Wednesday 20 August 2014

Dare to Adventure

#INTERVIEW


I am very honored to have a short interview with HT Holidays and to be a part of their Dare to Adventure community!

For everybody's benefit, HT Holidays is Niseko-Hirafu's premier accommodation provider. Niseko is becoming the most popular destination for skiers and boarders during winter.





#FoodHoppingSG - 1942 Alfresco @ Changi & War Museum

1942 Alfresco @ Changi    #ThePastBackToLife


I am always very psyched about going to a themed restaurant. The exterior of a restaurant definitely is a big point of attraction to earn my money. I came across this restaurant on facebook (someone reposted and appeared on my feed) and I am quite surprised that Singapore actually has such an interesting restaurant with history themed. I believe the owner of this restaurant survived the World War II.

This place is inaccessible without a car as it is located very deep in the Changi area opposite to Selarang Camp. It is situation next to Changi Airport where planes can be easily be heard or seen.

I googled the direction using its postal code 499550 but it led me to a wrong direction. We only managed to find the place by using "30 Cosford Road". Do not be another blur sotong like me.



The selling point is that this is only private war themed museum restaurant in Singapore and also seated in such a historically rich location where Changi was the site of Prisoner of war (POW) camp during World War II. Using this to the restaurant's advantage, it gives customers a chance to embrace the feeling of travelling back in time to the Japanese occupation period.




This is the interior of the restaurant. Do you see a man in blue top? I think he is the owner of this restaurant and he is super friendly. He told us to feel free to take down the weapons hanging on the wall, pose with them and take photo. He even took down one of the swords from the wall that he claimed it was one of the props in Lord of the Rings. #haolian





Wild mushroom soup (S$6) and pan-fried scallop pink snapper (S$22)

The prices do not justify for the quality. #nothingspecial 
We continued to explore the alfresco area after our lunch. 

Sandbags scattered around the alfresco dining area accompanied by machine gun, missiles and a very-simplified-version of missile launcher.

This is one of the rare chance we can enjoy playing with the restaurant's prop probably because nobody was there to judge us.

War museum next to the alfresco area. 


I went in alone. There was a speaker playing the noises of the aircraft flying across, the sound of the bombs exploding and voices of the Japanese soldiers. These indeed gave me a chilling shiver down my spine.

Tons of World War II related items on displays, even the mannequin are wearing soldiers' uniform.


Storyboards standing at the very edge of the premises..

enlarge and read if you are interested...




I would say this place is suitable for people with cars or live nearby (ok probably not) and for history buff / enthusiasts. I hope more and more themed cafes or restaurants start appearing in Singapore ^.^


1942 Alfresco @ Changi & War Museum
Payment mode: Cash only
Opening Hours: 11:00 am - 12:00 am (closed on Monday)
30 Cosford Road, Singapore 499550 
Tel: 6542 4492
How to go by public transport: 
1) Board Bus No.2 from Tanah Merah MRT (85091). Alight 17 stops later. 
2) Board Bus No. 29 from Tampines Interchange (750059). Alight 14 stops later.




Wednesday 13 August 2014

Cambodia Day 4 (Phnom Penh) : Killing field (Choeung Ek) + Sunset tour on ATV

5D4N Cambodia Feb 2014 : Phnom Penh


continue from Toul Sleng Genocide Museum (S-21)

Booked a tour for Killing Field + sunset on ATV and the free pick up from our hotel at 4pm.

Killing Fields of Cheung Ek is situated 15 kilometers south-west of Phnom Penh. Although it was only around 20-40 minutes drive depending on the traffic, we did not expect to journey was this unbearable. Not only it was very dusty due to many construction along the roadside, the road was extremely bumpy. All of us brought a mask from Singapore but we did not bring it out that evening.....we dipped tissue with water to cover our noses and double protected our faces with our tee shirts.

Ok lah.. I should thank god that it was not a wet weather..

Finally we reached Killing Field of Choeung Ek. We bought the entrance tickets + audio sets (US$5 each). Please buy audio set. You can listen as you walk around the area. 

A commemorative stupa filled with more than 5,000 skulls of the victims at the Killing Field of Choeung Ek.

This tree is weird...


There are audio numbers where you could fast forward or repeat the audio while you walk.


 In order to save ammunition, the executions were often carried out using poison, spades or sharpened leaves blades like this.


Before 1975, this was a Chinese cemetery until the head of this Khmer Rouge regime - Pol Pot who described as the "Hilter of Cambodia" took over for the wrong purpose.




There are many holes on the ground. These are graves. Mass graves where the victims were buried in dead or alive. They were transported from S-21 prison.

The bones and teeth fragment that were exhumed can still be seen on the ground after the flood and raining.


Some of the cambodian kids. They asked me to take photo of them.



The ribbon bands are the blessings of the people.





Children and infants of adult victims were killed by having their heads bashed against the trunks of Chankiri trees (as above). This was to stop them growing up and taking revenge for their parents' deaths.







This place is less overwhelming than in Toul Sleng Genocide Museum (S-21) perhaps due to more sunlight. Underneath this peaceful place, it actually masked the horrors that unfolded here less than three decades ago.

We then proceeded to our last activity in Cambodia.

A before shot with cleaner shoes and sunglasses.


Then we embarked on a bumpy ride again and I was the last in the line again. Why I always the last one? Frankly speaking, I did not really enjoy the whole ride as I was looking out for people crossing the road and holes on the road instead of enjoying the view of the country roads, passing paddies, bridges and pagodas. I guess this is more stressful than horse riding.

 ...and I dropped my lens cover while riding.. =(

but this sunset made it up~


This finally concluded our stay in Cambodia. I would say this trip made me realise how fortunate we are now. My friend read from somewhere that if this killing spree did not happen, Cambodia might be more advanced than Singapore. 


Killing field and sunset tour on ATV
Web: http://nature-cambodia.com/?page_id=22 
Price: US$30 (inclusive of the Killing Field entrance fee + audio set)