Being 1/3
century or 3.3 decades old is amazing! While I prefer to look like a
23-year-old with wisdom of a 43-year-old, today is the youngest I will ever be
at 33. The magical lifestyle I am enjoying now was what I imagined at 21. I can
finally say that I reached an abundance of gratitude and happiness, with inner peace
and freedom.
I am
grateful that I managed to check off >100 bucket list items by this year.
Even if I do not make it to 40 years old, there are no regrets in my happy and
fulfilling life. My biggest 2016 goal is to give more time and money, while
having enough to lead a comfortable and simple financially-free lifestyle.
The best
travel moments cannot be captured in photos. What you see on my social media
are good moments that are photo-worthy, but they are not necessary the best or my
favourite. Travel is experienced in real life and cannot be captured on photos
or broadcast on social media.
Before I
forget, thought I better document some information from my #180DaysOfTravel
trip:
Trip objective:
I am
going to be here only once in my lifetime. Assuming I will never visit again, I
must do everything I can within my means at this point of time to have no
regrets.
Special moments that cannot be photographed:
When
locals and tourists asked me for directions/information. It happened more than
10 times in 10 different cities. I felt accepted by the society and a sense of
belonging with the community.
Countries I set foot on:
~ Hong
Kong (airport)
~ Canada
~ United
States of America
~ Bahamas
~ Panama
(airport)
~ Brazil
Cities I spent more than 24 hours at:
~
Vancouver (Canada) [15 Jul – 1 Aug]
~ Seattle
[1 Aug – 2 Aug]
~
Portland [2 Aug – 5 Aug]
~ San
Francisco [6 Aug – 8 Aug]
~ Las
Vegas [8D7N package tour]
~ Los
Angeles [16 Aug – 1 Sep]
~ Madison
(Wisconsin) [1 Sep – 3 Sep]
~
Milwaukee [3 Sep – 1 Oct]
~ New
York City [1 Oct – 22 Oct]
~ Toronto
[22 Oct – 24 Nov]
~ Orlando
[24 Nov – 4 Dec]
~ Nassau
[4 Dec – 9 Dec]
~ Miami
[9 Dec – 11 Dec]
~ Manaus
[11 Dec – 21 Dec]
~
Honolulu [22 Dec’15 – 11 Jan’16]
City I miss most:
New York
City, Manhattan is fave borough to visit but Queens is fave borough to live in.
City I would like to live, study and work in
(for 1-3 years):
A tie
between Canada’s Vancouver and USA’s Honolulu.
Vancouver:
Wonderful people, good environment, generally safe, decent transportation
system, affordable necessities, mild climate, and nice Asian influence (aka
food!).
Honolulu:
Nice tropical weather that is not as hot and humid as SG, Oahu’s natural
environment is like NZ, beautiful waterfront & beaches, nice people, tasty
food (Ahi Poke rules!), decent bus system (no subways!), and touristy areas are
generally safe.
Mercer liveable cities 2015:
https://www.imercer.com/uploads/GM/qol2015/h5478qol2015/index.html
Having
lived in Auckland (#3) for 6 months, I agree Vancouver (#5) is as good as
Auckland even though Singapore (#26) is still my preference. Sydney (#10),
Wellington (#12), and Toronto (#15) are better than most of the US cities I
visited. Honolulu is at #36 probably because the city felt like Singapore in
the 1990s, still developing.
Least favourite city:
Portland
– too weird for my liking. An old man molested me by putting his hand on mine
in the bus. A dodgy young man with a huge black jacket hung over right shoulder
in the middle of summer (looks like he hid a gun underneath). A young
able-bodied woman asked us to give her money randomly. Unlikely to go Portland
again.
Favourite foreign cuisine:
Equally
love both Amazonia Tambaqui Assado and Hawaiian Ahi Poke. Can’t decide which
one I prefer more.
AirBnB homes:
~ House
along S. New Hampshire Ave @ Los Angeles (SGD 895 for 13 nights)
~
Apartment in Cypress Fairway along Vineland Road @ Orlando (SGD 395 for 5 nights)
~
Apartment in Mystic Pointe II along Hobbit Circle @ Orlando (SGD 419 for 5
nights)
~
Apartment in Town Court Condo along Nassau Street @ Nassau (SGD 435 for 5
nights)
~ House
near airport @ Miami (SGD 135 for 2 nights)
~ House
in Planalto neighbourhood @ Manaus (SGD 679 for 10 nights)
~
Apartment along Laau Street @ Honolulu (SGD 522 for 7 nights)
~ Private
43rd floor Penthouse in Hawaiian Monarch Hotel @ Honolulu Waikiki
(SGD 795 for 7 nights)
Check out
the lovely places I stayed in and my reviews from: https://www.airbnb.com/users/show/23138751
Best stay-in moment:
Spent 1+
hour lazing on a couch with 3 doggies (Bella, Taike, and Torti) leaning against
me, fat cat behind my head and skinny cat walked across my stomach. Felt loved
by the pets!
