aukahkay's VirtualTourist Home Page

My name is Au Kah Kay. I received my primary and secondary education at the Anglo Chinese School and my high school education at Raffles Institution. I graduated from the Faculty of Medicine, National University of Singapore and I work as a family physician in private practice.

I am now digitising my old photos taken on film camera. As I plough through the volumes of photos taken over the decades, I will slowly build up my VT travel pages.

For leisure, I play the piano. I obtained the Licentiate of the Royal Schools of Music (LRSM) diploma in piano performance in 1978 and was offered a scholarship to study music at the Royal College of Music in the UK. I play mainly works by composers of the romantic era - Chopin, Schumann, Rachmaninoff etc. As you would imagine, Europe holds a special place in my choice of travel destinations.

In the new millenium, my philosophy of travel changed. In the 80s and 90s, I used to favour travel to developed countries like USA, Canada, Australia and Europe. I am beginning to turn my attention to developing and emerging countries in Asia, realising that the next wave of the tourist boom will be in Asia.

2000:
March: Hong Kong
June: Barcelona, Nice, Cannes, Monaco, Corsica, Rome, Sicily, Malta, London, Paris
December: Melbourne, Sydney

2001:
February: Basel, Zurich, Lucerne, Frankfurt
May: Innsbruck, Frankfurt, Berlin, Potsdam, Munich, Dresden, Erfurt, Nurenberg, Hamburg, Cologne, Wurtzburg, Weimar, Rothenburg
November: London, Nottingham, Harrogate, Edinburgh, Bath, Wales

2002:
March: Langkawi, Phuket
June: San Francisco, Hong Kong
December: Sydney, Hong Kong, Shenzhen

2003:
February: Hong Kong
March: Taipei, Hualien
May: Bangkok, Pattaya
June: Tokyo
October: Boston, New York, Providence, Cape Cod, Kennebunkport

2004:
February: Hong Kong
March: Bangkok, Hua Hin
May: Kuala Lumpur
June: Shanghai
August: Hong Kong
November: San Francisco, Lake Tahoe, Chicago, Hong Kong
December: Chiangmai

2005:
January: Hong Kong
March: Tokyo, Hakone
June: Jiuzhaigou, Chengdu
October: Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur
November: Bangkok, Ayutthaya
December: Hong Kong

2006:
January: Hong Kong
March: Hanoi, Halong Bay
June: Moscow, Novgorod, St Petersburg
October: Seattle, Vancouver, Whistler
November: Shanghai, Hangzhou, Suzhou

2007:
April: Osaka, Kyoto, Nara, Kobe
October: Athens, Delphi, Kalambaka, Mykonos, Santorini
December: Taipei, Taiwan

2008:
January: Bangkok, Kanchanaburi
April: Tokyo, Hakone, Nikko
May: Sapporo, Otaru, Noboribetsu, Mt Daisetsu
August: Penang, Brunei
October: Istanbul, Cappadocia, Pamukkale, Ephesus, Bursa, Izmir
November: Hong Kong

2009:
January: Taipei, Taiwan
April: Fukuoka, Beppu, Kumamoto, Kagoshima, Nagasaki
June: London, Penzance, Cardiff
August: Langkawi, Malaysia
September: Rome, Sienna, Assisi, Florence, Venice, Naples, Sorrento, Capri, Positano, Amalfi Coast

The 1990s was a period of rapid economic growth in Singapore. Leisure travel increased and so I rode on the tide of the boom in the travel industry. I am trying to compile the list of places that I have been in the 90s from memory.

1991:
July: Lake Toba, Medan
August: Pangkor Laut
September: Mt Bromo

1992:
June: Darwin
December: Tasmania

1993:
June: Cairns, Townsville
September: Gold Coast, Brisbane

1994:
February: Beijing
April: Bangkok
June: Copenhagen, Oslo, Geiranger, Bergen, Voss, Stockholm

1995:
June: Vienna, Prague, Brno, Warsaw, Krakow, Budapest
July: Cannes, Nice, Monaco, Eze, St Paul
November: Beijing

1996:
September: New York, Boston, New Hampshire, Vermont, Connecticut, Maine, Cape Cod
October: Kuantan
December: Cairo, Alexandria

1997:
June: Madrid, Segovia, Vittoria, Barcelona, Seville, Granada, Torremonilos
October: Chiangmai

1998:
January: Medan, Penang
February: Lombok

1999:
March: Phuket
June: Zurich, Berne, Lucerne, Geneva, Zermatt, St Moritz, Lausanne, Lugano, Bolzano, Graz, Vienna, Salzburg, Lienz
November: Kanchanaburi, Nakhon Pathom

My first international flight that I took was on a Philippine Airlines DC-8 in 1978 to Manila. In the 1970s airlines were still flying the old B707s, B727s and DC-10s. I've been on all of these historical aircraft.

