Grand Prix

Kuala Lumpur

Tokyo (+ some Hong Kong)

If would like to see any of the pictures at full resolution, just right click and open!

There version of fast food involves going into a restaurant, finding a vending machine type contraption, putting your money in and picking what you want at which point you get a ticket and then you sit down and they give you the munch! Obviously, I didn’t know this the first time and just sat down…confusion ensued before eventually the guy dug out the one english menu they have for such situations…

This is incredible. If you’ve watched Lost In Translation, I bet you didn’t think this kinda thing actually happened. I double-took the first time then realised, oh my god – it’s Tommy Lee Jones – he’s got a flipping Oscar… The drink is awesome, served hot from a vending machine!

More to follow…

FOOD! FOOD! FOOD! Seriously, FOOD! It’s pretty much all good and dirt cheap. They have a whole bunch of cuisines and cater to any tastes. To put it into persepctive, I stuffed myself silly with three meals for significantly less than a fiver every day. Absolutely incredible, so cheap in fact apparently no-one cooks…

Other than that, I found KL to have more (cliche alert) soul than SG. There were hobos, litter and chaotic traffic – a far cry from my previous stop. Was not the friendliest place to in terms of walking around due to the fact every Malaysian household has like three cars thus negating the need for a sidewalk. An interesting aside, all foreign cars are taxed at 300% (to boost local car maker, Proton’s sales). However the car you drive is a massive status symbol in the social hierarchy of KL and so often people will buy a Merc instead of a more practical house!

KL was caught in Grand Prix fever so I did a lot of that, meeting Christian Klien, Nick Heidfeld and Robert Kubica of BMW Sauber and seeing Felipe Massa and Kimi Raikonnen! Which was cool… The Grand Prix itself was really good bar the shortened race due to torrential downpours! On Friday I sat on the main straight and hearing the cars scream by at 200 mph at 18,000 RPM sent a shiver down my spine. Absolutely incredible to watch…

Didn’t get a chance to do too much bar walk around and see the old Colonial buildings, go to a history museum and the definite highlight, visit the Petronas Towers. An absolutely stunning piece of engineering that look incredible at night. Pictures will follow…

So in closing, KL was good, probably better than Singapore but I only scratched the surface due to the GP taking up most of my time… Everyone I spoke to said the beaches & islands are where it’s at, so I’m sure a future visit will ensue…

Here’s a link to my 1st Gallery which covers my first 6 days in Singapore! Bit late but hopefully will have a KL and Formula 1 Gallery towards the middle of next week… In the mean time, here it is:

http://www.sjeganmohan.byethost16.com/LRGalleries/GalleryOne/index.html

Firstly, their attitude towards global warming puts us to shame. In both Singapore and Malaysia, Earth Hour was a massive deal, with lots of press and some very public exponents of the intiative. I’m guessing there was a bit of press coverage in the UK but it wasn’t really on the public radar. Compared to here, where even the hostel I was staying in turned stuff off! I’m a realist and now that Global Warming is inevitable but it’s still nice to see a collaborative effort towards a common goal (even if it is unattainable).

Obviously, this doesn’t touch on the fact that it’s primarily the tiger economies of this region which are causing the most damage as they industrialise, citing the fact that western nations already had their period of mass pollution and it’s only fair they get theirs.

I diagress, second trend I have found is the hunger for knowledge. I have ridden the train in to KL City Centre the last couple of days and I have seen many people reading books about business best practice and case studies of sucessful brands/projects. Now I reckon if I took the same journey in London, people would be reading Dan Brown and Harry Potter… Also the bookstores have economics, management and marketing boks front and centre in their stores. Just an interesting contrast, the reason for which probably stems from a relative lack of complacency here comapred to the UK.

However one huge negative is the prevelance of smoking. I’m sitting in a Starbucks (original huh? You’ll be happy to know the Chocolate Frappucino tastes exactly the same) and every so often a waft of smoke engulfs my breathing space. After the way I’ve been spoilt back in the UK, this is effin annoying…

I think you “travel” to Malaysia, Vietnam and Africa in order to enjoy yourself in a different way, by experiencing things you never would or even could back in the everyday normality of life at home. For that,  SG has not caught my eye.