Worst night:
I can’t
pick a favourite home coz there are too many (maybe 16?). But my worst night
was spent in Dallas Airport. It is nothing glamourous like Tom Hanks in The
Terminal movie. Second worst night was a tie between overnight train from
Portland to San Francisco and the backpackers at San Francisco.
How I deal with homesickness:
Drink
honey green tea. Only managed to find the honey green tea that taste like home
(Gong Cha’s version) in Los Angeles and Toronto.
Parks/Gardens visited:
~ Van
Dusen Botanical Garden (Vancouver)
~ UBC
Botanical Garden (Vancouver)
~ Queen
Elizabeth Park (Vancouver)
~ Stanley
Park (Vancouver)
~ Dr Sun
Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden (Vancouver)
~ Nitobe
Memorial Garden (Vancouver)
~ Arches
National Park (Utah)
~ Mount Rushmore
National Memorial (South Dakota)
~ Crazy
Horse Memorial (South Dakota)
~ Devils
Tower National Monument (Wyoming)
~ Yellowstone
National Park (Wyoming and Montana)
~ Grand
Teton National Park (Wyoming)
~ Grand
Canyon West Rim (Arizona)
~ Griffith
Park (Los Angeles)
~ Pacific
Park (Los Angeles)
~ MacArthur
Park and Westlake (Los Angeles)
~ Indian
Lake County Park (Madison)
~ Olbrich
Botanical Gardens (Madison)
~ Kletzsch
Park (Milwaukee)
~ Lincoln
and Meaux Park (Milwaukee)
~ Milwaukee
River Parkway at Estabrook Park
~ Mitchell
Park Horticultural Conservatory (Milwaukee Domes)
~ Queens
Botanical Garden (New York City)
~ Central
Park (New York City)
~ New
York Botanical Garden and Bronx River
~ Brooklyn
Botanic Garden (New York City)
~ Prospect
Park (New York City)
~ Battery
Park (New York City)
~ High
Line (New York City)
~ Bryant
Park (New York City)
~ Niagara
Falls (Toronto)
~ Allan
Gardens (Toronto)
~ Toronto
Botanical Gardens and Edwards Gardens
~
Centennial Park Conservatory (Toronto)
~ Amazon rainforest,
river and basin
~ Museu
da Amazonia / Manaus Botanic Gardens
~ Foster
Botanical Garden (Honolulu)
~
Waikiki Beach and Park (Honolulu)
~
Ala Moana Beach Park (Honolulu)
~
Koko Crater Botanical Garden (Honolulu)
These 40
parks are the bigger and more well-known ones. I also went to/pass at least 30
smaller neighbourhood parks nestled among the residences. Visited a few places
multiple times, like Central Park and Amazon rainforest.
Favourite garden:
Nothing
come close to my favourite Istana Gardens, and second favourite Singapore
Botanic Gardens. The closest to favourite overall experience would be VanDusen
Botanical Garden in Vancouver. The standard are pretty similar across most
gardens, so I am comparing the quality of guided tour, interesting
plants/themed gardens and overall size/layout.
Favourite green space:
Definitely
the Amazon! The national parks are gorgeous but the Amazon is the most ‘wow’.
Science centres/museums visited:
~ Science
World (Vancouver)
~ Beaty
Biodiversity Museum (Vancouver)
~ Museum
of Anthropology (Vancouver)
~ H. R.
Macmillan Space Centre (Vancouver)
~ Museum
of Vancouver
~ Vancouver
Maritime Museum
~ California
Science Center (Los Angeles)
~ Aquarium
of the Pacific (Los Angeles)
~ Natural
History Museum of Los Angeles County
~ La Brea
Tar Pits (Los Angeles)
~ Harley-Davidson
Museum (Milwaukee)
~ Milwaukee
County Zoo (Milwaukee)
~ Grohmann
Museum (Milwaukee)
~ Miluwakee
Public Museum
~ Discovery
World (Milwaukee)
~ New
York Hall of Science
~ Queens
Museum (New York City)
~ Metropolitan
Museum of Art (New York City)
~ Museum
of the City of New York
~ American
Museum of Natural History (New York City)
~ Bronx
Zoo (New York City)
~ New
York Aquarium
~ Brooklyn
Museum (New York City)
~ Staten
Island Museum (New York City)
~ 9/11
Memorial and Museum (New York City)
These are
based on my Instagram photos. There are probably 10 others that I didn’t think
were interesting enough and at least 10 others I decided not to go in at the
last minute. The best museums are all those in New York City, their standard is
way higher than everywhere else.
