Our Trips Around The World

Day 5 in Ho Chi Minh City 胡志明市第五天

2024年4月27日，星期六，新加坡越南之旅第8天

April 27, 2024, Saturday, Day 8 of the Singapore-Vietnam trip

今天上午，我俩前往位于Bitexco金融大厦第49层的西贡光景台。Bitexco金融大厦是胡志明市的地标性建筑之一，高达262米，共68层，是越南最高的建筑之一。设计灵感来自于越南的国花-莲花盛放，大厦外观仿若娇媚的莲花花蕾，象征着越南民族的活力和期望。从大厦的光景台上，可以360度俯瞰胡志明市的壮观景色，整个城市尽收眼底。

This morning, we went to the Saigon Skydeck on the 49th floor of the Bitexco Financial Tower. The Bitexco Financial Tower is one of the landmark buildings in Ho Chi Minh City, standing 262 meters tall with 68 floors, making it one of the tallest buildings in Vietnam.

Day 4 in Ho Chi Minh City 胡志明市第四天

2024年4月26日，星期五，新加坡越南之旅第7天 April 26, 2024, Friday, Day 7 of the Singapore-Vietnam Trip

今天没有什么特别的计划，连续的100华氏度高温让外出变得艰难。上午我们步行前往胡志明市歌剧院，这座具有浓厚法国殖民时期建筑风格的歌剧院幸未在战争中被摧毁，依然屹立在这里，象征着这座城市的历史和建筑遗产。

Today, we have no special plans as the continuous 100-degree Fahrenheit heat makes going out challenging. In the morning, we walked to the Ho Chi Minh City Opera House. This opera house, rich in French colonial architectural style, was fortunately not destroyed during the war and still stands here, symbolizing the city’s history and architectural heritage.

War Remnants Museum 战争遗迹博物馆

2024年4月25日，星期四，新加坡越南之旅第六天

On April 25, 2024, Thursday, the sixth day of the Singapore-Vietnam trip

今天我俩参观了战争遗迹博物馆，原名为展示美国战争罪行博物馆，成立于1975年，是越南唯一一个系统地研究、收集、保护和展示外来侵略势力对越南人民造成的战争罪行和后果的博物馆，通过展出大量的照片、文物、军事装备，向公众揭示战争的残酷性和对人民生活的长期影响。博物馆分为多个展区，其中包括关于化学武器如橙剂的使用、战争期间的摄影作品、国际支持越南抗战的展览等。除此之外，院外还陈列了被摧毁的坦克、飞机和大炮等战争装备，让人对战争有更直观的感受。

Today, we visited the War Remnants Museum, originally named the less flattering, “Exhibition House for US and Puppet Crimes”, which was established in 1975. It is the only museum in Vietnam that systematically studies, collects, preserves, and displays the war crimes (and make no mistake they were war crimes), and consequences caused by foreign invading forces on the Vietnamese people.

Ho Chi Minh City Day 2 胡志明市第二天

2024年4月24日，星期三，新加坡越南之旅第五天

Wednesday, April 24, 2024, the fifth day of the Singapore-Vietnam trip

今天早晨在酒店享用了包含在住宿费中的自助早餐后，我们便前往了位于酒店旁边的独立宫参观。门票价格为每人65,000越南盾，另外音频讲解需支付90,000越南盾。看到了很多外国游客和越南本地人。这座宫殿最初在法国殖民时期被称为诺罗敦宫，建于1868年至1871年间，曾是法属印度支那总督的官邸。其建筑展示了典型的法国殖民风格，融合了欧洲文艺复兴时期的设计元素，显著体现了当时法国对该地区政治和文化的深远影响。

After enjoying the complimentary buffet breakfast at the hotel this morning, we went to visit the Independence Palace located directly across from our hotel. The ticket price was 65,000 Vietnamese Dong per person, and the audio guide cost an additional 90,000 Vietnamese Dong. We saw many foreign tourists and local Vietnamese people.

Arriving in Ho Chi Minh City 到越南达胡志明市

2024年4月23日星期二，新加坡越南之行第四天

Tuesday, April 23, 2024, the fourth day of the Singapore-Vietnam trip

今天飞往越南的胡志明市，这是一个我从未踏足的地方，PJG曾在2003年访问过越南的首都河内市。飞机在下午1点多起飞，我俩在新加坡机场的一个Hawker Centre吃了午餐。用餐经历非常便利，扫码点餐，手机信用卡进行支付，屏幕上显示叫号，用餐后还有两个机器人帮忙回收使用过的餐具。

Today, we flew to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, a place I have never set foot in before. PJG had visited Vietnam’s capital, Hanoi, in 2003. The plane took off at around 1 pm, and we had lunch at a Hawker Centre in the Singapore Airport.

