When Airasia announced its Merdeka RM9 sale, I told myself that no longer would I think of my dwindling finances nor delay my intention of going on a holiday. It has been three years since my last vacation and even if it meant going to neighboring Singapore, I would willingly drag myself and my tiny travel suitcase across the sea.
I searched the Airasia website for the cheapest destination, clicking on various dates and countries until I found somewhere to suite my budget. Medan, Indonesia it was!
After 3 months of hard work stashing cash into our holiday account, myself together with my aunts and cousins, who were also deprived of holidays, headed to LCCT to make our journey to Polonia Airport. Upon arrival, the first thing we did was whip out our cameras and snapped pictures in front of the Airasia airplane! It was a once in a lifetime opportunity (and forbidden by Airasia) for us to have our picture with a nice huge red coloured airplane at the background.
The Indonesian Immigration queue was quite long so we took more pictures there while waiting. Then a strange thing happened. While getting our luggage, we encountered a porter who was quite persistent in assisting us. Despite us not requiring his assistance, he helped to load our bags on the trolley. I quickly took my bag from his trolley and walked away. He insisted that he wanted to help us, but we declined and took our own bags. Then on the way out, he followed us and tried to demand for payment for lifting the bags. Luckily our tour guide was waiting for us, so the persistent porter went away.
Apparently there is this scam in Polonia Airport where porters offer assistance then demand payment. Some of them even follow you to your car or make a scene so you pay them. The distance from the luggage pick up area to the exit door is only about 10 metres apart!
Relieved to meet our driver, we gasped at the one and only Petronas fuel station in sight and headed towards Lake Toba. It was a 4 hours drive through winding, bumpy roads, passing by local villages with view of local coffee, palm oil, and fruit plantations along the way.
The calm and peace of Lake Toba
We reached Lake Toba late evening. A sense of peace and serenity swept over as we stared blankly at the calm waters and tall mountains of the world's largest volcanic lake. The cool air gently blew our hair and we enjoyed local coffee at a hillside cafe, built of wooden planks and pillars that looked as it it could crumble at any given time. It was only 6.30pm and already getting dark. We headed to our hotel, had dinner and enjoyed massages that costs about RM17 per person per hour! My aunt had hers twice!
After a quick breakfast at the hotel, we headed to Samosir Island (a tiny island in the middle of Lake Toba) for our heritage tour. We saw Batak houses, tombs of dead Kings, did some shopping followed by a lunch of Padang food. Apparently, the Bataks from Samosir Island were very into Black Magic. Before being introduced to Christianity, most of them we Parmalim and practised black magic. Our tour guide says that it is a dying art because once you become a Christian, you will not inherit 'the gift' as only it can only be passed down to a Parmalim. There are some who still practise it though.
The symbol of the Batak people of Samosir Island - A lizard & four breast. It seems, the bigger your breast, the more 'in demand' you are as big breasts denotes your capability to breasfeed and multiply i.e. more children, which among the community means an abundance of wealth.
We boarded the noon ferry and headed back to our hotel. It was time to check out and head to Berastagi and catch a view of Mt.Sinabung, an active volcano.
The drive from Lake Toba to Berastagi took about 2 hours as we had stopped for some spicy ginger tea also known as 'Bandrek' by the locals at Siantar Coffee House which was 1700 metres above sea level, and followed by a quick stop to get a view of the beautiful Sipiso-piso waterfall located at the north side of Lake Toba. Because it had rained the past few days, it was freezing cold. Imagine being in an airconditioned closet with a temperature of 16' c, and wearing only your t-shirt and shorts! Again, we stopped at one of those wooden hut / coffee houses for local coffee to warm ourselves.
Hot 'Bandrek' and Banana fritters
Sipiso-piso waterfall
Our first stop at Berastagi was the fruit market. It was a shopping haven! Apart from fresh fruits and plants, the place was a square with many tiny shoplots selling souvenirs, batik clothes and keychains. We went crazy there, buying things as if we did not have any concerns (or bills) to worry about. Beautiful wooden souvenirs, gorgeous batik dresses and pashminas with batik designs were our main purchases. Everything was made out of batik. I purchased a laptop bag made out of batik prints whereas my cousin got herself a batik cloth pencil box and a batik wallet.
