Photo of the Day: Baywatch shooting

18 baywatch shooting.jpg, originally uploaded by aibek_dunaev.

One of the unforgettable trips in South East Asia was the trip to Redang Island with Nacho, Tee and Gitti. We had great fun shooting pix, chasing the fish, eating lots of seafood and partying on the beach at night. My dream is to go there again one day.

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weekend back in Malaysia?!

The Czech Republic hopes that AirAsia X can finalise negotiations to fly to Prague by December 2007. Ambassador Dana Hunatova said there was much expectation that AirAsia would be granted landing rights to fly to the capital. (http://myairport.blogspot.com)

I heard this from my flatmate as well. She just came back from Malaysia, and was telling me that AirAsia (Malaysia based budget airline) is planning to fly to Prague directly from Kuala-Lumpur and for very good prices! Mammamia! As I don't need visa for Malaysia, I could just hop on the plane in Friday evening after work, spend the weekend plus few more off days in KL or some other Malaysian islands or even take further AirAsia flights to any other destination in SE Asia! :) Hopefully starting from December I will be spending my holidays somewhere in the tropics. What makes me save my leave days for now...

Maybe soon I'll be again in the little paradise corner.

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iTravel videos

I recently got time and uploaded the videos I took time to time and kept in my hard drive (even though it took time and cost me some time of starvation), so here in one post I present them all.

Singapore videos;

DHL Mafia at Karaoke

2005 New Year morning on the beach at East Coast, Singapore

Mafia Karaoke, singing "Copa Cabana"

Mafia Karaoke, singing "Just like a prayer"

Mafia Karaoke, singing "Love is all around"

Mafia Karaoke, singing "Hero"

Tropical rain in New Year

MacRitchie reservoir

Glance at Lau Pa Sat, our popular outdoor dining place in Singapore. Excellent food! Also, see how Teh Tarik (pulled tea) is prepared (while Tong is watching)!!! I missed this place!

Merlion of Singapore, Singapore river, Esplanade theaters, Fullerton hotel, one of the nicest corners in Lion City.

Parkview Square in Bugis (Singapore)

Siloso beach, Sentosa

Monkeys at Bukit Timah, Singapore

Chinese Garden, Singapore

View from the Pogoda in Chinese Garden. Zoomed is Mayfair condominiums where I lived in Singapore.

Feeding the birds with fish at Jurong Bird Park, Singapore

Sanjay and Hannele on fire at Annual DHL Dinner&Dance in Singapore (2004).

Performance by Ceci and Michal :)).

Another view from DHL Dinner&Dance. Sanjay rushing towards girls :)).

At Astoria. Tee wants "dramatic collapse", Gitti saying "ye ye ye", Michal and Krishna burning the kitchen, Nacho trying had not to lose... old good days!
I won that game by the way, je je :)).


Malaysia videos;

Petronas towers, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

View from TV tower, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia


Taiwan videos;

AIESEC Taiwan MCP elections result, 2006

Yang Ming Shan, Mt.Cising Main Peak (1120 m), Taipei/ Taiwan.

Lover's bridge, Danshui, Taipei

How fried ice cream is prepared. At Danshui, Taipei (Taiwan).

AIESEC trainees of Taipei singing Xmas carols in front of SOGO, Taipei

AIESEC trainees of Taipei singing Xmas carols 2

2006 New Year Celebs Fireworks at Taipei101

Farewell speech, Taiwan

Taiwanese KTV with co-workers from Datatronics

Lantern festival at Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall in Taipei (Taiwan)

Kyrgyzstan videos;

Nursi (my nephew)

Klasstashtar (classmates from high-school)

Dance #1 (Deloitte Bishkek NY 2007 Party)

Dance #2 (Deloitte Bishkek NY 2007 Party)

Dance #3 (Deloitte Bishkek NY 2007 Party)

Dance #4 (Deloitte Bishkek NY 2007 Party)

Dance #5 (Deloitte Bishkek NY 2007 Party)

Dance #6 (Deloitte Bishkek NY 2007 Party)

Kyrgyz Hymn Clip (I caught from TV)


Turkey videos (from my recent stay in Istanbul);

Inside the Blue Mosque

Ayasofya (St.Sophia) and Blue Mosque, Istanbul
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need holiday soon...

tired from working, haven't had proper holiday for long time. it is also raining and cold in taipei these days. i missed the sun, i missed the sand, i missed the blue sea, and a company of cool n funky "mafiosas". want to go back to redang... want to get out of taipei...