Day 3 in Singapore 新加坡第三天

2024年4月22日，星期一，新加坡越南之旅第三天

Monday, April 22, 2024, the third day of the Singapore-Vietnam trip

观赏日出！今天清晨6点，我俩决定早起，步行前往鱼尾狮公园欣赏日出。公园内人迹罕至，一片宁静。在鱼尾狮还未开始喷水时，水面宁静如镜，我们捕捉到了极美的倒影画面。

Watching the sunrise! At 6 a.m. this morning, we decided to get up early and walk to Merlion Park to enjoy the sunrise. The park was sparsely populated and tranquil.

Gardens By The Bay 海滨湾花园

2024年4月21日，星期日，新加坡越南之旅第二天 April 21, 2024, Sunday, Day 2 of the Singapore-Vietnam Trip

昨天晚上忘了为今天准备早餐，于是第一次在一家餐厅享用了一顿相对昂贵的早餐！上午，我们步行了30多分钟前往著名的滨海湾花园。在途中，意外发现了一条地下通道，这让我们避免了大部分路程中的酷热。滨海湾花园是新加坡的一个标志性城市花园，始建于2006年，并于2012年正式向公众开放。花园的主要亮点包括两个巨大的温室——花穹和云雾林，以及被称为“超级树”的一系列高达50米的立体花园。虽然在花园内游逛是免费的，但炎热潮湿的天气很快就让我们汗流浃背，也迫使我们放弃了原计划中在空中行走道上行走的想法。最后，我们在滨海湾金沙酒店前的会展中心美食中心吃了简单的午餐。

We forgot to pickup some pastries for this morning’s breakfast last night, so for the first time, we enjoyed a rare, relatively expensive breakfast at a restaurant! After breakfast, we walked for more than 30 minutes to the famous Gardens by the Bay. Along the way, we unexpectedly discovered an underground passage, which allowed us to avoid the scorching heat for most of the journey.

Arriving in Singapore 到达新加坡

2024年4月22日，星期六，在槟城生活工作的第八周

Saturday, April 22, 2024 – Week 8 of Living and Working in Penang

这周同样的平淡无奇，唯一的新尝试是品尝了一种较为温和的榴莲。它的气味不那么刺鼻，吃起来很甜，卖榴莲的大哥很友好的让我俩免费尝试，尝试后，我俩买了一小盒。

This week was similarly uneventful, with the sole novel experience being the tasting of a milder variety of durian. Its aroma was less pungent, and the flavor was quite sweet.

槟城第七周 Week 7 In Penang

2024年4月8日到4月14日来到马来西亚槟城的第七周

April 8 to April 14, 2024 – The seventh week of our stay in Penang, Malaysia

这是一个相对平静的一周。除了日常工作之外，我俩没有进行任何特别的活动。M&M在白天自行探索城市，晚上我们一同享受美食和餐后散步。

This week was relatively tranquil. Apart from my regular work, the two of us didn’t engage in any extraordinary activities. During the day, Matthew & Megan ventured out to explore the city on their own, while in the evenings, we savored delicious meals together and enjoyed leisurely evening strolls.

槟城第六周-家人来访之二 Week 6 In Penang – Family Visit II

2024年4月1日到4月7日来到马来西亚槟城的第六周 – April 1st to April 7th, 2024, it was the sixth week we’ve spent in Penang, Malaysia.

这周是2024年的第一季度财报总结的一周，工作比较忙，周四早上3点半就起床开始工作，下午6点多终于完成我负责的部分，晚上10点我们又和瑞典的KPMG的会计师开了半个小时的会，11点多终于可以睡觉了。周五晚上，我俩又去了大树下海鲜餐厅，为了犒劳自己这周的努力工作，为自己点了6只肥美的皮皮虾。

At work this week I was focused on the first quarter close for 2024, making work quite busy. I woke up at 3:30 a.m. on Thursday to start working, and finally finished my part around 6 p.m. In the evening, we had a half-hour meeting with KPMG consultants in Sweden. It was past 11 p.m. when I finally could go to bed.

