Minimalist Traveler: 2016

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 43^rd 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.

Minimalist Traveler

Tuesday 2 February 2016

Honolulu in 21 days

Saturday 9 January 2016

Happy Birthday to Me