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Kuala Lumpur trip

Have you ever been to Kuala Lumpur? First thing you see when entering city is the twin Petronas Towers, especially they look very bright at night. Kuala Lumpur is not that big city as Singapore or Istanbul. Still many interesting places to visit. One of the main attractions is the Petronas Towers which symbolizes the city. But there's nothing that much about them except the beautiful architecture. Most of it is occupied by offices (I'd give a lot to work there!). Another one is the Minara Tower. You can have a really cool view of KL from there starting from neighbourhood till Batu Caves (which are another attraction in KL, these caves contain some temples inside). And you will be supplied by audio device which explains more on what you see outside. Following typical tourist mentality, I visited all these places. But what was more interesting is that I could visit my Kyrgyz friends from same school in Kyrgyzstan, they are Nurbek and Kamchy Jusupovs and their families! I saw them last when they graduated before us in 1996! Nurbek bro studied in KL and got married to a girl from Myanmar, and he is currently working in KL. Kamchi (his younger brother) studied in Turkey and got married there to a Kyrgyz girl, and now he is working in KL and also they have 1,5 year old daughter, Kamila! Very pretty and sweet baby(see bottom-left photo). I stayed in their places while I was there. Also I met another Kyrgyz guy Ades Tynyshev who got married to a Malay girl! Wow! Kyrgyz girls, you better be more careful, boys are going in opposite direction! :-) Altogether we went to Bukit Tinggi for a picnic and visited French Village there. In the evening we were invited for a dinner by a Kyrgyz family who are working in our embassy there. It was great feeling to see so many Kyrgyz after 7 months being away. Food was great too, real Kyrgyz food, not prawns and fishballs and no chicken!
Weekend was great except that I was bitten by mosquito there and got infected with dengue fever. But I survived!
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Pulau Besar - Melakka (Malaysia) trip

(All other photos here)

Pulau Besar is a small island very near to historical city Melakka in Malaysia. Almost every second building in Melakka is a museum now and that showst he great past of the city which was occupied by Portuguese, Dutch and English in past centuries. Now it is only a place to visit in Malaysia. Pulau Besar is also one of the beautiful islands of Malaysia. Actually, after being to Pulau Redang island on north-east of Malaysia 2 weeks ago, Pulau Besar gave me poor impression, sea was not as clean and clear as it was in Pulau Redang, so no snorkeling and underwater view. But what made that trip great and memorable was the trainee reunion! 15 of us (here is the line-up: Krishna (India), Michal (Slovakia), Devrim (Turkey/USA), Teresa (New Zealand), Luis (Brazil), Pilli (Kenya), Jona (the Philippines), Alex and Lars (Germany), Nacho (Argentina), Vega (Taiwan), Erik (Korea), Zulfi (Lebanon), Gitti (Hungary) and me (Kyrgyz boy) were there. Well? After a very short tour in Melakka, where we could only visit a fortress and museum - sailor ship (I think it was a historical Portuguese trade ship), we took a ferry to the island. We made some noise at the island that weekend. Swimming, singing, biking, eating, laughing altogether, we enjoyed it! Although sea was not clean to swim we enjoyed sitting on the beach, swimming pool was more better although it was clear that they hadn?t changed its water for a while. Karaoke session was fun as usual. Our bicycle tour ?around the island in 80 minutes gave us more idea about the island. Actually this island was full of golf courts in jungle, really cool place for golf lovers, and because it was not a golf season now, island was almost empty. Next thing was that we found a lost city in the island! Imagine a small town-village, almost all white stone buildings reflecting past centuries architecture, settled on the coast with a beautiful view. But completely empty(!), dead silence, with either broken or no glasses on windows, cut cables, swimming pool with brownish smelly water and grass that was not cut for a long time. It reminded us all those horror/mystery films where people suddenly disappear from the city which has its own ghosts, bad luck, etc. things were getting more exciting until a Malay worker came out of a shadow! All excitement was gone at once! Then we found out that it was a golf resort being repaired, renovated. Anyways, we named it as a Lost City and took some photos there. Another thing to remember was food! It was so good that Michal and Vega were insisting on that the thing they ate was fish nugget although it was chicken nugget, but cook approved us! (I think still there is a big difference between fish and chicken, even fried!) At the end of the trip we were tired but relaxed. Another great weekend and big mafia reunion!
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Redang Island, Terangganu, Malaysia

Photos from the trip.