Wei’s Notes From Her Visit – 魏的访问笔记

On the last day of Wei’s trip while we were drinking Champagne, she read from some notes she had prepared. I asked her if it was ok to publish them here on the blog as I thought they were touching. I used the AI Claude 3 Opus to extract the Chinese characters from the hand written notes and then translated it into English. Then ZY checked it and made a few corrections.

乔治城第五周-特别的一天 Week 5 In George Town- A Special Day

2024年3月25日到3月31日来到马来西亚槟城的第五周

From March 25th to March 31st, 2024, it was the fifth week we spent in Penang, Malaysia.

3月25日，我们迁入了位于Gurney Ville的新公寓，在槟城的剩余两个月将在此度过。搬家过程很顺利，在我忙于工作时，PJG往返了两次，巧妙地安置好了新家的网络和我的工作区域。当我下午4点结束工作时，便正式加入了我们的新居。同一天，我姐姐Wei首次独立使用Grab，她自己去探索了热带香料园。接下来的这一周时间飞逝而过，我每天正常工作，Wei则自己出门游览。到了周五下班，我们一起前往我俩的老地方——爱情巷，Wei第一次玩了层层叠游戏

On March 25th, we moved into our new apartment called Gurney Ville, located closer to George Town, where we will spend the remaining two months in Penang. The moving process went smoothly.

Moving Day! – 搬家日!

Well our first part of our Penang trip has come to an end. Today we moved from our apartment in Tanjung Tokong, at the Straits Quay Suites to a place nearer to George Town called Gurney Ville. I was surprised at how much extra stuff we had accumulated in the first five weeks (mostly food and kitchen stuff). Also, it was a work day for PJM so we decided to make the move in a few steps, leaving her computer set up for her work.

好吧,我们槟城之行的第一部分已经结束了。今天,我们从丹绒道光的海峡码头套房公寓搬到了更靠近乔治城的一个名为 Gurney Ville 的地方。令我惊讶的是,在最初的五个星期里,我们积累了多少额外的东西(主要是食物和厨房用品)。此外,今天是 PJM 的工作日,所以我们决定分几步进行搬家,让她今天正常工作。

乔治城第四周 -家人来访 Week 4 In George Town-Family Visit

2024年3月19日-3月24日，来到马来西亚槟城的第四周 – March 19-24, 2024, the fourth week in Penang, Malaysia

周一，我和PJG从吉隆坡返回，度过了一个平静的一周，上班下班，夜晚外出散步放松。到了周五晚上，我们迎来了一个特别的时刻——我的姐姐Wei平安抵达槟城，这是她首次踏出国门旅行，无疑是一件令人兴奋的大事。她为入境时可能遇到的语言障碍和心理准备似乎都未派上用场，一切都进行得很顺利。

On Monday, PJG and I returned from Kuala Lumpur and had a peaceful week of working during the day, and taking relaxing walks in the evenings. On Friday night, we had a special moment – my sister Wei safely arrived in Penang!

嘉宾贴之二：我的第一次外国之旅-马来西亚，槟城 Guest Post – Part II: My First Overseas Travel – Penang, Malaysia

2024年3月23日 – March 23, 2024

吃过早餐，下楼试着在ATM机上提款，很方便（学到了新本领）。出发！
第一站，The Top。
James果然是旅行达人。在网上就买好了票，领着我们来到了这里的至高点槟城The Top。这座卓越的建筑68层楼251米高。我们今天要挑战高空走道Rainbow Skywalk。人有时候很奇怪，理智告诉自己很安全时，眼睛一看到玻璃下面的高空还是会不自觉害怕。最勇敢的是James，胆子小一点的是JoAnne。顶着烈日，没一会我们就勇敢地站上了玻璃高空观景台。俯瞰整个乔治市以及周边的山脉和海滩，心胸何其开阔、风景何其壮观！当然这是我第一次站在这么高的地方！

After breakfast, I went downstairs and tried to withdraw money from an ATM, which was very convenient (I learned a new skill). Let’s go!

The first stop, The Top.

