suhadis' VirtualTourist Home Page

WELL HI THERE!! Welcome to my travel page..

---

I'm Suhadi from Singapore!!! I find that there is always something to see and learn from each trip to any country out there - be it a unfamiliar local custom, or a local law, etc - you will always find something interesting that you can only experience in the other worlds other than your own. Be it a good or bad experience, it is still the utmost experience that I will never ever trade for anything else nor change anything about it. Most of the time for me, I get to realise what I don't have (and have) compared to back home!!

About Myself...

---

Other than English, I'm conversant in Malay (very much the same as Bahasa Malaysia of Malaysia) and just OK in basic French (still lots to learn). I also try to learn some tourist-level language of the country that I am going to visit, if it is not too difficult. In all of my experiences, it has paid off when get I stuck at a place, going beyond the help of hand gestures. The basic "Thank you"s and "Good Day's go the extra mile in the speech in any language.

I'm terrible slow at building my pages here on the places I've visited so please do bear with all the empty spaces in the meantime - they will be updated in due time!.. I am currently tied up with a lot of work..

I usually take loads of pics of my travels so they'll be coming as well - it's just infectious for me to take a lot of them wherever I go. Sometimes I think I worry that I will forget how this place in the city looks like years later, so that's why I archive them. It helps my friends too if they want to travel to a place and they could see how they look like.

I'm also fortunate that my work gives me the oppurtunities to travel within the Asia Pacific region, so in all i get to see places in the weekends and holidays in that country - to Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Laos, China, Korea, Japan and the States. It's like living a dream, because this is the best way to see places without even having to possibly to spend anything at all.

Leave a note..

---

And do leave a note if you have anything at all to say or ask!... You are most welcome to make an acquaintance!

Travel Timeline...

---

2001 - July/August - Finland (Helsinki), Belgium (Brussels) , Netherlands (Kerkrade), Germany (Sankt Goar, Heidelberg, Titisee), Switzerland (Scaffhausen, Lucerne, Engelberg/Titls)

2004 - April - USA (Tampa Bay Area, Orlando)

2004 - June - Australia (Melbourne, Great Ocean Road)

2005 - March - France (Paris, Versailles, Dijon)

2005 - July - Korea (Incheon)

2005 July/August - Finland (Helsinki), Netherlands(Kerkrade, Wijlre, Wittem, Maastricht), Germany (Cologne, Kehlsteinhaus, Berchtesgaden), Austria (Salzburg), Czech Republic (Cesky Krumlov, Czech Republic)

2005 - August to December - Korea (Incheon, Seoul)

2006 - February - Thailand (Bangkok, Chiangmai)

2006 - February to March - Korea (Incheon, Seoul)

2006 - March - China (Beijing)

2006 - April to May - Japan (Narita, Tokyo, Nikko, Kamakura, Yokohama, Kawasaki)

2006 - June - Korea (Incheon, Seoul, Gyeongju, Daegu)

2006 - 16 August to 5 September - Italy (Naples, Caserta, Pompeii, Sorrento, Amalfi, Rome, Tivoli, Venice, Florence, Pisa, Cinque Terre, Genoa, Milan, Como)

2006 - 17 to 23 September, 27 - 30 September - Thailand (Bangkok)

2006 - 9 to 11 December - Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur)

2006 - 20 to 25 December - Japan (Kansai, Osaka, Himeji, Kyoto)

2007 - 7 to 12 January - Thailand (Bangkok)

2007 - 25 January to 2 February - Japan (Kansai Airport)

2007 - 5 to 9 February - Thailand (Bangkok)

2007 - 19 to 23 March - Thailand (Bangkok)

2007 - 5 April to 1 May - Spain (Valencia, Granada, Sevilla, Cordoba, Madrid, Barcelona), Morocco (Casablanca, Fes, Meknes, Volubilis, Moulay Driss, Azrou, Irfane, Middle Atlas, Marrakesh), Netherlands (Amsterdam, Utrecht).