We had ample time to shop because our drive to My.Sinabung had to be cancelled. It was too misty and our driver did not want to risk the danger of driving uphill on a winding road and for fear of landslides. So for a brief moment when the sky was clear, we managed to get a glimpse of the volcano from where we were shopping. We could see smoke rings and according to our tour guide, the volcano has been emitting smoke for quite sometime and the villagers no longer take notice of it. It was a wonderful sight and would have been better if we were closer but mother nature did not permit. It was time to leave and drive down to Medan City.
The journey downhill took about 1 hour 45 minutes, through villages and small towns. The one lane road were full of potholes but we were too engrossed by what we saw - almost all the houses, whether brick or wooden huts, had a huge satellite dish that could apparently receive signals from as far as France and Arab.
Throughout the journey, our tour guide had briefed us on the lifestyle of the Batak people and it was quite an interesting ride as we listened and looked in wonder and awe.
The Batak people builds tombs, larger and more grand than their homes, to keep the bodies of the dead. We came across these tombs alongside the road, quite often, and according to our tour guide, the body is not buried underground but placed in the tomb and can be taken out after a few years for a second funeral i.e. cleaning of the bones.
We passed by a few women carrying spades and baskets of vegetables on their head, and our tour guide went on to explain that Batak men do not work. Their job is to sit in coffee shops, drinking coffee or tuak, and playing chess or just hanging out. The women work the farm and take care of the children. They even carry their babies in their arms while working! It has been their culture and it has been that way as long as anyone can remember. I silently thanked my lucky stars for not being born a Batak woman.
A Batak woman on her way to work the fields.
As we arrived Medan City late evening, we were flooded with memories of KL's Chow Kit and Kota Raya area as that is how I would describe the city. Apart from certains parts of the city that looked similar to Bukit Bintang, it was mostly bricks, dirt and dullness and flooded with Bechak drivers and motorcycles. We called it a night after a delicous spicy dinner and a brief moment of internet access at the hotel.
A very angry Bechak driver!
The next morning we made our way to Sun Plaza, a high end shopping mall similar to our KLCC and the only thing we could think of was to make a pitstop at Starbucks to kill time. If you are a shopoholic, you might enjoy the variety of clothes and shoes being sold in Sun Plaza, but we only checked out the bookstore. Af first we quite excited because we saw quite a few good titles, but out joy was shortlived as most of the books have been translated into the Indonesian language. There was only one shelf with English books.
Our tour guide kept telling us that we could buy 'everything' in Medan city and now we know that he meant electrical items, modern clothes and branded items. We were more interested in local souvenirs and traditional clothes, which luckily we bough it Berastagi. We could not find any similar unique items in Medan. Pasar Ikan was a horrible experience as we had those guys carrying plastic bags of t-shirts and key-chains who kept following us and trying their best to convince us to make a purchase. If not being harrassed by these 'lelong' guys, we would have enjoyed walking around Pasar Ikan as there were many shoplots and stalls along the alley selling clothes, batik, souvenirs and food items.
The only consolation in Medan city was the cheap and relaxing spa services. After two and a half hours of pampering and mandi lulur for about RM90 each, and it was time for us to leave. We reached Medan airport, paid the tax of Rp75000 per person, never made eye contact with any porters and boarded our Airasia flight (which was on time) for a 45 minutes journey back home. We were greeted by the familiar smell of Mcdonalds at LCCT, Kuala Lumpur.
