It's all about my travel experience and things I love to do…
yapthomas
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Posts by yapthomas
Special Bar in Emirates at 38,000 feet
Jun 29th
4 hours through my flight, I went to the back galley to chill. Was thirsty as well, thus I need to re-hydrate myself with lots of water.
There was this guy whom I made friend with. His name is Dave. He was having his whisky coke, thus I joined him there. Ordered myself vodka with orange, to join Dave.
We were actually in the galley while the air crews were preparing for the breakfast servings. The chief air crew, Nigel Pinto pulled out a trolley cart and made a mini bar by the back exit door.
Had a great chat about traveling as well as airline miles. Ah, finally… Someone who speaks in the same channel as I am.
Am currently in transit in Dubai. Gotta check this place out…
Flying off to Africa
Jun 29th
While you are reading this i’m at KLIA now waiting for my boarding gate to open. Where am i going? Heh. To the biggest black nation in the world.
I’ve got 14hours of flying hours to clock. It is sure going to be tiring. I wish I’m flying business clas.. ><
Maybe my next trip...
Hear from me soon... If you don't, please contact Testikel. He should know what to do.
I don know how the picture will turn out. So yeah… Ciao…
The Chhommeell Hanis Zalikha
Jun 12th
By the time you read this, I’ve passed my 48 hours from my previous post and I’m well on my way for a family retreat… 
You would have probably came from Hanis Zalikha’s blog hehe…
Let me show you why we all nickname her “Chomell“… which sprouted the #chomel hastag in Twitter.
This was what we were doing while waiting at Jakarta Airport for our flight on Garuda Indonesia which was re-scheduled.
So #chomel Right? hahaha
Perth, Western Australia – So Much To Do
Jun 10th
If there’s a highlight for my travel trips last year, it would be Perth which I went in January 2009. So much fun for a 7 Days backpacking trip without itinerary on hand before the trip. This is the kind of trips that I would like to embark all the time.
One thing about me is that, I always leave my travel posts hanging. See, the last post I did for Perth was on Perth Day 2 – Rottness Island Fun. Okay, that was like 4 months after the trip, but still the excitements from the trip is still in me. Blogging it now brings back memories. I’m sure Jun and Rue would agree with me. Right boys?
It was somewhere in September 2008 that we decided to plan for a trip and well, got Jun and myself a ticket to Perth while Rue bought it later. When I informed CK that we’ll be making the trip to Perth, his reaction was “Why do you want to go over to that dead place?” or something along that line. It made me wanting to make the trip and prove him wrong, and I did. Perth is such a nice city…
These was the itinerary for the 7 days we had in Perth.
Day 1 – Perth City on Foot
Day 2 – Rottnest Island
Day 3 – Exploring the City, Leederville and Subiaco
Day 4 – Kings Parks, Swan Bells and Cottlesloe
Day 5 – Pinnacle Tours, City Night and Moon Cafe
Day 6 – Freemantle (Full Day)
Day 7 – Chillings and Duxton Hotel
If you ask me, the best of the 7 days would be Rottnest Island. Okay… how about I talk about the highlights of each day while I was there. Sure it will definitely entice you to make a trip down to Perth.
Day 1 – Remember we had no itinerary? The first day I decided to make a round in the city, on foot and the Boys agreed. The highlight of the day would be The Perth Mint, where we get to see how they make gold bars. It is the same day that we decided what to do for the rest of the 7 days.
Day 2 – We decided to make this a full day thing and Rottnest Island is where we planned to go. No tour package blah blah blah, but we did all this trip all on our own. Took a speed boat from Freemantle and off we went to Rottnest Island where the fun of cycling around the island began. You can read more on my trip here.
Day 3 – Free and Easy Day. Nothing much that we did… wait, actually, we walked a lot. Like… A LOT! From the city we traveled to Harbourtown, then I traveled to Leederville myself where I have an office there and finaly at night we had dinner at Subiaco with The Girl who was still in Perth that time.
Day 4 –We did some touristy visits to Swan Bells, Kings Park and the best was Cottlesloe. What’s in Cottlesloe? Superb beaches is what’s there. But, before we made our journey there by bus, which we went lost for a bit because of the map. Okay, maybe it was because of me, but hey, we managed to explore some new places… 
So, this is what Cottlesloe looks like.
Day 5 – It is the only day we did an organized tour and we paid for Full Day Pinnacles Tours where it took us to the Caversham Wildlife Park and Pinnacles. Imagine yourself in a 4WD coach and you are actually doing this (look below). Cool right? That’s the highlight of the day, other than that… throw in some visit to see Kangaroos and Koalas and Platypus.
Day 6 – Okay. I’m stuck… what to tell you about Freemantle? Hmmm.. Oh yeah. They have a Freemantle Prison which I never had a chance to visit. It was such a dramatic day where the rail system broke down and we had to take the feeder bus down. Impressed with their quick solution to their transportation mess, but that aside, Freemantle is actually a Port. So, seafood here is nice but price is also “VERY NICE”. Good place to chill, away from the city.