2007 - 2 to 4 Aug - Indonesia (Surabaya)

2007 - 14 to 31 Aug - Japan (Osaka, Koyasan)

2007 - 3 to 22 September - Japan (Kansai Airport, Osaka, Hiroshima, Miyajima)

2007 - 26 September to 4 October - Japan (Kansai Airport, Osaka)

2007 - 26 November to 4 December - Laos (Savannkhet, Pakxe, Champasak/ Wat Phu, Luang Prabang, Vientiane) Thailand (Udon Thani, Mukdahan)

2008 - 27 January to 3 February - Japan (Narita, Tokyo)

2008 - 10 to 21 February - Japan (Narita, Tokyo)

2008 - 2 to 5 March - Japan (Narita, Tokyo)

2008 - 23 to 26 May - Thailand (Bangkok, Ayutthaya)

2008 - 9 June to 9 July - Japan (Izumi-sano, Osaka, Kobe, Itami, Tokyo, Narita)

2008 - 1 - 4 August - Indonesia (Island of Bali - Ubud, Denpasar, Kuta, Nusa Dua)

2008 - 7 Aug to 6 Sep - Japan (Izumi-sano, Osaka, Itami, Tokyo, Narita, Okayama, Himeji, Hiroshima, Ona, Iwami Ginzan)

Numerous past trips to Malaysia and Indonesian Riau islands (Bintan, Batam)..

Travel Timeline (Part 2)

---

2008 - 10 October to 6 November - My Round-the-world trip: San Francisco (USA), Mexico City, Teotihuacan (Mexico), New York City (USA), Iguacu (Brazil), Iguazu (Argentina), Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), Lisbon, Sintra (Portugal), London, Salisbury, Stonehenge, Bath (United Kingdom), Warsaw (Poland), Moscow (Russia)

2009 - 14 Jan to 7 Feb - Japan (Kamata, Tokyo, Narita, Okinawa)

2009 - 17 to 21 Jul - Thailand (Phuket)

2009 - 26 Jul to 16 Aug - Netherlands (Wittem, Gulpen, Kerkrade), Germany (Aachen), Italy (Rome, Florence, Pisa, San Gimignano, Siena, Cinque Terre, Milan, Verona, Mantova, Venice)

UNESCO Sites

---

I think everyone can make his/her own UNESCO visits list! I think it is really informative and meaningful to visit these sites. Visit my link to: My UNESCO visits list :)

My UNESCO visits:

Argentina - Iguazu National Park
Austria - Historic Centre of the City of Salzburg
Belgium - La Grand Place, Brussels
Brazil - Iguaçu National Park
Czech Republic - Historic Centre of Prague
Czech Republic - Historic Centre of Cesky Krumlov
France - Palace and Park of Versailles
France - Paris, Banks of the Seine
Germany - Cologne Cathedral
Germany - Upper Middle Rhine Valley
Germany - Aachen Cathedral
Italy - Genoa: Le Strade Nuove and the system of the Palazzi dei Rolli
Italy - Portovenere, Cinque Terre, and the Islands (Palmaria, Tino and Tinetto)
Italy - Piazza del Duomo, Pisa
Italy - Historic Centre of Florence
Italy - Venice and its Lagoon
Italy - Villa Adriana (Tivoli)
Italy - Villa d'Este, Tivoli
Italy - Costiera Amalfitana
Italy - Archaeological Areas of Pompei, Herculaneum and Torre Annunziata
Italy - 18th Century Royal Palace at Caserta with the Park, the Aqueduct of Vanvitelli, and the San Leucio Complex
Italy - Historic Centre of Naples
Italy (Holy See) - Vatican City
Italy (Holy See) - Historic Centre of Rome, the Properties of the Holy See in that City Enjoying Extraterritorial Rights and San Paolo Fuori le Mura
Italy - Church and Dominican Convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie with "The Last Supper" by Leonardo da Vinci
Italy - Historic Centre of San Gimignano
Italy - Historic Centre of Siena
Italy - Mantua and Sabbioneta
Italy - City of Verona
Japan - Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine & its Cultural Landscape
Japan - Hiroshima Peace Memorial (Genbaku Dome)
Japan - Itsukushima Shinto Shrine
Japan - Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range
Japan - Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara
Japan - Buddhist Monuments in the Horyu-ji Area
Japan - Himeji-jo Castle
Japan - Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto (Kyoto, Uji and Otsu Cities)
Japan - Shrines and Temples of Nikko
Japan - Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine & its Cultural Landscape
Lao PDR - Vat Phou & Associated Ancient Settlmnts
Lao PDR - Town of Luang Prabang
Mexico - Central University City Campus of the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM)
Mexico - Luis Barragán House and Studio
Mexico - Pre-Hispanic City of Teotihuacan
Mexico - Historic Centre of Mexico City and Xochimilco
Morocco - Medina of Marrakesh
Morocco - Historic City of Meknes
Morocco - Archaeological Site of Volubilis
Morocco - Medina of Fez
Netherlands - Rietveld Schröderhuis (Rietveld Schröder House)
Poland - Historic Centre of Warsaw
Portugal - Cultural Landscape of Sintra
Portugal - Monastery of the Hieronymites and Tower of Belém in Lisbon
Russia - Ensemble of the Novodevichy Convent
Russia - Church of the Ascension, Kolomenskoye
Russia - Kremlin and Red Square, Moscow
South Korea - Haeinsa Temple Janggyeong Panjeon
South Korea - Gyeongju Historic Areas
South Korea - Hwaseong Fortress
South Korea - Changdeokgung Palace Complex
South Korea - Jongmyo Shrine
Spain - Palau de la Música Catalana and Hospital de Sant Pau, Barcelona
Spain - Works of Antoni Gaudí (Barcelona)
Spain - Alhambra, Generalife and Albayzín, Granada
Spain - Historic Centre of Cordoba
Spain - Cathedral, Alcázar and Archivo de Indias in Seville
Spain - La Lonja de la Seda de Valencia
Thailand - Historic City of Ayutthaya
United Kingdom - Maritime Greenwich
United Kingdom - Tower of London
United Kingdom - City of Bath
United Kingdom - Stonehenge, Avebury and Associated Sites
United Kingdom - Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
United Kingdom - Westminster Palace, Westminster Abbey and Saint Margaret's Church
USA - Statue of Liberty

