Slow-mo Amazing Race

Previously, all my holidays were planned by tour agencies. All I had to do was to pay, pack and go. Accommodation, food, and transport were taken care of, and I did not have to worry about a single thing.

Going on tour meant that I had to follow the itinerary arranged by tour agencies. It was alright to visit places of interests as per arranged. But most tour agencies arrange for stopovers at specialty places, where the salespersons will talk you into buying their products at exorbitant prices. In China, it was silk, tea, chrysanthemum tea, pearls and teapots. In Taiwan, it was precious stones, pearls, and tea. These visits were lengthy, and I really disliked wasting time at such places when we could have visited more places of interest. Furthermore, the pushy salespeople really annoyed me.

This time, my friends and I decided to go on a holiday on our own. We booked our flights and our accommodation online as early as September last year, and anticipated the trip lots.

Before the trip, we searched the internet for lists of places of interest to visit. We drew our own itinerary and researched transport routes. We also asked our acquaintances for information and travel tips.

Now that we are finally done with our holiday, I would just like to sit and reflect on it, and perhaps document some of the highlights of the trip.

Well, I enjoyed my holiday lots. At least I did not have to sit in a bus for long journeys from place to place. My friends and I managed to visit all but 2 places we listed. We I learned our way around the places we visited, enquiring people for information and directions whenever there were complications. Indeed many times, my friends and I walked the wrong directions. And they were long walks too! Many times, I felt like I was having an Amazing Race, albeit a slow-mo version. Lol.

All the people whom we asked were absolutely helpful. One particular girl even offered to bring us to a certain place that we wanted to go! Such nice people they were.