Our Tiananmen Experience

Tiananmen Square, Beijing, China – July 2025

OK, that was an impressive show at Tiananmen Square earlier in the month… A grand military parade, immaculate march-pasts, rousing choir, and scores of world leaders. Most of ‘em from the non-western world… like Putin and Kim Jong-Un (nah, take that, Trump!), together with the Chinese leader, Xi. (If that wasn’t deliberate, I’d change my name to …Donald Trump. On second thoughts, Netanyahu, would be better, more hated, by all and sundry! Burn in hell, you megalomaniacal mass murderer!)

Our own Tiananmen experience was a huge difference. No grand parades. No fancy choir. Just rain, and a lot of people, and I mean A LOT (it’s the world’s most populous country after all. Still is, I think. Or is it India now?). Getting in is easier said than done, mind you. First of all, it’s now cordoned off by barricades on all sides, and guarded by zealous guards all over. (Since Dec 2021, I read). I guess it must be to prevent things from getting out of hand, like what happened in 1989. "Why, what happened in 1989?" "Ummmmm… nothing! Who said anything about 1989??" (Shhhhh… don’t even mention 1989 in China. If the authorities could have it, they’d erase 1989 from history).

Anyway, to get into the square, you’d have to register in advance, between 1 to 7 days before your visit. It’s free of charge, and, unlike the Forbidden City (now officially named the Palace Museum) which adjoins it, there is no limit to the amount of people that could enter in a day. (The limit for the Palace Museum by the way, is 40,000 visitors per day, and tickets sell out really fast. No, I didn’t hang around to check how fast they sell out. I set an alarm to remind me of the time that the tickets opened up for sale, (which is 8pm, Chinese time, 7 days before the day of your intended visit) and I bought them immediately in the first few minutes, when they opened. I checked about 2 hours later, and they’re all sold out! So, if you wanna visit, plan in advance. Oh, and the Palace Museum is closed on Mondays, as are a few other attractions in Beijing like the Summer Palace and the Temple to Heaven. Bear that in mind if you are visiting Beijing as a tourist).


Tiananmen, or the Gate of Heavenly Peace is the red building, bearing the humongous portrait of Chairman Mao in the middle of Beijing. (Tian-An-Men 天安门literally means Heaven-Peace-Door). It is actually the main entrance to the Forbidden City, the palace where the Chinese Emperors used to reside, hence ‘Gate’, although it looks nothing like a gate in this picture here. The large square to the south and adjoining Tiananmen is the famous (infamous?) Tiananmen Square

Back to Tiananmen Square, because there is no limit to the number of visitors that could visit, plus, the strict security protocols that are in place to screen all who enters, you can imagine the crowds.


That’s where we started queuing, I think it’s Méishì Street (煤市街), the spot where our Didi driver dropped us off. He said this is the better queue. Is it? Who knows? All the other queues did look longer… That oriental building seen here is the Zhèngyángmén 正阳门, or Zhengyang Gate, the other entrance to Tiananmen Square, on the opposing side to Tiananmen… The rain doesn’t look like it’s deterring anyone from going, sigh…

To register to enter Tiananmen Square, you’d need a few things: -
No.1) Weixin, or WeChat, (because there’re mini-programs in WeChat, which are like websites in the rest of the world, where we fill in our details and book our appointments, and pay if you need to, and it’s all inside WeChat);
No.2) a Chinese mobile phone number (yup, you need to fill this in, in the mini-programme, or it wouldn’t let you proceed. Luckily, I have some close Chinese friends/ work colleagues, and I ‘borrowed’ a friend’s number, just for that purpose. After that, the programme wouldn’t ask for the number anymore); and
No.3) some ability to read Chinese, (because the whole thing is in friggin Chinese. That’s where Google Translate and Lens came in really useful. But remember, both don’t work inside China, so be prepared and get an alternative, before you board your plane to China).


Jeez, it’s more than half an hour since we started. it doesn’t look like we’re making any progress… And they’re no foreigners at all in our queue. They’re all Chinese, domestic tourists, from all over China, not Beijingers (I guess Beijingers would be sick of this place by now)

For me, I had some problems trying to register for the entry into Tiananmen Square. I tried 3 friggin times, OK? Filling out all the information. In Chinese! And screen-shooting it to check on Lens and Translate. (After 3 times, you’d be an expert, even if you don’t exactly know what the Chinese words are). And submitting, only to receive a ‘Failure’ message after a few minutes of waiting! (In hindsight, maybe, I tried it a day too early?!?) Finally, I tried a different method. Somewhere in the translation, I read that if you have an appointment to visit Chairman Mao’s Memorial Hall, which sits right smack inside Tiananmen Square, you’d not need to register separately to visit Tiananmen Square. And so, I proceeded, like how I booked the tickets for the Palace Museum, for Chairman Mao’s Memorial Hall. It’s free, and the slots open at 12.30pm, Chinese Time, 6 days, before your intended day of visit, and bingo! I succeeded!