Targets!!! Dreams and Hopes

---

My dream is to travel all over Europe - to cover each European country the very least. I think Europe has a lot of heritage and history in it, all in one compact continent. So far covered the mainly western Europe (France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Netherlands, Belgium, Austria). Hope to cover the rest of Europe in the coming years!!

Asia is also something I want to cover which is obviously closer to home, but I would want to reserve that for trips with close friends and family.

At the moment on my next-to-travel-to list:
- A combo of Greece and Turkey (maybe with Croatia)
- A combo of Eastern European coutries - Hungary, Poland (maybe Romania), Slovakia and Eastern Austria and maybe Czech again.
- A combo of Switzerland, Western Austria, southern Germany, French riviera, north-western Italy.

The cities that I would definitely want to return to someday (unfinished business ;D ) :
Venice (italy)
Cinque Terre (italy)
Paris (France)
Eagle's Nest (Germany)

Favourite places..

---

My favourite places are:

Favourite Country:
Italy - Many cities to explore with a relatively short range of each other. And train travel is convenient and relatively cheap too! It seems people here eat out more often too - Italian food is great! One last thing - the people are gorgeous!

Favourite Capital City:
Prague, Czech republic - it's like an open air museum with it's architecture in it's buildings, loads of places to climb up to catch the great views of the city.

Favourite non-capital city:
Venice, Italy - if you look beyond it's touristy outlook, you will see more of the wonder that there was ever such a place. Gondolas, canals, bridges, venetian architecture and Carnivale masks seem to make this mix very infectious for any tourist. The Venetians really know how to do their window store displays really well! You can really get lost in this maze of a city-island - and sometimes no map can save you! And I like that challenge... Hahaha...

Favourite beach/seaside town:
Cinque Terre - This set of 5 small towns on magnificent rocky landscape by the sea will have something for everyone to do here. For those who like to take photographs, those who like to hike from town to town, those who like to see the fauna, those who like to chill out at the beach. Best part was the trains runs between the towns so you could custom your trip in any way that you want to see those 5 towns. Some people overlook that Cinque Terre is actually a national park. This is my top of the list of places that I want to return to someday.

This month in my life - January / February 2009

---

Was back from 2 trips in August - One closer to home - Phuket in Thailand, and the other to Netherlands, Germany and Italy with part of that as an orchestra competition tour :) The results were good indeed, and so was the holiday if not for the hot hot hot weather in Italy :D

Am looking forward to trips to US in September and October for business