My first impressions of the Olympus EPL5…

My first impressions of the Olympus EPL5…

Who says old Chinese ladies only play mah jong?

Who says old Chinese ladies only play mah jong?

So I’ve had a few weeks to fool around with my new Oly EPL5 along with the Oly 45mm 1.8 lens. As I mentioned in an older post, it’s not as user friendly as my old Panasonic Lumix GF2 which I left back in my place in Bangkok. Along with my 20mm f1.7 prime lens too which I shouldn’t have because it would have made a better addition to my new EPL5.

The EPL5 is hell of a lot better in terms of picture quality of course. And it’s functions and extras outshines the GF2. But that’s not a fair comparison obviously because the EPL5 is way newer. But that’s not my biggest quirk, you see I shoot my photos on aperture mode 100% of the time and on the GF2 there is a dedicated ISO button which I always select on my own. For the EPL5 I have to press two buttons to bring up the ISO selection. Now if there is a quicker way to select ISO on the EPL5 that I don’t know about, please let me know.

Some creamy looking bokeh with the 45mm f1.8...

Some creamy looking bokeh with the 45mm f1.8…

Okay, to some people that’s not a big deal and you might be calling me a cry baby. But to me ISO is very important and it is just recently that I learned that sensor sensitivity is an important aspect to proper photo exposures. As I mentioned before, learning the art of photography is still an ongoing albeit slow process for me. And mastering of proper ISO settings is critical for perfect pictures. At least from my experience.

Got just a bit too close...

Got just a bit too close…

It was quite cold for most of the past week but there was one day where the weather was nice and warm. So all of the pictures you see on this post were taken on the same day. Oh and I have to add all the shots were JPEGs right from the EPL5. This camera is amazing with JPEGs in which the Lumix GF2 is lacking. Yeah I know it’s unfair to compare both cameras since one is newer than the other. I’m just saying that I like the Oly a lot because I don’t have to rely solely on shooting RAW. But anyways since I SD cards with a lot of memory I’ll just shoot JPEG+RAW out of habit.

Taking a picture of a guy taking pictures of a boot...

Taking a picture of a guy taking pictures of a boot…

I hate adjusting pictures. I use Adobe Lightroom 4 and I think it’s a great tool. But to me I just hate opening a picture up and spending the time to tweak the photo. Especially when you take hundreds of photos and especially if you are OCD like me.

Anways I’m going to continue playing around with the EPL5. And I’m still kicking myself over leaving my Panasonic 20mm in Bangkok. I believe it would make an awesome combination with the EPL5. Don’t get me wrong, I still like the Oly 45mm lens (yes I know it’s a portrait lens) but I prefer wider scenes and it’s the only lens I have on hand for the EPL5. So far it is a nice camera and I’m looking forward to learning more about its functions, settings and customizing the camera to my liking.

Hong Kong – Another Home Away from Home

Hong Kong – Another Home Away from Home

Nathan Road on Kowloon

Nathan Road on Kowloon

I love Hong Kong. It has an incredible energy, especially at night time.

However I really regret that I don’t visit Hong Kong as often as I should. Like in Malaysia I can speak Cantonese and interact better with the locals with no fear of the language barrier. The food is easily recognizable to me and who doesn’t like dim sums. Wontons with egg noodles and cheong funs dripping with sweet and hot sauce with fish balls! Hong Kong is hands down the best places to gorge on those types of dishes. Actually maybe it’s not a good idea to visit as much because I know I’m going to get fat and eat myself to an early grave.

The main reason why I don’t visit Hong Kong as often as I should is because hotels there are pricey. Particularly during Chinese New Years on whatever month it falls on and on October when the conventions roll into town There are people that I can stay with but I really don’t want to inconvenience anyone.

Kowloon is a great place for night photography...

Kowloon is a great place for night photography…

There’s really no such thing as budget quality hotels in Hong Kong and even the pricey hotels have small rooms. At least that’s from my experience. However, when I do find deals for 2 particular hotels on the Kowloon side of Hong Kong I will then jump on the chance to visit.

The first hotel I typically stay in is called the BP International Hotel on Austin Road which is just a short walk to the main artery roadway of Nathan road. The second hotel I stay in when the price is just right is the Prudential Hotel which sits right on Nathan Road and has the Jordan MTR station access right beneath it. Normally both hotels cost around $200USD a night.

Some very famous neon signs on Nathan Road...

Some very famous neon signs on Nathan Road…

However, sometimes you can find up to 50% off or. So there are cheaper places to stay in Kowloon but I’ve been to some and I wasn’t happy. For me as I get older there’s just a certain comfort level that I’m used to. So at BP and Prudential I’m quite happy with their quality and service so I don’t mind paying around $140USD a night whenever either hotel’s rates gets to that level. And the area surrounding both hotels have a crap load of restaurants and many places to pick up quick tasty snacks.

