I came across this from Jen’s DevourTheWorld blog so I decided to share my travel ABC’s too. I felt that this is a fun list for travel bloggers to share their experience. However, I changed one question at the ‘W’ part because I would only be repeating the same answer for ‘B’. So here are my travel alphabets.

A: Age you went on your first international trip: Can’t remember the exact age because I’m too young at that time but the trip was to Singapore.

B: Best (foreign) beer you’ve had and where: I don’t drink.

C: Cuisine (favorite): Apart from all the mouth-watering Malaysian food, I like the Japanese teppanyaki

D: Destinations, favorite, less favorite and why: I love Queenstown, New Zealand. This small town is very peaceful compliment with many breathtaking sceneries. The less favorite one would be Medan, Indonesia. It’s too dirty, polluted and crowded.

Queenstown, New Zealand

E: Event you experienced abroad that made you say “wow”: I went up the Oriental Pearl Tower in Shanghai just to learn that they have one floor with a transparent glass base at nearly 300m high from the ground!

standing up on a glass floor at nearly 300m high

F: Favorite mode of transportation: Every mode of transportation offers its own perspective, but yeah traveling overland gives u opportunity to experience more of the place.

a train ride in India. Photo by Syahid Ishak

G: Greatest feeling while traveling:
1.Spending the morning at the compound of the Taj Mahal,
2.Being more than 4000m above sea level at the peak of Mount Kinabalu
3. Observing the foggy Mount Bromo during sunrise.

H: Hottest place you’ve traveled to: Saudi Arabia.. in June.. 48 degree celcius

a desert area in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

I: Incredible service you’ve experienced and where: Once I was in Krabi, Thailand. The owner of Gafiyah Guesthouse was very friendly and helpful throughout my stay. She gave advices about the places for us to visit and did help us to rent a motorbike from her friend. She even bought some fruits and snacks for us during our stay.

J: Journey that took the longest: The longest would only be a 12hour flight from Jeddah to Kuala Lumpur with a transit in Riyadh

K: Keepsake from your travels: I collect fridge magnets. The top part of my fridge is already full of em.

L: Let-down sight, why and where: Istana Maimun or the Maimun Palace in Medan. I was hoping it was a great old palace in the center of the city but it was a total let-down. We were the only visitors at that time and the palace doesn’t look like it’s been in good care. The staff doesn’t seem to be helpful and then when we about to left, he asked for a tip.

M: Moment where you fell in love with travel: My trip to Perth, Australia where it was the first time I’ve been to a non Asian country. I stayed there for nearly a month. The culture and lifestyle differences changed the way I think and make me realize that there are a lot more to explore throughout the world.

Perth City

N: Nicest hotel you’ve stayed in: Normally I don’t stay in luxury hotels during my travels but so far the nicest hotel would be the 5 star Pullman Zam Zam Grand Suites in Saudi Arabia.

the lobby area of the Grand Zam Zam Suites

O: Obsession—what are you obsessed with taking pictures of while traveling?: I’m obsessed with taking sunset pictures and also landmarks.

P: Passport stamps, how many and from where? The current passport already has 34 stamps and counting.. which does includes Indonesia, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, China, India, Korea and few others.

Q: Quirkiest attraction you’ve visited and where: I went inside an old prison in Melbourne Australia. Visitors will be ‘arrested’ when they first enter the prison and will be put inside a cell with no lights for few minutes just to let u experience how it is in prison.

The Old Melbourne Gaol

R: Recommended sight, event or experience: Hike the Ijen Crater in East Java and watch yourself how the sulphur miners work.

S: Splurge; something you have no problem forking over money for while traveling: Trying the local food and also doing adventurous activities that I can’t experience in my own country

T: Touristy thing you’ve done: visiting Taj Mahal is pretty much a touristy thingy.

Taj Mahal, India

U: Unforgettable travel memory: Jumping off a plane to do a tandem skydiving in Queenstown. The moment was totally awesome!

V: Visas, how many and for where? Until now it’s 4. China, India, Australia & Saudi Arabia

W: Wonders of the world? The Great Wall of China was definitely worth every penny spent to get there!

a view from the Mutianyu section of the Great Wall

X: eXcellent view and from where?: Oh this one’s tough. I took a jeep ride to a view point to watch the morning view of Mount Bromo and it was totally cool.

Bromo with all the fogs in the morning

Y: Years spent traveling?: I’m not a full time traveler. I balanced up between my work and travel. Started traveling extensively since 2009. Before that it was only like once a year or once every 2-3 years.

Z: Zealous sports fans and where?: Can’t remember any great sports game during any trip but in Malaysia, I’ve watched the Malaysia Cup (football) finals a few times and sitting nearby the fanatic supporters will make you lose your voice after the game.