About Me

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
I am married to my loving husband for more than 45 years now. I am a mother to 3 beautiful children, until years ago when I lost my youngest son. Since then my life is forever altered but yet unbroken....

My Travel Journal

"There isn't much I haven't shared with you along the road and through it all there'd always be tomorrow's episode" - Elton John

I started traveling around the world since early 80s when I had the opportunity to combine business trips with vacations. Then later when my rezeki is in abundance, there were numerous other trips along the way for vacations, most of the time with hubby and the kids when the timing is right. I have also started to compile the journal and photo-pages covering almost more than 45 years of world wide travel. Some destinations I visited just once, others many times. Many of those places are the obvious famous places people would like to visit but some, the casual traveler doesn't even think to try. I have placed links to my travel at the side bar of my personal page, My Life Reflections, and will be updating them from time to time.

My wish is to continue my travel and complete circumnavigate the globe, insyaAllah…

Wednesday, 9 July 2025

Exploring the Mayan and the Aztecs Civilisation...

"An adventure is only an inconvenience rightly considered. An inconvenience is only an adventure wrongly considered..." - G.K. Chesterton

(Chichen Itza, Cancun, Mexico)

I am in for a treat and unforgettable adventure in Central America.

Central America is a vibrant and diverse region full of natural beauty and rich cultural heritage. We will be visiting Panama, Costa Rica, Mexico and Cuba.


Panama (20 - 22 June 2025)

Panama is a mix of modern cities and wild rainforests. We will be visiting the Panama Canal and try a boat tour through the canal and visit Embera indigenous villages, among other attractions.

Costa Rica (23 - 25 June 2025)

Costa Rica is an eco-paradise with "Pura Vida" lifestyle. We will be expecting wildlife, rainforests and lots of tropical rain.

Mexico (26 June - 01 July 2025)

Mexico is a lively, colorful, and deeply historic country, incredible food, vibrant street life and diverse climates. The highlight of our trip will be visiting one on the Seven Wonders of the world, the Chichen Itza in Cancun which is the last in our list. In Mexico we will be visiting three cities - Cancun, Mezico City and Monterrey.

Cuba (02 - 05 July 2025)

Cuba is a timeless soulful country, classic cars, salsa music, and warm hospitality with vintage charm.Top highlights are Havana and a day trip to Viñales Valley.

This 20-day trip is more than just a tick on the list.  I don't know whether I will be able to update my travel blog as we are expecting limited internet coverage at some of the places we visit.

Central America Itinerary:
(19 June - 09 July 2025)


Next Trip: Hat Yai Free and Easy with the gang
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Tuesday, 8 July 2025

01 Istanbul: Love is in the air...

"Travelling is like a chocolate box. It Doesn’t matter what you get. All is good..."

(Istanbul International Airport)

Day 01: 19/06/25 (Thursday)
Flight: TK061 KUL 2345/IST 0520+1 (Turkish Air)
Route: Kuala Lumpur - Istanbul, Turkey

(Ready for the 20-days trip)

All our bags are packed and we are ready to start our adventure trip to Central America.

By 5.00 pm we were already on our way to our Putramas Apartment. Our car will be parked there for the duration of the trip. Booked a grab car to KLIA. The after office hour traffic was quite heavy and it was raining slightly. When we reached the airport it was already Maghrib. Performed our jamak prayers at the arrival surau level 2.

(Departure Hall KLIA)
(Speedy check-in)

Met Hazimin and Che Nan at Departure Hall Counter J. The four of us will be travelling together on this trip. Completed check-in process in a jiffy.

(Our travelling buddies for this trip)
(The crowd at the boarding gate)

The long haul flight to Istanbul was full. The 10h 35m on board was spent napping in between listening to Mark Knopfler. Meals were served two hours after departure and two hours before arrival. 