Before coming to Singapore I was expecting to be more tropical. But unfortunately it is hard to feel that you are actually on a tropical island here, it looks like just a modern city. Only hot and humid weather reminds you that it is only around 100 km away from the equator line. But then our big organizer Gitti came to my cubical one day asking if I want to go beach paradise island Redang on the north-east of Malaysia. Without thinking much, I said "Sure!"
?After a long 10-hour bus journey we through almost whole Malaysia, we were finally at the ferry stop. After a small shopping sessionJ, we took jet ferry and it took around 40 minutes to reach this earth paradise. I don?t how to describe it, but basically white sand, blue and crystal clear sea, and jungle with coconut palms. Island was just like the ones I read from my favorite childhood books like Robinson Crusoe, etc. Island was famous with is natural beauty, snorkeling and scuba diving places (with sharks!). After getting our chalets in Redang Resort, first thing we did was to explore the island. It looked amazing, almost preserving its natural beauty, only those few hotels and resorts on the island reminded that it is no more an unexplored island but tourist attraction. Next thing was snorkeling. It was the first time in my life. I was shocked and amazed to sea underwater world with my own eyes and to be so close to it. Place was full of coral reefs, all kinds of colorful fishes, underwater plants, sea cucumbers, sea stars, etc. And there were hundreds of fishes swimming around me. Some of them even tried to bite my fingers. Nacho was in action there chasing the fishes. Then we enjoyed just swimming in the crystal clear sea and played beach volleyball. In the evening there was a great barbeque dinner with a lot of seafood, and after that we headed to other hotels and resorts for some drinks, billiard games and finally we sat by sea till late night. One day holiday was definitely not enough for us. I hope I will get chance to go there again one day and stay longer.
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Cameron Highlands - Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) trip

Here comes the story of my first step to Truly Asia, or Malaysia! I always used to wonder about this country, heart of Asia. Popular with its beautiful nature and touristic attractions, it was really one of my dreams to see this country. First target was Cameron Highlands, popular with its natural beauty, tea plantations, strawberry farms and cool highlands, it is located on the North East of Malaysia, 4-5 hour car drive from Kuala Lumpur. So, one nice Friday evening (this is our favorite evening, end of week and beginning of weekend!) me, Gitti and Nacho took a bus to KL(stands for Kuala Lumpur). Once I passed the borders, there it was - Malaysia!!! Feeling was great, I stepped to another new country (one more place to "tick"!). Well, we reached KL, and I was surprised to see that things are very different than Singapore. It was not as clean, as modern as Singapore, but still people were same with majority of Malays. We met there Pauline (or Pilli, from Kenya, DHL trainee) and Erwan (DHL trainee from France). So after a short tour in KL, we headed the Cameron Highlands, Erwan driving brand car Proton. One thing I like about traveling with trainee friends is the way we have a lot of fun. After a fun trip full of jokes and songs, we were at Cameron Highlands! Green jungles were everywhere, and I could see real tea plantations! We were to stay at small lodge called "Daniel's place" (coz its name we were keeping asking staff where actually Daniel was). We spent day by going to Food Festival, jungle walk, having fun of Asian pose and trying to behave like Singaporeans to spend time by "shopping and eating" :) (hope my dear Singaporean friends don't take this seriously, it was just for fun, we all respect Singapore and its residents). The next day we visited tea plantations and bought some fresh Cameron tea to enjoy it and remember this day back in Singapore. Back in KL, we "did shopping and ate" again :). "King Arthur" was to complete this tiring day. At night I took my bus back to Singapore to reach for Singapore National Day celebrations.
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