Favourite moment:
Hard to
pick a moment since there are hundreds of them. But for solo moments, it will
be the time spent in Universal Studios Orlando Wizarding World of Harry Potter,
especially in Diagon Alley. I felt like a muggle-born Hogwarts student entering
the wizarding world for the first time. Everything at every turn is so magical!
Least favourite moment(s):
Eating
instant noodles at home. Lost count the number of times, definitely more than 30
times!
Airports visited:
Singapore’s
Changi Airport
Hong Kong
International Airport
Vancouver
International Airport
San
Francisco International Airport
Las Vegas
McCarran International Airport
Los
Angeles International Airport
Minneapolis-Saint
Paul International Airport
Madison
Dane County Regional Airport
Milwaukee
General Mitchell International Airport
New
York’s LaGuardia Airport
Aeroport
Trudeau-Montreal
Billy
Bishop Toronto City Airport
Toronto
Pearson International Airport
Orlando
International Airport
Nassau
Lynden Pindling International Airport
Miami
International Airport
Panama
Tocumen International Airport
Manaus Eduardo
Gomes International Airport
Dallas
Fort Worth International Airport
Honolulu
International Airport
After
seeing 20 airports in 6 months, our Changi Airport is definitely my favourite.
Even after navigating so many airports, it is still a challenge as every
airport is uniquely different. LAX is the most confusing, half of HNL has no
air-conditioning, got bitten by insects/mozzies in MAO and several airports has
poor wifi signal/connection.
Most dramatic airport experience:
Was
almost detained in Montreal airport due to my crazy itinerary. For the first
time in my life, I cannot pass Customs.
Customs Officer:
How long are you staying in Canada? *flipping through my passport*
Me: About
a month.
CO: Who
are you staying with?
Me: With
my friend in Toronto.
CO: You
went to Vancouver in July? *saw my Vancouver entry stamp in July but no exit
stamp*
Me: Yes.
CO: Are
you working now?
Me: No. I
am on holiday.
CO: Since
July?
Me: Yes.
CO:
Please go straight to Immigration Office. [didn’t stamp my passport and points
at the office]
The
Immigration Officer confiscated my passport and phones, then asked me to bring
my luggage up for inspection. By the time, I went to the luggage carousel, the
conveyor belt has already stopped. Spent 15 minutes looking around stray
luggage and found my hidden in a corner. *phew*
The whole
session in Immigration Office took an hour and a whole lot of questions. Just
summarise the memorable points here. This ordeal is only interesting on the
hindsight. During the process, I actually panicked a little and felt like a
criminal or suspected illegal immigrant.
Immigration
Officer: Are you pregnant? *opened my checked-in luggage and started digging*
Me: No.
Do I look pregnant? *peeved at the insinuation that I look fat coz I wore a
baggy hoody*
IO:
Routine question. Are you married?
Me: No.
IO: Are
you looking for a partner to migrate here?
Me: No! Canada is too cold for me to live in long term.
IO: Who
are you staying with?
Me: My
friend in Toronto.
IO: How
did you know this friend?
Me: We
were flatmates 9 years ago when we studied in New Zealand.
IO: So
when did you last meet this friend?
Me: I met
up with her in New York last week. She was there for a work trip.
IO: Are
you meeting her in Toronto airport?
Me: No.
She is in Vegas for work trip now and coming back tonight. So I am going
straight to her place to meet her sister.
IO: So you
are staying with your old flatmate from New Zealand, in which you met her in
New York last week, and she is in Vegas now?
Me: Yes.
[The 2 IOs communicated between themselves in French.]
IO: How
long are you staying in Toronto?
Me: About
a month.
IO: Where
are you going next?
Me:
Haven’t decided yet.
IO: Where
have you been? *saw my Vancouver entry stamp in July and USA entry stamp in
August*
Me: I
flew into Vancouver in mid-July, travelled around western USA in August. Then
went to Wisconsin and New York City before coming here.
IO: Who
were you staying with in New York?
Me: My
friend’s mum. Not the Toronto friend.
