Cliff(y) Goes Travelling

Jalan Balik Pulau, Penang, Malaysia Daily: 8.30am - 5.30pm The largest Buddhist temple in Malaysia is located in Penang, in the suburb of Air Itam (lit. Black Water) that's located approximately 6 km from the city centre of George Town. An important pilgrimage centre for Buddhists from Southeast Asia and Hong Kong, Kek Lok Si roughly means 'Temple of Supreme Happiness'.

36 Jalan Sungai Ujong, Penang, Malaysia Housed in a preserved 4-storey pre-war building, Kimberley Hotel George Town (3*) is strategically located in the historical core of the capital city of Penang, which has been inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It has got a total of 116 rooms, some of which can accommodate up to four guests.

SIN-PEN (1h 25m) Boeing 737-800 ETD: 7.00pm (GMT + 8)  ETA: 8.25 pm (GMT + 8) From today onwards, I shall write a short series of my family trip, which actually didn't happen recently, to Penang, Malaysia when my siblings were all back in Singapore during their university holiday. Together with my BFF and his mother, we flew with Silk Air, the full-service regional wing of Singapore Airlines, in the Economy Class.

CGK-SIN (1h 50m) Airbus 320 ETD: 1.30pm (GMT + 7)  ETA: 4.20 pm (GMT + 8) We're going to reach the end of July 2020 soon, and I've finally come to the last post on my December 2019 trip. To return to Singapore from Jakarta, Indonesia, my BFF and I flew with Batik Air in the Economy Class. To think about it, it's been ages since I last took the pretty unreliable Lion Air, a privately run low-cost carrier that's the parent company of Batik Air.

Jakarta, Indonesia Jakarta is the capital and the largest city of Indonesia, which is also the world's second most populous urban area after Tokyo, Japan. I suppose the focus of this post isn't really on the expanse of the city, which I haven't had the chance to explore a lot myself, but I shall also cover two relatively new modes of public transport: Soekarno-Hatta Airport Rail Link and MRT Jakarta.

Jalan Pintu Satu Senayan, Jakarta, Indonesia Daily: 7.00am - 10.00pm In the recent years, I've been trying to explore Jakarta bit by bit. With the MRT system in place now, I started toying with the idea of visiting places I wouldn't even think of going previously. It was thus my first time at the main stadium of the city, which was formerly known as Gelora Senayan Main Stadium.

Jalan Sungai Gerong No. 2, Jakarta, Indonesia After sending one of my BFFs off as he'd need to fly back to Singapore earlier, my other BFF and I made our way to the heart of Jakarta via the relatively new Soekarno-Hatta Airport Railink. Liberty Hotel Thamrin (3*) is a few minutes' walk from BNI City railway station and also located directly in front of one of the entrances to Dukuh Atas BNI MRT station.

Jalan Raya Bandara Soekarno-Hatta, Tangerang, Banten, Indonesia Transitting for a few days in Jakarta, Indonesia before flying back to Singapore after a trip elsewhere has almost become an annual December routine for me. My BFFs and I'd earlier decided on a branch of Ibis Budget (3*), which is located approximately 3 km away from Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, for a good night's rest.

ICN-CGK (7h 20m) Airbus 330-300 ETD: 3.40pm (GMT  +  9) ETA: 9 .00pm (GMT + 7) Here's another post on Asiana Airlines. My BFFs and I'd continue our journey to Jakarta, Indonesia with the same Airbus 330-300 aircraft in the Business Class cabin. Has anyone flown on its Boeing 747-400 and/or Boeing 767-300 aircraft? Sadly, the airline has chosen to retire both models.

Near Gate 26, Terminal 1, Incheon International Airport, Incheon, South Korea Daily: 5.00am - 12 midnight Asiana Airlines runs three Business Class lounges - Central, East and West - at Terminal 1 of Incheon International Airport in South Korea. My BFFs and I went to the Central lounge during our layover. It's not exactly the nearest to the gate for our next flight, but we went ahead with the first one that we saw.

KIX-ICN (2h) Airbus 330-300 ETD: 10.50am (GMT  +  9) ETA:  12.50pm (GMT + 9) Formerly known as Seoul Air International, Asiana Airlines is a Skytrax 5 Star Airline at the point of writing, which history can be traced back to 1988. It's the second largest airline in South Korea behind Korean Air, the flag carrier of the country. Did you know that it also fully owns Air Seoul, a low-cost carrier?

Near Gate 15, Terminal 1, Kansai International Airport, Osaka, Japan Daily: 7.00am - 11.00am As my BFFs and I'd be flying out of Kansai International Airport with Asiana Airlines in the Business Class, we were granted access to ANA Lounge at the airport since both airlines are Star Alliance members. I'd harboured a high expectation for the lounge, but did I eventually leave feeling satisfied? Read on to find out.

1 Senshukukokita, Izumisano, Osaka, Japan Colloquially known as Kanku, Kansai International Airport is located on an artificial island in the middle of Osaka Bay. It was opened in the last quarter of 1994 to relieve overcrowding at the original Osaka International Airport, which is now known as Itami Airport. The latter only handles domestic flights now.

2-4-5 Onishi, Izumisano, Osaka, Japan We were scheduled to leave Japan for Jakarta, Indonesia from Kansai International Airport in Osaka. As such, we said goodbye to Kobe and spent our last night at Hasegawa Rinku Guest House West that's located not too far from Rinku-Town railway station, which is just one stop away from the airport.