Day 7 – Our last day there was pretty much a relaxing one, because it’s a Sunday. We went for some last minute shopping and of course, what’s the best was the night that we put up at Duxton Hotel, Perth. Don’t ask for the price paid but please join me to thank Jun for spending us a night there. 
So yeah… That’s about it for Perth from me for now. I can tell you so much more about Perth, but it would take me another few posts and maybe a few trips to Perth again (*hints*) to explore more on Perth. Yes, you hear me right. What’s more to do in Perth? Let me tell you what I would really want to do if I’m there next.
Walpole, where there is The Valley of Giants Tree Top.
Monkey Mia, visit the Shark’s Bay for Dolphins.
Margaret River, the Wine Region.
Mandurah, just another city which I want to visit.
and many many many many…. more….
You know, there is one person I envy right now would be Dr. Ling Shih Gang. He was the winner for Experience Extraordinary Taxi Ride for the second leg. You can follow his recent adventure here at Experience Extraordinary, Western Australia. Fully sponsored trip to the South West of Western Australia. How cool can it get? Can I get one too?
Plan your trip now as AirAsia flies to Perth. Click Here for AirAsia Schedules.
I’ve pretty much covered Perth in general, what about you?
I’ve given you some travel tips above, so start planning already!… 
P/S: I’m definitely gonna continue my Perth Day 3 onwards. Pls chills…
It’s a Suite Room. Guess Where?
Jun 9th
Hmm… Just a random questions to you people out there…
Guess where is this place…? I’m sure this picture has given you some tips already.
Those who guessed correctly, I will be giving you a return ticket on KLIA Express to LCCT. Yes, it’s LCCT not KLIA.
HOT DEALS by Garuda Indonesia to Jakarta, Bali and Yogyakarta
Jun 4th
HOT DEALS BY GARUDA INDONESIA TO JAKARTA, BALI AND YOGYAKARTA.
ALL INCLUSIVE FARES*
JAKARTA ONLY RM 395
BALI ONLY RM 595
YOGYAJARTA ONLY RM 695
If you haven’t flew Garuda Indonesia, it’s about time you should do so. You are getting value for money airfares from a full service carrier.
There are two (2) flights daily on return to Jakarta, eight (8) flights daily on return from Jakarta to Bali and nine (9) flights daily on return from Jakarta to Yogyajarta.
What to do in Jakarta? It’s all about Shop! Shop! and Shop! The malls in Jakarta are like twice or even thrice larger than Mid Valley or Sunway Pyramid. Factory outlet town Bandung is 3 hours away and rest assured that your pocket will be empty by the time to bid Bandung goodbye. Although the traffic is just horrible in Jakarta, but hey, don’t let the traffic stop you from going there as there are not even a traffic at their factory outlets.
What to do in Bali? What else but Sun, Sea and Shop and maybe Massage. Nice beaches at Nusa Dua and Kuta. Great deals of local items at Ubud and even Kuta while you can enjoy nice local food. If you haven’t heard about Bali, time to Google it up.
What to do in Yogyakarta? Some say boring place, some say a great destination. You judge! Have you heard about the largest Buddhist temple which was built 300 years ago before Angkor Wat in Cambodia? It’s called Borobudur Temple and it’s there in Yogyakarta. It’s a great sight and besides that, there are lots of culture and sight seeing to enjoy while you’re there. Give it a shot.
Back to the price above.
The above price is only valid with the following terms & conditions:
Terms/Conditions
1.) Flight application : Valid on GA 819 / 821 / 820 / 818 only. Codeshare flight is not permitted. Flight subject to availability of seats.
2.) Eligibility : Valid for Malaysia Passport holder only.
3.) Ticket Time Limit : Ticket must be issued within 3 days upon booking confirmation.
4.) Stopover : Permitted with a charge of MYR 100 per stop at Jakarta.
5.) Penalties : Rerouting and rebooking are not permitted.
: Ticket issued are non refundable.
6.) Endorsement : Non-endorsable, Non-reroutable, No extension of ticket validity.
7.) Taxes / Surcharge : Airport taxes, fuel surcharge and other charges is not included. International IDR 150,000 (MYR 60) and Domestic IDR 30,000 (MYR 12). *
8.) Validity : Ticket is only valid for 7 days. Maximum stay is 7 days.
8.) Remarks : The above fare quoted are subject to change without prior notice.
Flight timing from Kuala Lumpur to Jakarta
Departure:
KUL CGK 0710 0810 GA 819
KUL CGK 0730 0830 GA 819 (Beginning 18th June)
KUL CGK 1210 1310 GA 821
Returning:
CGK KUL 0810 1110 GA 820
CGK KUL 1855 2155 GA 818
For bookings and enquiries, please email travel(at)yapthomas(dot)com
The Launch of a Roaring Tiger Year
Jun 3rd
Okay, you will be reading this as I scheduled this earlier. I’m a good blogger. I make sure you have something to read almost everyday!