(On board of the long-haul flight)


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Monday, 7 July 2025

02 Turkey/Panama: Spanish Colonial Influences...

"Kilometres are shorter than miles. Save gas, and take your next trip in kilometres..." – George Carlin

(My boarding pass to Panama)

Day 02: 20/06/25 (Friday)
Flight: TK903 IST 1410/PTY 2000 (Turkish Air)
Route: Istanbul, Turkey - Panama City, Panama
Hotel: Hotel Casa Miller, Panama City

We performed Subuh prayers an hour before arrival. The plane touched down at Istanbul International Airport at 5.40 am Turkish time. We while away our time during the eight hours layover with window shopping, Quran reciting or reading e-book. But if you need some rest during a long layover, a comfortable Sleepods or Recharge Cabins are available on an hourly charges.

(Arriving at Istanbul International Airport)
(A beautiful new airport of Turkey)

Buying a decent meal in the airport is quite expensive. The Istanbul Airport is renowned for its top-tier dining, voted World’s Best Airport Dining by Skytrax in 2024. But it also leads Europe in some of the steepest food and drink prices. We make do with having our brunch at the food court.

(Recharge Cabins at Euro25/hr)
(The Airport Museum, a new attraction)

Our flight to Panama City was at 2.10 pm. We had ample time to freshen up and change our clothes. It was going to be another long-haul 13h 50m flight, a challenge to our already tired bones.

(Resting our tired feet)

The flight to Panama City was not full so were able to stretch our bodies at the unoccupied seats. We spent most of the time on board napping in between meals.

Landed at Panama City Tocumen International Airport at 7.57 pm. There was a cab driver waiting for us at the Arrival Hall.

(First glimpse of Panama City)

Hotel Casa Miller is located in the Caledonia neighborhood in Panama old City, which is safe enough during the day, yet travelers especially foreigners like us should exercise caution, particularly after dark.


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Sunday, 6 July 2025

03 Panama: Sailing from Ocean to Ocean...

"The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched - they must be felt with the heart..." - Helen Keller

(A cargo ship crossing the Panama Canal)

Day 03: 21/06/25 (Saturday)
Activity: Panama Canal Cruise and Gamboa Tour
Hotel: Hotel Casa Miller, Panama City

(Hotel Casa Miller, Panama City)
(Waiting for the Tour bus at the hotel lobby)

This morning we skipped breakfast.

Mr Alonso, our tour guide and Mr Manuel the driver, picked the four of us around 6.00 am. The bus made its round to fetch other tourists from their hotels for the Panama Canal Tour.

Panama is a country on the isthmus linking Central and South America. The Panama Canal, a famous feature of human engineering, cuts through its center, linking the Atlantic and Pacific oceans to create an essential shipping route.

(One of the canal expansion locks in Panama Canal)
(Overloaded cargo ship entering from the Pacific Ocean)

The capital, Panama City is a modern town with skyscrapers, casinos and nightclubs contrast with colonial buildings in the Casco Viejo district and the rainforest of Natural Metropolitan Park which we will visit later of the day.

(A bridge over the Chagres River)
(The train track along the river)
(Exploring the Gamboa Rainforest Reserve)

We travelled to Gatun Lake in Gamboa located about 45 minutes drive from Panama City. From the jetty, we boarded a boat for a cruise along the Panama Canal and Gamboa Rainforest Reserve where we visited the Monkey Island.

(A small jetty at Gatun Lake)
(Enjoying the Panama Canal Cruise)
(One of the many tourists cruise boats)

Monkey Island is famous for its vibrant monkey population. It is also a sloth sanctuary. The small islands in Gatun Lake are home to birds and several monkey species, including capuchin monkeys, howler monkeys, and tamarins among other wildlifes.

(Cruise boats docking. Time to watch the wildlifes)
(The white-nosed coatimundis)
(A white faced monkey)
(Some monkeys are playfully tame)
(The wild ones are keeping their distance)

Gatun Lake is an artificial fresh water lake which is 27 m above sea level. It was created by damming the Chagres River, the largest river in the Panama Canal's drainage basin.The river is dammed twice, and the resulting reservoirs are Gatun Lake and Alajuela Lake forming an integral part of the canal and its water system.

After the Gatun Lake Cruise We had coffee break at a nearby Chinese Restaurant.