Nathan Road

Nathan Road

One thing I also regret is not visiting Hong Kong Island enough. I’ve been to Victoria Peak and the southern side of  Hong Kong particularly the over touristy Stanley Market. But I really don’t mind just hanging out on the Kowloon side of Hong Kong. For one thing it’s really easy to get around. And I love taking photos up and down Nathan Road. All those neon lights add that extra bit of energy that I love so much about Hong Kong.

Awesome Malaysia

Awesome Malaysia

Before my making the decision that Thailand is the place to run out my clock, I seriously considered retiring in Japan or Malaysia instead. Both countries are special to me though I am more than happy to have made the decision to retire in Thailand. Of course I still visit Japan often but I visit Malaysia even more frequently because it borders west of Thailand.

So why do I love Malaysia? To start off I’ve only been to Kuala Lumpur and Penang. I know, it’s a big country. But just those two areas alone has made a huge impact on me. To me KL is like New York City. It’s one big huge melting pot with people of different ethnicity co-mingling, sharing and eating some of the best food on the planet in one spot.

Bukit Bintang - a very popular tourist center in KL...

Bukit Bintang – a very popular tourist center in KL…

Also as I’m able to speak Cantonese which is used in Malaysia the country imparts a sense of homey feeling that I am glad to be in touch with. Plus living in Thailand my Cantonese is beginning to get rusty. So it’s good to head out to Malaysia and start conversing in the language of my mother and father.

Safety is a big concern for me while traveling, especially when my wife is beginning to enjoy traveling to different countries. She prefers road trips all over Thailand for holidays at first. If you don’t know many Thais you’d be surprised that many don’t like to leave their own nation. They would rather visit different regions of their country instead of getting out of the country.

I don’t blame them. After all Thailand is a beautiful country with a lot of natural beauty. So after coaxing my wife (more like nagging) for a year or so she decided to join me on my visits abroad. This was the first trip ever for my wife by the way and she was impressed by KL as well.

Pavillion Mall in KLOutside Pavillion MallPopular Arab Restaurant in KLJalan Alor Night Market

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

KL’s tourist centric areas meets my safety criteria for a populous city and I never had any concerns whether walking the streets day or night with my wife. And traveling around KL is easy. We mostly made use of the monorail system and the fares are not expensive. Taxis are not expensive also but since we were staying in the Bukit Bintang area we came across a lot of drivers who quoted us rates instead of using the meter. Those bastards. Though even with the quoted rates we probably paid a little over $1USD extra. Which isn’t much to cry about but it’s the principle right?

And simply walking around to get to the sights and attractions near our hotel is a cinch because there are plenty of signs in English. It’s a totally visitor friendly city with a lot of hotels in the 3 star range with affordable rates. And food in Malaysia is incredible. Indian, Chinese and Malay plus Middle Eastern food all in one corner of Bukit Bintang close to the hotel I always stay at. Man my waistline is in some serious problems if I ever stay in that area for too long.

And my wife was never too keen on trying out different food. Again, Thai food is equated with national pride, so no matter what, Thai food to a Thai is the best. Better than the best dishes a chef from Cordon Bleu can dole out. Anyways there’s a restaurant right near out hotel that sold falafel and I’ve been ordering falafels from there for the longest time. I let her try one and she damn near took the rest off of my hands. She didn’t say nothing as she merrily munched on my lunch but I knew from the twinkle of her eye she liked it but never admits it to this day

Indian buffet galore...

Indian buffet galore…

Then there’s this Indian buffet restaurant with so many trays of spiced meats, curries and vegetables with rice. The food so delicious I’d pay to live inside. Hell I’d pay to inhale the aromas coming off the trays of food.

As I mentioned whenever I’m in KL I always stay an area called Bukit Bintang. This place is filled with a lot of hotel choices and shopping centers. The hotel I stay at is called the Piccolo (today it’s called ANSA).  It’s a 3 star hotel with no bells and whistles but if you want a clean quiet room with friendly hotel staff plus top location, the Piccolo will not disappoint. But I mainly chose this hotel and location because of the KL monorail is only a 3 minute walk. I use this train to get to Sentral station where I catch the cheap buses to the low cost carrier terminal because I always fly Air Asia.

A nice hotel right in the heart of Bukit Bintang...

A nice hotel right in the heart of Bukit Bintang…

Less than a minute walk left of the Piccolo’s doors is a big mall called Lot 10. Make sure you check out the food courts in the basement level called the Malaysia Gourmet Heritage Village. That’s the place to go to find a lot of Chinese/Malay foods to satisfy your cravings. A nice little supermarket is also in the same area if you need to pick up some odds and ends.

