Travel Bits: December 2023

Year 2023 Personal Travel Wrap-up...... 

And so, 2023 is nearing its goodbyes and we are all looking forward to a brand new year in 2024. For travelers, a brand new travel year beckons.

Personally, 2023 marks the first year when leisure travel truly resumes, after 2020 and 2021. Yes, I traveled a fair bit in 2022 compared to the two preceding years. But travel in 2022 was tentative, punctuated by the need to handle cumbersome vaccination certifications submissions prior to each trip, downloading official apps from individual countries and registering on these apps before embarkation, masks wearing, expensive travel insurance as well as limitations in where one can travel to. All these requirements were thankfully, slowly peeled away towards the end of 2022. Year 2023 is when we feel like normal again. Truth be told, COVID-19 is still everywhere, endemic. However, a combination of annual vaccinations and naturally acquired immunity from previous infections by previous strains of the virus have made the general population a lot more resilient, health-wise.

Traditional drum performance, Kagoshima, Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan (2023)

Here's a quick roundup of my travels in 2023. I started the year with a s short trip to neighbouring Malaysia, driving up from Singapore to Ipoh. This was in February. In May, I took a short vacation to Hong Kong. My first trip to this southern Chinese city since January 2019. This was followed by a month-long Pan-Asian trip in August when I visited several Prefectures in Japan and then sailed on a cruise from Yokohama to Kumamoto, Kagoshima, Hong Kong, Nha Trang and Phú Mỹ before returning to Singapore, on the same cruise. This was a major travel bucket item in my list as I have always wanted to experience sailing from North Asia back to South-East Asia where my home is.

The cruise that I traveled with berthed at Kagoshima Port, Kagoshima, Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan (2023)

My land trips in Japan during this same month-long Pan-Asia trip includes traveling from Tokyo to Niigata, Nagaoka, Tsuruoka and of course, Yokohama to board the cruise. In Niigata, I managed to travel on a joyride onboard a tourist train for the first time. Another travel bucket list item ticked. And in Nagaoka, I attended both days of the annual Nagaoka Fireworks Festive on 2nd and 3rd August 2023, this being also a travel bucket list item for me.

In Yokohama, I stumbled upon the Pokémon World Championship 2023 which was happening during my two days in the city. Being a Pokémon fan, this was an awesome and happy coincidence.

Pokémon World Championship 2023, Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan (2023)

Then, I embarked on my cruise in Yokohama and commenced on the second part of my trip. Scheduled stopovers in the ports of Shimizu and Osaka were cancelled due to approaching typhoons and the cruise ship re-routed to Kumamoto. I was not upset at the rescheduling because nobody can control the weather. And visiting Kumamoto has always been a travel bucket list item for me. This was how I got to visit Kumamoto and Kumamoto Castle this year, getting to tick off another personal travel bucket list item. In Kagoshima, I came face-to-face with Sakurajima, from the shores of Kagoshima city, while  ticking off another item off my travel bucket list.

Entering Hong Kong by sea via the cruise ship and disembarking at the Kai Tak Cruise Terminal in Kowloon Bay allowed me to tick off yet another travel bucket list item. In Vietnam, I visited Nha Trang, Phú Mỹ and Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC). This was only my second visit to HCMC (a.k.a. Saigon) since my first trip to this southern Vietnamese city in year 2000. Departing on the cruise ship from Phú Mỹ for Singapore signalled the conclusion of my very exciting and enjoyable month-long trip from North to South-East Asia.

Taxi, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam (2023)

And my travels for 2023 were not done yet. A spontaneous trip to Kuala Lumpur in the third week of November and a planned trip to Bali in the second week of December rounded up my travel year. In Kuala Lumpur, I enjoyed sumptuous local food. However, the trip was marred by my travel partner having his wallet pick-pocketed at Bukit Bintang on the day of our arrival. Thankfully, we managed to cancel all the stolen credit cards before fraudulent charges can be incurred. True enough, subsequent checks with the banks showed attempts to illegally transact close to SGD$5000 (about USD$3500 at the prevailing exchange rate) within an hour of the theft. Summing up the unfortunate incident, our total lost from the theft was around RM3000 plus (about SGD$1000 or USD$750), money that did not financially impact us but still disappointing to experience. We could have spent the money that was stolen from us on more shopping and food!

My Bali trip was a completely happy experience. I stayed for 3 nights in Jimbaran Bay followed by 3 more nights in Ubud. A combination of sea and land experience. In Jimbaran Bay, I dined by the beach, sands at my feet. I spent the days lounging around the resort, working on my journals, both writing and doodling. A real relaxation of body and soul. In Ubud, I walked amongst padi fields, obersivng fresh water crabs, shrimps and fishes in the padi fields at night, did my usual unguided walking tours of the areas around the hotel and discovered new resorts and restaurants. I also ate at local roadside stalls, truly enjoying the experience. Also in Ubud, I chanced upon a local festival, followed the colourful procession for a short distance and discovered more good local food along the way. What a trip! This was easily my most enjoyable trip of the year. The local Balinese and even the tourists I met and interacted with were all so nice, courteous, friendly and humble. Best trip in a long long time.

For the remaining two weeks of December and this year, it is back to work for me. Travel in 2024 will start in late January or early February with a short road trip to Ipoh followed by a planned cruise to Penang and Phuket in March. This cruise will be my fourth cruise onboard Royal Caribbean's Spectrum of the Seas before the ship re-located to ports in China in mid-2024. Besides these, no other travel plans so far. But I know there will be at least two or three other trips for 2024. Just that I am still deciding where and when to go. 

I did not get to travel for work in 2023. It has been 4 years since I last traveled for work. Somehow, the pandemic years may have successfully convinced all my customers that work-related travel and face-to-face interactions are no longer necessary. And if that is indeed the case, then I wonder how naive has the business world become. 

Thankfully, I still get to travel, for my vacations.