Once upon a time… Guinness Anchor Berhad had a launch of the Tiger Year.
It was held at KL Live and there were lots of people there…
There are regular faces I see while I was there. Aaron and Lisan are the first two familiar face I met.
My invites came much later… Pala, Nadia and Nigel.
Of course, I was able to attend this event thanks to Elaine (standing beside me). The rest in the picture are Joshua, Jess and Spinzer.
It was the same night I took home 5 cartons of Tiger beer! Wait, was it 4?
The night ended with a yum char session at NZ Cafe along Jalan Ampang.
This was where I took the wonderful shot of KLCC.
Petronas KLCC Twin Tower Night View
Jun 2nd
Just a little diversion from Jakarta – Bandung trip post. Saw this wonderful pic I took while editing my pics last night.
Took this some time ago after Tiger Launch Party from NZ Cafe beside Public Bank on Jalan Ampang.
I like this picture as it got the postcard feel… What do you think?
Who says you need a DSLR to take nice pics!?
Jakarta & Bandung by Garuda Indonesia
Jun 1st
Last week was exciting and fun and draining…
Thanks to Garuda Indonesia, I had a chance to visit both Jakarta and Bandung.
Also, I had a chance to travel with the fehmes bloggers in Malaysia. Oh my! How can I not be excited after the trip! Some did actually commented how lucky I was, but to me, they are just ordinary people with great individual achievements.
Here’s my travel companions and we were at Hangar 2 at Garuda Indonesia HQ in Jakarta, right below the Airbus330-200’s tail.
Top Left:
Joe from LotsOfCravings.
Top Right:
Isabelle from Garuda Indonesia Malaysia.
Bottom from Left:
That’s me, if you haven’t notice. Niki Cheong, Hanis aka “Adik Chomel” from IniBelogSaya and Nicole from Nicolekiss.
Each and everyone of them are great travel companions and gosh, these people can really shop I tell you! They are all crazy shoppers. Maybe I didn’t shop as much, that also because I did not find anything of my interest.
Speaking of which, both Niki and Joe was trying really hard to change my “mundane” dressing. They say I have such boring clothing and I should try to be more creative with the tees I wear and no black/brown or long sleeves. Then again, I would definitely start changing my wardrobe from now on.
Hmmm… Takes a huge step my friends, but I will certainly try…
More to come from this trip… Stay tuned.
Cheaper Call Rates with iTalk Whoa!
May 28th
I’ve been recently making a lot of international calls. Some are to friends and some are to my clients and suppliers from oversea. Well, that’s what I get for working in the travel industry. The world is my classroom yo!
My last trip to Phuket, I was using the iTalk Whoa to sms back home using local Malaysian rate. Thanks to technology, I can do so. I even got to call home at local Malaysian rate. How cool is that man?
Then recently, a blogger friend told me about iTalk Whoa’s IDD and told me to check it out. He told me that it saves him a lot of money while calling Singapore and boil porridge with his girlfriend.
Feeling the itch, I did gave it a check and trust me when I say this. iTalk Whoa’s IDD rates are a lot cheaper and I mean a lot with capital A!
I’ve pretty much compared the rates for IDD by three big telco giants here in Malaysia. I’ve got a wider understand how these telcos charge and what not, but afterall, iTalk Whoa’s plan got to be the most comprehensive and not forgeting, cheapest!
Here’s a table of comparison I’ve made based on the few countries that I frequently call.
| Country/Telcos | Orange | Green | Yellow | Blue** |
| Australia | RM 0.81 | RM 0.99 | RM 0.93 | RM 0.92 |
| India | RM 0.50 | RM 0.62 | RM 0.62 | RM 0.62 |
| China | RM 0.11 | RM 0.43 | RM 0.43 | RM 0.48 |
| Hong Kong | RM 0.14 | RM 0.50 | RM 0.43 | RM 0.48 |
| Thailand | RM 0.35 | RM 0.43 | RM 0.43 | RM 0.48 |
| Indonesia | RM 0.32 | RM 0.33 | RM 0.72 | RM 0.72 |
| Nigeria | RM 1.35 | RM 2.39 | RM 1.28 | RM 2.28 |
| South Africa | RM 0.70 | RM 2.39 | RM 2.38 | RM 2.28 |
All call rates are charged based on per minute
** Promotional rates till June 2010
Look at how much the difference is? It’s like literally WHOA! I wouldn’t believe it until I compare and see it with my own eyes. I feel cheated for not knowing it earlier that I could save a lot more with iTalk’s IDD. What more even with iTalk Whoa’s IDD rates.
Now you know eh! I ain’t no lying to you my friend. You really gotta check it out.
Log on to www.italkwhoa.com for more info .
