Bangkok, Thailand (29th Nov - 1st Dec 2009)

Flight No: CX703/CX702 (HKG-BKK-HKG)
Date: 29th Nov - 1st Dec 2009
Flying Hours: 2 hours 55 mins
(GMT +0700)

Wat Arun (Temple of the Dawn) is a Buddhist temple (wat) in the Bangkok Yai district of Bangkok, Thailand, on the west bank of the Chao Phraya River. The full name of the temple is Wat Arunratchawararam Ratchaworamahawihan (วัดอรุณราชวรารามราชวรมหาวิหาร).Phu Khao Thong (Golden mountain, ภูเขาทอง) is a steep hill inside the Wat Saket compound. It is not a natural outcrop, but an artificial hill.
During the reign of King Rama III (1787 – 1851) the decision was made to build a Chedi of huge dimensions to add to the Wat Saket temple. However, the large Chedi collapsed during the construction process because the soft soil beneath would not support it. The resulting mud-and-brick hillock was left alone for about half a century, taking the shape of a natural hill and becoming overgrown with weeds. Since then it looked like a natural small mountain it received its name of "Phu Khao" (ภูเขา) at that time.
Finally under King Rama IV, a small Chedi was built on the hilltop. This smaller structure was finished under King Rama V (1853– 1910), when a Buddha relic from India was housed in the Chedi. In the 1940s the surrounding concrete walls were built to prevent the hill from eroding.
There is an important festival at Wat Saket every November that includes a beautiful candlelight procession up Phu Khao Thong.
Phu Khao Thong has become a popular tourist attraction in Bangkok, but the rest of the Wat Saket temple area is much less visited.

Brisbane, Australia (24th-27th Nov 2009)

Flight No: CX103/CX102 (HKG-BNE-CNS-HKG)
Date: 24th - 27th Nov 2009
Flying Hours: 8 hours 45 mins (HKG-BNE)
2 hours 20 mins (BNE-CNS)
7 hours 5 mins (CNS-HKG)
(GMT +1000)

Brisbane is the state capital of the Australian state of Queensland and is the largest city in that state. The statistical division of Brisbane has an estimated population of approximately 2 million, along with its LGA registering a bit over a million, it is also the third most populous city in Australia.
The city is situated on the Brisbane River on a low-lying floodplain between Moreton Bay and the Great Dividing Range in southeastern Queensland. The local indigenous people knew the area as Mian-jin, meaning 'place shaped as a spike'.
Brisbane is named after the river on which it sits which, in turn was named after Sir Thomas Brisbane, the Governor of New South Wales from 1821 to 1825. Brisbane's demonym is a Brisbanite.
The first European settlement in Queensland was a penal colony at Redcliffe, 28 kilometres (17 mi) north of the Brisbane central business district, in 1824. That settlement was soon abandoned and moved to North Quay in 1825. Free settlers were permitted from 1842. Brisbane was chosen as the capital when Queensland was proclaimed a separate colony from New South Wales in 1859.
At a municipal level, the city is governed by the Brisbane City Council. In 1925, the City of Brisbane Act was passed by the Queensland Government, abolishing 20 local government authorities in the city and forming the largest local authority in Australia.
The city played a central role in the Allied campaign during World War II as the South West Pacific headquarters for General Douglas MacArthur.
Brisbane is fast becoming a world city renowned for its culture, architecture and landscape. The metropolitan area is surrounded by many national parks, and contains many rivers, bays and inlets. The main airport serving Brisbane is Brisbane International Airport, located 14 km north-east of the CBD. In 2009, Brisbane passed Melbourne as Australia second major international airport on passenger volume.
Brisbane has hosted many large cultural and sporting events including the 1982 Commonwealth Games, World Expo '88 and the 2001 Goodwill Games. In 2008, Brisbane was classified as a gamma world city+ in the World Cities Study Group’s inventory by Loughborough University.

With lovely Kemian, she operated Brisbane flight arriving a night before meWith my best friend's sister - YeanJoo, who's studying in Brisbane, it's so glad to have met Penang friend overseas.Kemian, YeanJoo, Jason and ITop of BrisbaneSuperheroesCX = Cathay PacificThanks YeanJoo for bringing us to this place, it's beautiful and I enjoy the fresh airThis is YeanJoo's doggyHad Japanese Food in Brisbane Chinatown1 and a half hour train + half an hour bus ride from Brisbane to Surfers Paradise Gold CoastSurfers Paradise (28°00′S 153°25′E / 28°S 153.417°E / -28; 153.417) is a suburb on the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia. At the 2006 Census, Surfers Paradise had a population of 18,501.
Colloquially known as 'Surfers', the suburb has many high-rise apartment buildings and a wide surf beach. The feature of the central business district is Cavill Mall, which runs through the shopping precinct. Cavill Avenue, named after Jim Cavill, an early hotel owner, is one of the busiest shopping strips in Queensland, and the centre of activity for night life. It's the best known feature of the Gold Coast's skyline. Burleigh and Coolangatta also have skyscrapers, though shorter and fewer.At the beachBlack or WhiteTattoo MenBeach BoysBeach RayBack to Brisbane