While reminiscing about our wonderful trip to Medan, we decided that Krabi Island would be our next holiday destination. We're now all on standby for Airasia's next RM1 promotion. :)
Posted in Guests' Diaries!, Other Stuff, Travel Destinations | 1 comment »
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The Delights of Makassar
5 Jan 2011 by AirAsia Blog Team
The Delights of Makassar
by Pamela Lim
The evil stepsisters with pink and lime-green tresses tugged at ‘Cinderella’ under scrutiny by the fat, wicked stepmother. As she aspired to audition for the role of the perfect mate for Jason, she was trapped by her sisters who then locked her up in the old, quaint cupboard. This captivating scene was taken right out of a performance in Trans Studio’s broadway theatre, where the musical called “Jason Mencari Cinta,” enthralled us with an assemblage of colours and talents! To get into the groove with the performance, I yelled like a true blue fan, “Jasoooon!!!” and fired the shutter on my camera furiously.
I wanted to have a taste of this city set in the spice trade route of Southern Sulawesi. Not only were my senses and taste buds challenged, my will was tested against the various offers at shopping districts selling multi-coloured silk, passion fruit juice concentrate and nuts. Did we go nuts on the various nuts I could get my hands on! Cashew nuts, garlic-roasted peanuts, coated nuts, you would be nuts not to try, they taste so good! Here, the custom is to greet males as ‘Pak,’ and females as ‘Ibu.’ My first taste of Makassar cuisine was at Istana Laut, a seafood restaurant. The serving of dishes was accompanied by an equal serving of spicy sambal hot enough to set me on fire. Then came this exceptionally awesome juice extracted from Tamarillos or what the Makassarese call as ‘Terung Belanda,’ the combination taste of passion fruit, lime and pomegranate in one, it alighted my tastebuds to the skies! I unabashedly ordered another glass! Oh, Tamarillo, where have you been all my life???
Nothing would prepare us for what we were about to experience the following afternoon, after a stroll around the Port of Paotere where huge sailships docked to stock up on goods. Being an integral part of the spice trade, Makassar’s ports still continue to flourish in trading spices and goods around the region. We were about to embark on a joy ride of our lives when we set foot in the largest indoor theme park in the world. Set within a fantasical land, Trans Studio Theme Park in Makassar was inspired by Universal Studios and DIsneyland in the United States so much so that some of the rides were adopted from them. It was like a stroll down Hollywood Boulevard where entertainment lines the street with lights and sounds. I put on my hat and strutted down the street Tsa Tsa Gabor style, only to be distracted by Johan the goat, of which I lost it when my girlie shrills beckoned the mascot to take a picture with me! And then everyone realised they were in wonderland and it’s okay to become a kid again! It was a weekday and hardly anyone was around, we literally had the whole theme park to ourselves! Tobbogan and train rides, I did everything I could to relive a childhood and subjected myself to the thrill of drops and flinging seats.
The very life-like Cartoon City, has got hamburger-sandwiched houses neighbouring a candy-caned entrance to the washroom, the whole chimera of life within makes you feel like an overgrown child. I went on to see a movie in the highly interactive 4D Theatre making it pop-out in your face coupled with wooshing winds and rocking seats as I try to grab objects that characters throw at me....virtually, of course! I was impressed to note that not only Magic Kingdom in Disneyworld had such entertainment and I need not pay a bomb to come here again. It only costs IDR100,000 (RM35) to gain access!
A visit to the nearby island called Samalona is a refreshing change from the city that beckons you to shop. Here, villagers live off well water and plans are underway to develop this small island into a tourist spot. Going beneath the surface of the water, a myriad of sponges, sea fans and schools of angelfishes portray a healthy ecosystem although visibility is limited due to the proximity to the mainland. A superman by the name of Mario, took us diving off the house reef. His super brother was better, fished 4 yummylicious groupers and snappers for the whole group for lunch! They prepared a grill and a fire out of coconut husks. The villagers even made a great marinade and condiment for the fish!
Visiting one island was somewhat incomplete so we ventured a little further to visit the neighbouring islands to see life of the villagers Barang Lompo. A densely populated island, kids were seen playing everywhere while mothers congregated to bask in the evening breeze. Predominantly fishermen, the villagers are friendly and would offer to take you around on a ‘Perahu Motor’ (motorbike truck) for a small fee just so you can go around the island! Sitting cramped on a truck gave us a sneak peek to the life around the village without making them feel intruded upon. What would have made the visit better was the opportunity of having tea in one of their homes and the chance to talk to them about their livelihood. It’s always good to understand another nation’s culture who’s vastly different from my own. They are mainly fishermen who ply the waters in the region for their daily catch.