Singapore Airlines
Malaysian Airlines
Thai Airways
Philippine Airlines
Royal Brunei Airlines
China Airlines
Eva Airways
Far Eastern Transport
Cathay Pacific Airways
Air China
China Eastern Airlines
Scandinavian Airlines
Swissair (defunct)
Swiss International Airlines
Crossair
Lufthansa German Airlines
Tyrolean Airways
Lauda Air
Olympic Airways
British Airways
Qantas
Air New Zealand
Air France
United Airlines
American Airlines
Continental Airlines
Silkair
Japan Airlines
All Nippon Airways
Egyptair
Garuda Indonesia
Sempati Airlines (defunct)
Northwest Airlines
Horizon Air
Aegean Airlines
Turkish Airlines
Jetstar Asia

Which are my favourite airlines?
Singapore Airlines
Cathay Pacific Airways
Thai Airways

I hold Kris Flyer, World Perks and Asia Miles loyalty programmes.

St Petersburg, Russia - This is the most beautiful city in Europe. The tsarist palaces at the Hermitage, Peterhof and Tsarskoe Selo have the best collection of imperial treasures and artworks in the whole of Europe.

Lake Toya, Japan - Lake Toya is a lake in Hokkaido with numerous hot spring resorts. During spring and summer evenings, there are fireworks display on the lake creating a festive atmosphere.

Barcelona, Spain - Gaudi's quintessential city. The medieval atmosphere of the Barrio Gotico exudes charm in contrast to the touristy tree-lined Las Ramblas

Cote d'Azur, France - From the ritzy hotels and beaches of Cannes to the cosy village of Villefranche and the medieval town of St Paul de Vence, the Cote d'Azur is full of surprises and steeped in rich Mediterranean history.

Cape Cod, Massachusettes - Miles of sand dunes, seaside mansions and quaint towns characterise this hook-shaped promontory on the east coast of the US.

Cairo, Egypt - A cacaphony of noise exuding from mosques, Arabic cafes and traffic is all part of life in this bustling metropolis. The Great Pyramids of Giza are awe-inspiring as one marvels at the ingenuity of its construction in times of antiquity.

Rome, Italy - The Eternal City - where every square inch you walk tells a story of a great empire, where gladiators fought to their death in the Coliseum and where pilgrims pay homage to the Pope at the Vatican.

Innsbruck, Austria - This small town nestled among the Tyrolean Alps has retained its medieval atmosphere from the time of Empress Maria Theresia.

Halong Bay, Vietnam - The limestone rocks and caves in the Bay are nature at its very best. The peace and tranquility that one experiences in the Bay is simply surreal.

Great Wall of China, China - One of the 7 ancient wonders of the world, climbing the Great Wall is an exhilarating experience especially in winter when cold frosty winds blow from Manchuria.

Interlaken, Switzerland - At the confluence of two lakes, Interlaken is perfect for outdoor activities in summer and in winter with the magnificent Jungfrau looming in the horizon.

Geiranger, Norway - The most attractive town in Fjordland, Geiranger offers commanding views of the mountains and fjords.

Chiangmai, Thailand - The northern city of Chiangmai offers an interesting insight into the tribal life of the many minority ethnic people who live in the mountains. Perfect for elephant trekking and river rafting.

Whistler, Canada - The resort of Whistler in British Columbia Canada is a haven for outdoor activities all year round especially hiking, golfing and skiing.

Hangzhou, China - Above there is heaven; below there is Hangzhou. Such is the beauty of Hangzhou that inspired so many poets.

Kyoto, Japan - Walking along the Path of Philosophy during the sakura season in April, the cherry blossoms and crisp air evoke a sense of tranquility.

Santorini, Greece - Watching the setting sun from a balcony cafe over Greek coffee in the village of Oia.

Cappadocia, Turkey - Climbing up the cave churches and admiring the mystical fairy chimneys in Urgup and Goraeme.