Whew! We’re in!! After 2 friggin hours! That pillar is the Monument to the People’s Heroes, and behind that, the National Museum of China

But why do you wanna get into Tiananmen Square? You could actually see the entire square from Tiananmen itself, (I didn’t know that!?!). Yup, from that entrance arch of the Forbidden City, the one with Chairman Mao’s photo. Unless, you have loads of time at your hand, or that you really wanna pay your respect to the Chairman in his Memorial Hall (which is also his mausoleum, which is where all the Chinese tourists are headed to, I think), I would suggest that you give it a miss, and spend more of your valuable time elsewhere. But if you love bigger-than-life leaders, queues, and mingling with the Chinese crowds, then go ahead and dive straight in.


Chairman Mao Memorial Hall / Mausoleum, Tiananmen Square, Beijing

Our appointment slot for the Chairman Mao Memorial Hall was 9.30am up till ummph… 10.15am, if I remember correctly. We got into Tiananmen Square at 11am! Way past our appointment time (how would we know they’d be a friggin 2-hour queue!). But the guards there aren’t really strict about the timing, I guess. They check your passports (or, for the Chinese, their IDs), and the appointment date, and you’d have to clear security like how you do it in the airports, scan all your bags, jackets, phones, umbrellas, water bottles, what-have-you… and you’re in. But we were also in a hurry to get to the Forbidden City, on that same day, because our tickets for it were for the morning session, meaning you should get in there before 12 noon (no, there’s no time limit for you to leave after that, you could stay until its closing time). So, we decided to give the mausoleum a miss… Sorry, Chairman Mao!


Look at the queue waiting to get into Chairman Mao’s Mausoleum. “OK, Chairman, I’d love to visit, but it’d be another hour, or more, to get in, to pay our respects, judging from the queue. So, we’d not be visiting this time, OK?”


Jayden and the People’s Heroes Monument, Tiananmen Square, Beijing, China


Partly drenched, but unfazed, Tiananmen Square, with the National Museum of China, behind. Don’t mind the Chinese tourists. They’re totally oblivious to others trying to take photos. They’re not camera-shy at all, unlike in some countries, where people run out of the way, or duck down when we lift up our phones/ cameras. Chinese will just stand there immobile, with their bored looks, or dazed looks, or however they look, doing whatever they were doing. And they’ll not mind moving into your camera vision… in front of whatever you want to take, unless you push them out of the way. Patience, people. “Here, uncle, why don’t you stand here instead. There, isn’t this better?” “No, no, no, auntie, not there. Give us, just a few seconds, will you? Xiexie, xiexie!” (Now, try saying all that in Chinese, so that they’d understand!)


Flowers in Tiananmen Square. See, you could actually see the whole square from the National Museum of China, or from Tiananmen (Gate) itself, without entering the square. The only thing blocking it for people to enter, are the rows of barricades, and the guards!


Let’s go, before we’re too late for the Palace Museum! Forbidden City (Gùgōng 故宫), here we come! Approaching the Gate of Heavenly Peace (Tiananmen)


Going through Tiananmen! The words actually read "Long live the People's Republic of China! Long live the great unity of the people of the world!" See, they actually meant good!


We’ve reached the Palace Museum’s entrance. Now, let’s see, …where the heck are our tickets?! Shit, it should be in the email somewhere!?! I have internet (bought a Chinese SIM Card at the airport), but the problem is that all the friggin email platforms that we use, don’t bloody work in China! No Yahoo, no Gmail, WTF! Whew, it’s in Yahoo Mail. Luckily, the old mails are still there. It just doesn’t receive new emails…


OK, that’s all for this post. The Forbidden City will be another story, for another time to tell. Leaving you here with a photo of our breakfast at Holiday Inn Express, Beijing Temple of Heaven – Jul 2025. Cheers!

A Grand Malaysian Home Trip

Whew, finally, a little relaxation. Work has been really busy since I last wrote.