On our way back to mainland, the sky threatened to pour and pour hard it did. I was rather soaked by the time I disembarked the boat and bade farewell to my four supermen who caught and cooked our meal, led us on a dive and fetched water from the well for me shower down! My heroes! The four of them are brothers who operated the seasports centre in Makassar. Looking forward to dinner, I couldn’t help but think about the abundance of onions, spices and Kemangi herb that gave superb taste to the aromatic Makassarese cuisine. One of the must-haves when dining anywhere, is the selection of choicly sambal, a relish made with pulverised Bird’s Eye Chill, shallots, herbs and spices, the array of sambal in Makassar has no rivals. My hair literally raised and my face glowed like an inferno as I sadistically savoured each type of relish! The must-try dishes are Coto Makassar - beef innards soup with spices; Bubur Manado - porridge with condiments and the exceptionally fragrant, tasty herb called Kemangi; Nyuk Nyang - crispy fried meatballs with a soft but chewy middle; Konro Bakar - grilled beef ribs with peanut sauce, a cuisine where I had to wrestle the cow to get the meat off its ribs!
We visited one of the remaining historical architecture in Makassar called Fort Rotterdam or Benteng Ujung Pandang when it was built by the King of Gowa in 1545. Within its walls, the La Galigo Museum contains references and artifacts of the historical grandeur of the Gowa-Tallo rule in Southern Sulawesi. Driven by beliefs and philosophies that a turtle can live in the ocean and yet be land bound, this dignified the fort into the shape of a turtle! The wall of the fort is made of coral reefs. No kidding.
Business go on as usual for street vendors capitalising on the sunset crowd. There’s a bubble-blower selling little tubs of suds with a pipe to people wanting to seek pleasure in creating soapy spheres; fishing rod and bait seller tempting hopefuls with the prospect of a catch and ladies selling packet drinks to quench the thirst of visitors here. Whatever your fancy, the best experience to be had in Makassar for me is at the local cafe with a spread of sambal, a generous portion of Nyuk Nyang meatballs, bottles of iced tea and a dash of curiosity for the spicy stories that the locals will gladly share with you as you munch away. My parting words....I’ll be back!
Pamela Lim
Tags: airasia, diving, flight, indonesia, island, makassar, nature, travel
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Love is in the air - My Assignment shooting Ishwara and Thanusyia's wedding 30,000ft above in an A320 aircraft.
30 Dec 2010 by Tsong Hsih
It was a memorable moment to be the official wedding photographer who captured Ishwara and Thanusyia's wedding reception in the aircraft 30,000ft above sea level, who set a record in the Malaysia Book of Records. What a wonderful moment and journey for them who are able to believe in their dream. Ishwara made his confirmation with me almost a year ago and we all were excited about it and long before I have been waiting for this day to come. The assignment was quite tough and had brought me a lot of stress. Ishwara told me that I am the person who have the knowledge of aircraft operations and so I took them in my wedding slot right away. It was touch to be capturing good moments as we are all being surrounded by a group of people from the media and friends but I am quite pleased with the pictures. In life we hardly came across such weddings that involves tight operation planning. Thanks to everyone of you in AirAsia that made our dream a successful one. All the best~
I have posted 115 photos in facebook and you are all welcome to see more pictures under this link (http://www.facebook.com/dennisyapphoto)
Regards,
Dennis Yap Photography
dennisyapphoto.com
Tags: 30000ft, actual day, airasia, dennis yap, indian wedding, malaysia book of records, photography, reception, wedding, wedding in aircraft
Posted in Airport Stories, Flying Diaries, Our Culture, What's New?, Guests' Diaries!, Other Stuff | Leave a comment »
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One Fine Day in Christchurch
23 Dec 2010 by Pooh Ling
AirAsia recently launched a new route from Kuala Lumpur to Christchurch and brought back so much fond memories of New Zealand to me. Among all the places that I have visited in New Zealand, Christchurch is one of my favorite cities in the South Island of New Zealand. It is the largest city in the South Island and is considered to be the most English city among the rest in New Zealand. But to me, it is more like an English town rather than a city. It doesn’t have any of the bustling, noisy, big city feel. It is definitely a garden city!