I’m having problems uploading all my files online as the internet connections I’m using are sketch, therefore here’s a little teaser:

http://tinyurl.com/cbtr69

That’s Singapore Esplanade by night with the Concert Hall on the left and the biggest Ferris Wheel in the world on the right.

The few old buildings which shine back to Singapores past seem to be hidden away and unpublicised which begged me to ask the questions:

Where is Singapore’s wealth from and Why is their a lack of historical context around the city? A wikipedia search later:

Since independence, Singapore’s standard of living has risen dramatically. Foreign direct investment and a state-led drive to industrialisation based on plans drawn up by the Dutch economist Albert Winsemius have created a modern economy focused on industry, education and urban planning.^[8] Singapore is the 5th wealthiest country in the world in terms of GDP (PPP) per capita.

As for why it seems to lack any throwbacks, I’m stumped. Especially as it seems that historical establishments would agree with the strategy put forward by their Economic Guru, Albert Winsemius:

One of his earliest pieces of advice was not to remove the statue of Stamford Raffles as it was a symbol of public acceptance of the British heritage and could alleviate concerns that investors have toward a new socialist government.

Interesting times but as for what I think of Singapore – underwhelming. Bar the incredible variety of food at the numerous “hawker stalls”, nothing has really stood out as shwoing me the real singapore. It seems to be a maze of high rise appartment blocks, high end shops, construction sites and bustling roads. There seem to be more tourists and migrant workers than actual Singaporeans and any I have come across seem to be resentful of the fact there are more of us than them (though that may just me be me…).

All in all a strange place that I haven’t liked too much to be honest. Although this opinion is only based on my epic 12 mile trek around Singapore today but I tend to find you always get the truest picture of a place when you simply explore as opposed to having a nailed on itinerary…

To Follow: Pictures and my impressions on the other activities I do around SG

I will most certainly be hammering my DSLR and hopefully get a few shots comparable to this! Pictures capture memories (that will never fade, thanks to Digital tech) and I shall be sharing mine via the wonders of free WiFi and Flickr throughout my trip. No doubt a cheesey slideshow will ensue once I’m back.

The shot above is in Glacier National Park by Stuck In Customs. It’s technically pretty simple but circumstances conspired to make it jaw-dropping! I love the foreground transition of the water from transparent to reflective.

Preperations are progressing nicely with the necessary items being bought and the near-future hostels being booked. The excitement is building in my head and I keep finding myself reading about the places I shall be visiting and invariably thinking – so many things, so little time!

As this will be the first post many of you read – here is the full break down of my trip:

Some of it is subject to change but that is the broad outline. Specific dates signify my booked flights. I hope this illustrates why I keep sounding like an excited kid in the sweet shop! Like I said…

So many things, so little time!

I don’t know if it’s the fact I have spent six gruelling days accompanying the greatest TV hero in the world. Or the fact I’ve spent upwards of 30 hours running around a Virtual LA. Maybe it’s all those rap songs I’ve listened to bigging up LA or all the Lakers ball I’ve watched in the past…

Whatever the reason, I cannot wait to visit the place. Michael Mann made a movie back in 2004 called Collateral that was set during one night in Los Angeles.

Some of the shots of Los Angeles and surrounding metropolis really are visually breath taking. My specific favourite is the helicopter shot looking down on the city through the buildings. The whole of the LA basin is a sprawling urbanised mess full of concrete, traffic and pollution. Yet there is something amazing and astounding about what man has achieved in this space. It’s an insane mix of glamour, sports, money, business, shopping, tourism, high society, poverty, crime…at least in my head.

I can’t wait to go and see the incredible vistas captured in the video above (like looking out across the city from Mulholland or viewing the basin at night). And being within the city that I’ve built up in my head is sure to be an unforgettable experience – either for better or for worse…no doubt I will be writing about it come June time.

While you are here (and with the risk of going down the here’s what i had for breakfast route), a shout out to my main man, Michael Mann. I’ve got to say he really is my favourite Director in the whole wide world. Movies like Heat, Collateral and even the much maligned Miami Vice were a joy to watch due to directorial flourishes with the camera work. I ramble, but here is a quick montage if you don’t know what he’s done.