嘉宾贴之一：我的第一次外国之旅-马来西亚，槟城 Guest Post I: My First Overseas Travel – Penang, Malaysia

2024年3月22日 – March 22, 2024

一直很欣赏这个世界的主人公PJM的生活，眼睛跟随她的脚步在感受着多彩的世界。没想到，忽然间，我也成了故事里的一位主人公。
今天我在厦门机场顺利打印登机牌、过安检，起飞，来到了马来西亚槟城。出乎意料，槟城海关看完我递交的资料，什么也没问，就让我按了手印，盖章通过。两位主人公，PJM和PJG已经在机场出口向我招手了，挺激动，这是今年意外的惊喜！
刚下飞机来到这里，看什么都新鲜，眼睛似乎都不够用啦。我们直奔美食而去，嗯，很好吃的晚餐。

I have always admired the life of my sister, the protagonist PJM in this world, following her footsteps and experiencing the colorful world through her eyes. Unexpectedly, I suddenly became one of the protagonists in the story.

Singapore and Vietnam – 新加坡和越南

We just booked tickets for Singapore and Vietnam! We’ll be in Singapore April 20-23 and then Ho Chi Minh from April 23-28.

我们刚预订了新加坡和越南的机票!我们将在4月20日至23日在新加坡,然后在4月23日至28日前往胡志明市。

吉隆坡之行-下 Kuala Lumpur Visit – Part III

2024年3月18日，星期一，吉隆坡之行第三天

March 18, 2024, Monday, the last day of the Kuala Lumpur trip

短暂的吉隆坡之行今天就结束了，下午1点多的火车回槟城，利用上午的时间去了著名的黑风洞，Grab半个小时就到了，花费25马币，门票是免费的。黑风洞是位于马来西亚吉隆坡郊外约11公里处的一处自然奇观，也是一个重要的印度教圣地。这个庞大的石灰岩山洞群以其壮观的自然景观和印度教雕塑而闻名。

The short Kuala Lumpur trip ended today. We took the train back to Penang in the afternoon around 1 pm. We used the morning to visit the famous Batu Caves. It took half an hour by Grab, costing 25 Ringgits, and the entrance was free. Batu Caves is a natural wonder located about 11 kilometers outside of Kuala Lumpur. It is also an important Hindu holy site. This vast limestone cave complex is known for its spectacular natural scenery and Hindu sculptures.

吉隆坡之行-中 Kuala Lumpur Visit – Part II

2024年3月17日，星期日，吉隆坡第二天

March 17, 2024, Sunday, the second day in Kuala Lumpur

早上的首要安排是参观双峰塔。抵达售票处时，我们发现只剩下下午两点半的入场券，成人票价为98马币。意外的是，PJG能享有折扣，票价仅需50马币。购票之后，我们决定先前往旁边的KLCC公园。这里不仅是欣赏双峰塔的绝佳地点，也是这座炎热都市中的一片宁静绿洲。

The top priority in the morning was to go to the top of the Petronas Twin Towers. Upon arriving at the ticket office, we discovered that only tickets for 2:30 pm entry were available, with an adult ticket price of 98 Ringgit. Surprisingly, PJG was eligible for a discount, and his ticket price was only 50 Ringgit.

吉隆坡之行-上 Kuala Lumpur Visit – Part I

2024年3月11日-3月18日，来到马来西亚的第三周

March 11-18, 2024, the third week in Malaysia

这周时间匆匆流逝，工作依旧按部就班，其中两个晚上安排了9点和10点的会议。周四，在Coco Island美食中心吃过晚饭后，我俩遇到了一位当地人，与他聊天甚是有趣。这位生活经历丰富的老兄，讲述了他自己令人惊讶的过往：曾为马来西亚的某位皇室成员担任司机，与一位英国知名的发型设计师共事两年，因信用卡诈骗在英国坐过两年牢。他描述那是他经历过的最好的监狱，甚至愿意再次入狱，因为那里的人都受到人道对待，还因为他是马来西亚人，监狱特意为他准备了炒饭。相比之下，他在马来西亚的监狱待了六个月，坚称宁死也不愿再踏入马来西亚的监狱。他自称是一个“老花花公子”，但让我俩意外的是，他对许多实事的观点却比较自由主义的。好了，不多说了，我还是继续记录这个周末去吉隆坡的短途旅行吧。

This week passed by in a flash, and work continued as usual, with meetings scheduled at 9 pm and 10 pm on two evenings as well as an early morning meeting. On Thursday, after having dinner at the Coco Island food center, we met a local person, and found chatting with him was quite interesting. This man, who had a wealth of life experiences, recounted his own surprising past: he had served as a driver for a member of the Malaysian Royal family, worked with a well-known British hairstylist for two years, and spent two years in prison in the UK for credit card fraud.