A lot of the attractions in Christchurch city are within walking distance. Here I am going to tell you how to spend one fine day visiting those attractions on your feet. A green way while on holiday and burning off all the fat that you put on while feasting on your vacation ;)
Let’s start from the Christchurch Cathedral at Cathedral Square in the morning. When I think of Christchurch, the first thing that comes to my mind is the chalice at the Cathedral Square. It is a huge beautiful blue and silver color piece of art. The Christchurch Cathedral, besides being the most visited church in this country, remains the heart and soul of this city. Christchurch people will come here to celebrate and grieve in one of the 14 weekly services. The English Victorian Gothic church architecture attracts many visitors daily. Visitors can take an audio tour or join a free guided tour.
Around the Cathedral Square exists an abundant of gift and souvenir stores, including a large duty free store. But let’s not get side tracked and continue our walk along Cathedral Square to Worchester Street. This street meets Oxford Terrace (nicknamed The Strip) at the junction and continues to become Worchester Boulevard, forms the main dining and entertainment scene in Christchurch. Modern bars and restaurants including lovely cafes dot these streets, particularly along The Strip.
Our next stop will be Christchurch Art Gallery which stands at the corner of Worcester and Montreal Streets and it is only 500m from the Cathedral Square. It is totally free to visit this art gallery and you can even take free guided tour too. The art gallery is huge and you might need to spend around 2 hours here.
Diagonally opposite the art gallery is Christchurch Arts Center. It is another of my favourite places in Christchurch. The arts center is actually located in the former University of Canterbury. The buildings are typical of the Gothic Revival period of architecture. You can find a lot of galleries, art and crafts shops, cafes, restaurants and bars here. The arts center is the venue of the famous weekend art and craft market (every Saturday and Sunday from 10am to 4pm) and Friday Farmers’ Market. You can buy genuine and good quality leather gloves and fine merino wool product here at a reasonable price. The famous Rutherford’s Den is inside the arts center. Lord Rutherford is well-known as “The Father of the Atom” and won the Nobel Prize in 1908. He completed his undergraduate degree at Canterbury College and performed much of his research in the basement den in the Clock Tower Building. The den is then restored as a multimedia interactive museum.
By this time, you should get hungry. So it might be a good idea to have your lunch at the various cafes and restaurants at the arts center.
After lunch, we can continue our journey to Canterbury Museum which is just next to the Christchurch Arts Centre and another admission free place for some heritage and cultural tour. Or for those who are tired of working, you can stroll around the Christchurch Botanic Gardens (which is just beside the Canterbury Museum) and even take a nap there. The gently flowing Avon River passes by the Botanic Gardens and you can go punting on the Avon River. There are three punting locations: city, park or Mona Vale. The park location operates from the historic Antigua Boatsheds, at 2 Cambridge Terrace, next to the Botanic Gardens, and close to the Canterbury Museum, Arts Centre and Art Gallery. For more information, check out their website: http://www.punting.co.nz/
If you wish to see more of Christchurch, you can take a Tram ride on Christchurch Tramway. The tram ticket lasts you for 2 consecutive days and allows you to get down and up at various stops along the city. You can even dine inside the tram at night time!
If you still have some time for the rest of the day and want an unforgettable scenic experience, you might want to consider traveling up to the Christchurch Gondola. The ride from the base station to the top takes around 15 minutes and you can expect a spectacular 360 degree view of the Canterbury Plains, Pacific Ocean and the Southern Alps.
Tips: Purchase a multi-pass ticket of Tram, Gondola or Punt combo (you can choose any combination) to save you some money. The ticket can be purchased at any Tram stops, the Tram Station, the Gondola Base Station or at the i-SITE.