Then there are also two other malls which are even bigger nearby if Lot 10 doesn’t satisfy. There’s the Times Square Mall and the luxury shopping center called Pavilion Mall. Now I’ m not a big shopper. But my wife is though we noticed a lot of the items she was interested in she could easily pick up at a mall in Bangkok.

Of course there’s a lot more to KL than simply shopping. The city has plenty of attractions and side trip options like the Batu Caves.

An unmistakable Kuala Lumpur landmark...

An unmistakable Kuala Lumpur landmark…

So if there’s one place to see in while in KL it’s probably the Petronas. Now I’ve been to KL for many years and I’m sure if a Malaysian heard me say I’ve never been up their Twin Towers before they might say shame on me. And they would be right. In my defense I tried going up last year in 2012 but the visitor sections of the buildings were under renovation. So no visitors were allowed at the time.

However, this year since my wife came accompanied me on this trip it was as good a time as any to go up the mighty Petronas Towers. And I’m glad that we shared our first time together. Because it is a true marvel to be all the way up there on the Sky Bridge and Observation Deck and get a panoramic view of this wonderful city.

Since our time was short in Malaysia due to some business obligations back in Bangkok we couldn’t visit other parts of the city. Batu Caves on the outskirts of KL was a place I wanted to take my wife to but because it was raining a lot we decided to go up to Genting Highlands Casino instead. She really enjoyed the gondola ride up the mountain.

I love KL and Malaysia is truly awesome. I’ll be going back for years to come.

Guide to Shopping for Groceries in Bangkok

Guide to Shopping for Groceries in Bangkok

It can be cheap as chips ordering a meal out on the streets of Bangkok. That’s what most locals do too because most apartments or even condos don’t have full kitchens. But you’re still going to need groceries to stock your fridge and keep some non perishable foods tucked away in the cupboards.

Good news is that supermarkets in Thailand, especially in Bangkok, is that I can find a lot of my favorite brand name food items, like Doritos and Spam, yummmm… not eaten together of course.

Yummy Doritos imported from the US, cost $4 bucks which is not a bad price...

Yummy Doritos imported from the US, cost $4 bucks which is not a bad price…

Bad news is prices can be more expensive and even though there are sales and discounts you don’t really save that much at all. There are of course substitutes but if you’ve eaten a lot of Spam in your lifetime you will know that Hormel, the original maker of Spam is king and all other brands are just cheap imitations.

And being and Asian dude finding my favorite Asian groceries is not a problem at all either. But again, some of the Asian grocery items I can’t live without are Nissin Ramen Noodles. I can’t live without my favorite packaged ramen and as much as I like it, I’m not going to spend a little over $1USD for one pack in Thailand. While a pack back in NYC cost .50¢ at a Chinese supermarket. So when I’m back in NYC I usually stuff around a dozen before my flight to Thailand.

Almost $1 for 1 pack...

Almost $1 for a pack…

Again, there are of course a lot of other different brands of ramen that are much cheaper in price. Not sure about taste though since I haven’t tasted them all. But I’m not going to risk going over an MSG overload just to find a new and cheaper ramen in Thailand. And old habits die hard so I prefer Nissan brands because I’ve been eating it since I was a kid.

Now in a past post I eluded that it if you are searching for an apartment in Bangkok it is a smart move to choose one near a supermarket. One that is ideally in easy walking distance or easily reached by local cheap transport like a bus or a motorbike taxi. Taxis are plenty and cheap in Bangkok too and I suppose you can use one every time you go grocery shopping. Personally I don’t mind taking a short stroll while carrying my newly bought goodies because that’s what I have always done in NYC.

All Central branded malls have a Tops Supermarket inside...

All Central branded malls have a Tops Supermarket inside…

So there are quite a few large supermarkets in Bangkok. The ones I live in walking distance to are called Villa Market, Tesco Lotus and Tops Market.

Of the three mentioned Villa Market carries the most brand name products that would be familiar with Americans. Most of them are frozen foods though like TV dinners and such and even though the prices are higher they are reasonable given that most of the products traveled all the way from the US.

Even though I like Villa Market, I do about 90% of my grocery shopping in Tesco Lotus and Tops Market. The reason why is the latter 2 markets are in a busier location and closer to each other. I enjoy eating at the Ichiban Ramen Restaurant inside the same building as the Tesco Lotus. And Tops Market has an awesome food court in the basement level of the Central Ladprao Mall.

By the way, you should sign up with Tesco Lotus and Tops Market member cards. It’s free and if you’re going to be shopping at those two places, why not earn some points for future discounts. You should certainly sign up for the Tops One Spot Card. Those are great because you can earn points in any Central branded mall, Robinson’s Mall, Zen shopping centers and Power Sports. Believe me, those points add up fast. I always use up my points whenever there’s a big sale on clothes inside Central Malls. It’s way worth it and should be on your check list so remember, sign up for Tops One Spot Card.