And… here are the family photos of our recent home trip to Malaysia! I’ll let the photos speak.


Jayden with his granddad, for a dim-sum breakfast at the Sweet Paradise Restaurant, Butterworth, near Dad’s home, on our last day before we left Malaysia to come back to Dubai. Dad, you’re doing just fine. Don’t let your pesky ailment and age bear you down! Keep it up.

We started our Malaysia home trip this time in Sabah! My first ever visit to the state, in my 55 years of life! Believe it or not! We were there to visit the state, and to climb Mount Kinabalu. (What? It’s the highest mountain in Malaysia, it features in the Malaysian 100-ringgit currency note, it’s the landmark of Sabah, and it’s interesting). (But I didn’t know before this, how expensive it is!?!!! And how much training you’d need. Basically, you’re paying big bucks, to suffer, hah! But I have no regrets. I’m glad I did it when I still can). We climbed with Jason, while Jayden stayed with Dad and Hazel who also flew to Sabah for a visit at the same time. Initially, cousin June was also supposed to climb, but she backed out because she sprained her back.


Ready to go?? Breakfast at Kinabalu Park’s Liwagu Restaurant with Anu and Jason before the climb. Kinabalu Park Headquarters is at 1,520m above sea level. We gotta reach our base camp at 3,273m sea level on that day. C’mon, let’s get on with it!


After a short minivan ride to the gate (3km), and an arduous 6km continuously uphill hike (which took only, ummm… 5 hours), we arrived at Panalaban! Our base camp at 3273m above sea level, where we’d rest and stay for the night… before starting our climb to the summit at the ungodly hour of 2 friggin am! (Yup, you’d have to, bcoz you gotta reach some checkpoints at certain times, or you’d not be allowed to progress further. That’s to gauge the fitness of climbers, according to our official guide, and to prevent them from either being stuck up there, or having to climb down at night). Jason was our informal guide as he’s climbed quite a few times before (our actual guide seemed to always take time off, to ‘energize’). Thanks Jason, for the hiking sticks! It really helped (Jason didn’t need them!)


We made it! The summit (Low’s Peak), 4095m above sea level. Thank you, God, for the favourable conditions, and the energy to do it…


Our group, and the Southern Peak, Mount Kinabalu, Sabah


From Sabah, we headed home to Penang state, on the other side of Malaysia! Here’s our first dinner after arriving in Butterworth, at Tokyo Restaurant. At that time, there was a rare blackout, which explains the photo’s grainy quality, but the food was delicious! Prawns, squid, chicken and kangkong (if I remember correctly)

There we go again, to KL, Malaysia’s good ol’ capital. It’s ages since we stepped foot on Kuala Lumpur, but we decided to do a trip this time. (We were partly there to get Anu a Chinese tourist visa, for our 12-hour stopover in Chengdu, China on our way back to Dubai, and the visa centre happens to be in… KL! Where else?)


Here, we are with the KL side of the family, the first time we’ve had a gathering in KL after our beloved Jikor passed away. From left, Cousin June; her ‘boyfriend’, Wesley; June’s daughter, Jamie; Cousin Jane; and us. June treated us to a big, fat, KL Chinese dinner, complete with sang-har noodle (giant river prawns noodles, ...must have been friggin expensive), Iberico ham ribs, a deep-fried whopper of a grouper (a fish which Wesley caught), etc, etc, etc… At Sweet Inn Restaurant, Petaling Jaya, Selangor


We stayed a night, actually, 2 nights, at Jane’s apartment in TTDI, KL. (June was shifting houses at that time). Really nice environment, quiet, surrounded by trees, nice view, overzealous security… Jane stays there with her little poodle, Tidbit. Cheers Chi-chi! Thanks for the hospitality!


Jayden made a new friend, Tidbit, Jane’s dog. It’s the first time that he’s actually close to a dog. He used to be scared of dogs. Now, he keeps asking us to visit KL again, to see Tidbit, and his aunts, and uncle, etc… In front of Artisan Roast / Dusun, TTDI


Another dinner with the KL family, this time with Cousin Jack. Hello bro, long time no see leh! Another fabulous dinner, complements of June. (Aiyo, June-chi, why so much? She tends to over-order, according to her family). Jayden got off really well with Jack, both of them marine life enthusiasts! At Kean Fatt Restaurant, SS3, Petaling Jaya


