily except Thursday.
- On the menu of a Swiss restaurant : Our wines leave you nothing to hope for.
- In a Bangkok dry cleaner’s : Drop your trousers here for best results.
- In a Rhodes tailor shop : Order your summer suit. Because is big rush we will execute customers in strict rotation.
- In a Rome laundry : Ladies, leave your clothes here are spend the afternoon having a good time.
- In a Czechoslovakian tourist agency : Take one of our horse-driven city tours – we guarantee no miscarriages.
- Advertisement for donkey rides in Thailand : Would you like to ride on your own ass?
- In the window of a Swedish furrier : Fur coats made for ladies from their own skin.
- In a Swiss mountain inn : Special today – no ice cream.
- In a Norwegian cocktails lounge : Ladies are requested not to have children in the bar.
- At a Budapest zoo : Please do not feed the animals. If you have any suitable food, give it to the guard on duty.
- In a office of a Roman doctor : Specialist in women and other diseases.
- In a Acapulco hotel : The manager has personally passed all the water served here.
Source : Anguished English (Anniversary Edition!) – An Anthology of Accidental Assaults Upon Our Language by Richard Lederer. Published by Wyrick & Company, Charleston, South Carolina, USA.