A market I always go to in Central Ladprao Mall...

A market I always go to in Central Ladprao Mall…

Since both are larger supermarkets I can find more choices and options plus since I have so much spare time I don’t mind strolling around the aisles and discovering new goodies much to the detriment of my diet.

Almost $3 bucks for little over half a gallon of milk...

Almost $3 bucks for little over half a gallon of milk…

One thing that I have noticed is that in Thailand, dairy products are expensive. Particularly milk and cheese. Half a gallon of milk in Thailand cost $2.88USD in today’s current exchange rate. Now in NYC I can buy a gallon for $3.50USD plus tax. I use a lot of milk for cereals and smoothies in NYC and I will never complain about prices here again. Though not quite sure why yogurt is more reasonably priced in Thailand, however it is still cheaper in the States. A small container cost me about .50¢ and the serving size is smaller than what I am used to in NYC.

Bologne and ham section in Tesco Lotus...

Bologne and ham section in Tesco Lotus…

Sliced cheese is ridiculously expensive. Not sure what the current price is now because I stopped checking until someone at a Thai cheese factory comes to their senses and bring the prices down. Ham is equally just as expensive. This is bad news for a guy like me who loves and enjoy sandwiches way more than he should. I guess it would make sense though for ham and cheese to be a bit pricier since it’s not something you would find in an average ordinary Thai household.

About $35USD for 32ozs of steak, kinda pricey...

About $35USD for 32ozs of steak, kinda pricey…

I miss cooking a lot while in Bangkok. Aside from cooking my ramen noodles with Spam and eggs with one of those induction stove tops. But I only make that meal as a treat. What I really miss is cooking a full on meal like grilling a steak. I love big juicy steaks especially those 160z USDA prime rib eyes I used to buy in BJs where a 5 pack cost $35USD. Here in Bangkok a 32 oz will set me back the same price. I also miss cooking up a pot of beef stew.

But as I mentioned elsewhere, residential buildings are not equipped with gas pipes so no gas stoves. And propane tanks no matter what size in general are not allowed in apartments and condos. So I picked up a induction stove top and an oven for baking, both running on electricity.

So you can bet when I get a home in the next few years I’m going to make sure I build up a nice big outdoor kitchen and getting myself one of those really nice Webster grills for cooking up some Flintstones sized steaks.

The 30 Day Thai Tourist Visa Extension

The 30 Day Thai Tourist Visa Extension

It cost 1900THB to get a 30 Visa extension...

It cost 1900THB to get a 30 Visa extension…

On an older post I wrote about the Thai tourist visa I mentioned that you can extend each entry to 30 days for a total of 90 days. To get the 30 day extension you have to make your way to your nearest Thai immigration office. In Bangkok I head to the Chaeng Wattana office, which is about a 20 minute taxi ride if you’re coming from the Chatuchak area.

It’s a pretty straightforward process, as long as you have everything ready. You’ll need:

  • 1 Passport sized photo
  • A copy of your passport photo page, tourist visa page, departure card and entry date page.
  • Tourist visa extension from which you can get at the office
  • 1900THB which is the fee for extension. Kind of pricey don’t you think?

The Thai immigration building is huge and there are many government complexes nearby. You’re goal is to make it to Building B which is the immigration office. There are free buses withing the grounds that take you to building B or you can take one of the motobike taxis. They only charge 20THB which isn’t a bad deal at all.

As I said it’s a big building but there are many information kiosk all over the area so people can point you to the right way easily. There are photo copy and passport photo services on the floor below, just use the escalators. Photo copies cost 1 Baht each, don’t remember how much the passport photos cost but it I believe it’s around 200THB for 8 or 10 photos. Lots of coffee shops, stores and a big decent food court can be found there too.

The immigration office opens at 8:30am and closes from 12pm to 1pm for lunch. I believe the office closes at 4pm – 4:30pm. But as long as you have a numbered ticket on your hand they have to service you, even when the office officially closes.

So how long does it take to get the tourist visa extended? From my experience it takes about 2 hours, which is from the time I finish filling out the visa extension form, get my ticket number, get my application reviewed by the immigration officer and finally getting my passport back with a 30 day extension stamp.

But here are a few tips to avoid getting delayed and waiting longer at the immigration office.

Make sure you put down the address you are staying in Thailand clearly. And include your mobile telephone number. Avoid visiting the Thai immigration office before and after a major Thai national holiday where government offices are closed.

I once made made a visit to the immigration office after a big holiday and man, I had to wait like 4 to 5 hours. What made it even worse is that traffic is really bad in the area when 5pm rolls around.