(Having brunch at a Chinese Restaurant)

We had the opportunity to watch a cargo ship passed through the three levels of locks at Agua Clara Panama Canal Locks and sailed into the Atlantic Ocean. Tourist could view a 10-minutes video before watching the locks in operation.

(The Canal De Panama)
(Agua Clara Locks Visitor Center)
(Tug boats assisting to align the cargo ship)
(The opening of the locks for ships to pass through)
(A cargo ship passing through the locks)
(The tourists viewing area)
(Souvenirs of Canal De Panama)

Next, we travelled to Puerto Bello, a historic port and corregimiento in Portobelo District of Colón. Located on the northern part of the Isthmus of Panama, it is 32 km northeast of the modern port of Colón at the Atlantic entrance to the Panama Canal.

It was raining very heavily when we arrived at the fort. We were supposed to have a picnic lunch but because of the heavy rain we had buffet lunch under the shade in the Visitor Centre building instead.

(Heavy rain at Puerto Bello)
(No sign of the rain stopping)
(Stranded visitors listening to the guide)
(Our buffet lunch at Puerto Bello)
( The historical fort in the background)

It was not fun to visit the fort drenched wet in the rain. Because of poor visibility we were unable to take photos.

The drive back to the capital city was uneventful. We reached our hotel by 3.30 pm. The rest of the afternoon was spent napping.


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Saturday, 5 July 2025

04 Panama: Embera Indigenous Village Experience...

"I haven’t been everywhere, but it’s on my list..." – Susan Sontag

(A welcoming dance by the pretty Embera girls)

Day 04: 22/06/25 (Sunday)
Activity: The Waterfall and Embera Indian Village Tour
Hotel: Hotel Casa Miller, Panama City

Mr Ruben the tour guide picked us up at the hotel and sent us to a coffee shop where we had our breakfast. He left to fetch other tourists from their hotels.

(Having a light breakfast)
(Ready for the day excursion to Chagres National Park)
(A brief stop at a fruit stall)

The van drove out of town and headed towards the Chagres National Park through a scenic route. We later boarded a traditional dugout canoe and rode along the river with vibrant jungle vegetation. The canoe was manned by the Emberá boatman. It was both thrilling and serene with close-up views of wildlife and the untouched landscapes of the park.

(A line up of traditional dugout canoes)
(The beginning of the canoe ride)
(Our foods and drinks being loaded into the canoes)
(Wearing life vest is a must)
(The canoes are powered by outboard motors)
(Lush jungle of the National Park)

At one point of the river ride, we detoured for a hike to the waterfalls. It is not for the faint hearted as the path was quite slippery during the rainy season. The waterfall was not that big, but was worth a visit. Some of us went for a nice swim which was much needed after the sweating and humid hike.

(Hiking quite a distance to the waterfalls)
(The group of tourists trekking to the falls)
( A tribal boy showing off his diving skills)

After the refreshing swim and rest, we continued our canoe ride to visit one of the four Embera Indian Villages. When we arrived, there was a welcoming dance by a group of colorful dressed girls. We had a brief tour around the village and the community members proudly shared their ancestral stories, customs, and way of life. In one of the huts, there were beautiful assortment of souvenirs and handicrafts on display and some were for sale.

(Canoes arriving at the tribal village)
(A communal kitchen)
(An elevated family hut)
(A clean well maintained surroundings)
(A brief tour around the village)
(A demonstration of punishment)

After the village tour, we were served lunch of fried fish or chicken, salad and variety of fresh tropical fruits.

(Our lunch wrapped in banana leaves)
(A platter of sliced tropical fruits)

We were later entertained with cultural songs and traditional dances. Some tourists had a small tribal tattoos done for a small tip.

(A cultural show and tribal dance)
(Tribal masks on display)
(Souvenirs and handicrafts for sale)

We left the Embera Indian Village in a drizzling rain and reached our hotel around 4.30 pm.


👈03 Panama: Sailing from Ocean to Ocean...
    05 Panama/Costa Rica: Going back to the past...👉
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