IO: How
did you meet this friend?
Me: She
was my flatmate in New Zealand too, with this Toronto friend.
IO: Where
is this friend now?
Me: She is
working in Milwaukee. I was visiting her in September, and then went to stay
with her mum in October.
IO: Are
you rich? *they counted the cash [CAD 800 & USD 700] and looked through my
credit cards*
Me: No.
IO: You
don’t need to work?
Me: I am
spending my savings.
IO: What
are these for? *fished out my tactical pen, 2 metal sticks and 3 pocket knives*
Me: For
self-defense. (The 2 IOs discussed a little and put the items in again)
IO: Okay,
you may go now.
Most interesting transportation:
Helicopter
ride at Grand Canyon and submarine at Honolulu are equally unusual.
Most expensive flight:
Costs USD
1487.37 [about SGD 2,100] one way from Manaus to Honolulu via American
Airlines. Business class from Manaus to Miami and then to Dallas, Economy class
from Dallas to Honolulu. My fave flight was from Manaus to Miami via TAM
airlines.
Biggest challenge:
Language
barrier in Manaus. Met about 5 people who can understand/speak English in 10
days. Can barely buy a slice of pizza at the airport coz everything is in Portuguese
and don’t understand if I can pay with credit card.
Biggest regret:
Did not
manage to experience more of Amazon Basin/Rainforest coz it is unlikely I will
ever visit Manaus/South America again.
Luckiest moment:
Won
Broadway Aladdin show twice within 3 days. Odds on Sunday mornings and Tuesday
evenings are the highest.
Most boy-crazy moment:
Watching
the Chippendales show at Las Vegas Rio. It is so good that if I visit Las Vegas
next time, I will watch it again. BBC Sherlock marathon is a close second
(watched the whole series 3 times!).
Most troublesome moment but necessary:
Handwash
laundry 50% of the time and need to wear the same outfit for more than 1 day.
Most painful moment:
Being
poked by the Yellow Fever injection coz it burned!
50 useful Portuguese words to use in
Manaus/Brazil:
Thank you
= Obrigada (female)
Home =
Casa
Food =
Comida
Water =
Aguas
Dinner =
Jantar
Hungry =
Faminto
Buy =
Comprar
Pay/payment
= Pagamento
Yes = Sim
No = Nao
Female
toilet = Banheiro feminino
Bank =
Banco
Money/Cash
= Dinheiro
How much
= Quanto
Handphone/cellphone
= Celular
Open =
Aberto (in front of shops)
Closed =
Fechar (in front of shops)
Today =
Hoje
Tomorrow
= Amanha
Pretty =
Bonita
Photo =
Foto
Supermarket
= Supermercado
Market =
Mercado
Road =
Estrada
Street =
Rua (the roads are called Rua XXX and not XXX Street)
Carpark =
Estacionamento
Crossing
= Cruzamento (road signs only show when cannot cross)
Airport =
Aeroporto
Apartment
= Apartamento
Fish =
Peixe [pronounce as pei-she]
Roast =
Assado [Tambaqui]
Fried =
Frito
Salmon =
Salmao
Bread =
Pao
Small =
Pequena
Beach =
Praia
Bridge =
Ponta
River =
Rio
Black =
Negra
Farm =
Fazenda
Botanic
Garden = Jardim botanico
Rainforest
= Floresta Tropical
Theatre =
Teatro
Museum =
Museu (the botanic gardens is also called a museum?)
Meeting =
Encontro
Plateau =
Planalto (the name of the neighbourhood I stayed in)
Appointment
= Compromisso
Traffic
jam/congestion = Congestionamento
Marriage/wedding
= Casamento
English =
Ingles
Biggest problem:
Putting on
weight! Skinny jean was slightly loose before the trip and now it is too tight
to button.
Budget:
Planned
for SGD20,000, with the aim of SGD 100/day. In actual fact, it is about USD
100/day, so total spending is about SGD 26,000.
Travel philosophy:
~ Must be
fun for me. My opinion is what matters most, who cares if it is a tourist
must-do.
~ Safety
and security first. Reach home before sun down and pay a little more for safer
accommodation.
~ Travel
in comfort. In a comfortable pace with basic facilities and proper meals.
~
Experience true freedom. Wake up any time I want and decide what to do for the
day in the morning.
~ Be
open-minded to other cultures. Accept and try all new experiences if they are
not too extreme.
~ Live
like a local. Achievement unlock when locals/tourists ask me for directions and
recommendations.
~
Experience it myself (or not). Stay curious on all new culture and experiences.