Heading to our hometown, Ipoh, to see the folks there! Here we were, with Dad and Hazel, fattening ourselves (again), with Malay and Nyonya kueh! At O’Days, Canning Garden, near our Ipoh home. Malaysia will seriously kill us, with food. Luckily, we don’t stay there long term…


Here’re the Ipoh folks we met. My cousin Ah Yi (Ng Wei Yi), my mom’s youngest brother’s daughter, and her family. Her 2 kids are Eugene (far right, who’s now taller than both her parents) and Ginnie (beside Anu)


Tua Pek, lu ho bo? Tua Pek, dad’s eldest brother, is 90 years old this year. At the Moonlight Care Centre, in Canning Garden, Ipoh


And that’s Tua Kor (seated in the middle), dad’s eldest sister. She’s 91. Behind her, is my cousin Kok Leong, flanked by his wife and son


Finally, all good things trips must come to an end eventually. Back in Butterworth, to get ready for our flight home from Penang’s airport. A dim-sum breakfast (yes, again) at Thong Sum Restaurant. Dim-sum’s become one of Anu’s favourite for breakfast! She’s not very Indian as you can see…

The only one missing this time was Justin. Study hard son, stay focused, manage your time properly, keep active, eat, sleep and play (when you have time) well. We love and miss you lots. See you in Dubai at the end of the year!

That sums up our recent cross-country Malaysian home trip. See ya!

Who Dug ‘Em Canals?

What’s this salt canal doing in the middle of the friggin desert? Who knows, man? But, it’s worth an adventure anyhow! Here we go!

We’re back! From our Malaysia home trip. Hectic, as usual, with the number of stopovers, we (or more accurately, yours truly, ahem) slotted into our trip… (Nope, the missus didn’t think it was funny…)

While I sort out the photos of our home trip, here’re more desert oddities to keep the blog alive.


Where the hell are the Wathba Salt Lakes? We’re gonna find out… Here, off we go, into the desert…


Whoa, what’s this? A salted-up canal filled with turquoise water…


Looks like we’re not the only ones interested in looking for strange things in the desert. Mind you, this was in Sep 2021, during the COVID times, when we’re still stuck from going just about anywhere…


That salt will last you a lifetime, …if it was edible. Izit? I dunno, I’m not gonna try


Jayden, has other ideas, though! NOOOO! DON’T PLAY WITH IT! Who knows what's in it!?!


Awww… What the heck, might as well… What’s some salt gonna do to us, anyway?


Where’s Justin?? There, he is!


More canals…


Fancy a swim?? No way man!


A 💓 G! Awww... Love you, Honey!

That’s all for today! From the Wathba Salt Canals, Abu Dhabi, UAE, Sep 2021

Strange Things in the Desert

Yippee, we’re going on a break again! Back home to Malaysia, this time. (With stopovers, of course, hehe).

Here’s a quick photo post to go. Till we come back.

Since we’re on deserts, here’s a desert closer to home. And the strange things that you can find there.


What? This ain’t a desert, it’s a lake! Yeah, of course, but if you look at the map, this lake lies in the middle of a friggin desert. And it’s shaped like 2 interconnected hearts! You don’t get that, unless it’s manmade! Welcome to Dubai! Where they make land out of the sea, and seas out of the land.


This is Love Lake, aptly called, what else? When it’s already made to look like hearts (from the sky)!




The gates, the décor, you name it, all are love/ heart-themed


Errgh… The sun’s in my eyes! We went early in the morning (reached at 7-ish), and lo, and behold! It’s like a village of tents, with tents and campers all over, just waking up, brushing their teeth, doing whatever people do when they wake up (you know what I mean, ahem), etc


Awww.. Wassup? Nobody loves you?? Bet some carps will cheer you up! (Jayden’s a fish lover, and there’re carps in Love Lake. Koi? Carps? What’s the difference?)


The Al Qudra Lakes, which adjoin Love Lake. See the parked cars? They’re campers!


We went early because there’s a cycling track in Al Qudra where the kids (and the adults, if you fancy) could cycle your butts off… and it’s just nicer to cycle in the cool morning, than later. Go, Justin, go! (That speck of black, on the cycling track, is Justin). Hmmm… What’s that strange structure in the background??!?




There, we found it! It’s the Sustainability and Innovation Centre of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, a solar power plant in Dubai


OK, gotta go. Sending some love from Love Lake, Al Qudra, Dubai – Dec 2020 (the COVID times…)

See you when we’re back from our trip!