So we have seen a lot in the day, what shall we do at night? Besides the usual dining and drinking, maybe a visit to a wildlife reserve? Willowbank Wildlife Reserve keeps the native species like Kiwis, Kea and also introduced species like wallabies. Visiting Willowbank Wildlife Reserve at night time is good as Kiwis are nocturnal birds. We can see the Kiwis in a natural and open enclosure, not behind a glass wall. However, you need to be very quiet if you want to have an up-close and personal encounter with the Kiwis as they are very shy. You can choose a guided night tour or walk on your own. Alternatively, you can also choose a combo package which includes Ko Tane (The Maori Experience) and/or with dinner. I took the combo package of a Ko Tane and a guided evening tour.
Ko Tane is an authentic Maori cultural tour. It gave me a wonderful experience as it provided me an insight into pre-European South Island Ngai Tahu Maori people culture, tradition and lifestyles. Ngai Tahu tribe’s ancestor traces back to Paikea, the original Whale Rider. Ngai Tahu is currently the dominant Maori tribe of the South Island. At the beginning, a chief was picked among us, the visitors and we were greeted by the blowing of the Putatara (conch) to inform of intruders or visitors. Our guide who was a tane(male) explained to us the customs of the Ngai Tahu tribe as we entered the Living Village. When we entered the Pa (village), a fearsome Maori warrior threw us the Wero, the traditional challenge to visitors where the warrior displayed a number of movements to find out the intentions of our visit. Do we come in peace or to fight? If the warrior confirmed that we came in peace, the chief of the visitors needed to pick up the Take laid by the warrior before we were allowed to enter to the next stage. Inside the village, the village chief spoke words of welcome and thanked the chief of the visitors for accepting the Wero to come in peace. Then the pressing of noses, hongi is the final part of the welcome process. This process means the sharing of life between the two parties and must be done between the two chiefs. Once in the village, we saw how the Maori people used to lead their life before the coming of the Pakeha (fair-skinned ones). Then the Maori culture performance began. They performed Waiata ringa (action songs with a hand display) which spoke about the events and family members of a great mana, poi (flax swinging ball) dance and also Haka (war dance) for us. We were also invited to try out the poi and Haka dance. It was really a fun, educational and entertaining night.
That’s how me and also you can spend a one fine day in Christchurch. However, there are more fun things to do here like visiting the International Antarctic Centre which is just across the Christchurch International Airport. Maybe you can come and have a look here before you board your flight leaving this beautiful city.
For more traveling tips in New Zealand, you are welcome to visit my blog at:
https://travelingpooh.wordpress.com/
Have fun in Christchurch and New Zealand! :)
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A dream come true courtesy of AirAsia and Lotus Racing
1 Dec 2010 by Anthony
At the start of 2010 I started following AirAsia CEO and Lotus Racing Team Principle Tony Fernandes on Twitter. Along with following many other people involved with Formula One this was just to get a better insight into the world of Formula One. I didn't for one second think that I'd be joining Tony and Lotus Racing as a VIP for the final and deciding race of the season at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi.
It all started when Tony put a very easy competition on Twitter to win a trip to the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. (Q: What is airasia holiday website called? A: AirAsiaGo.com.... it was that easy!). I answered the question thinking nothing of it. It was the sort of competition that someone else would win and not me. A few hours later I got a reply from Tony saying I'd won, this was a huge surprise, but a welcome one! Not long after, the wheels were in motion and before I knew it I was at Manchester Airport waiting to board my flight to Abu Dhabi.
On arrival I was greeted by the spectacular Abu Dhabi International Airport and before long I was checking into my hotel, and what a very nice hotel I'd be given for the weekend!
I was collected on Saturday morning by Kate McCleary who was my guide for the weekend. Just being given my pass for the Saturday made me feel quite excited. I've been an F1 fan for years and getting to sit in the grandstand at one of the most spectacular circuits in the world was an exciting proposition.
The view from the grandstand was quite stunning, taking in the fantastic Yas Hotel and the huge Yacht Harbour, it was something else.
Saturday passed quite quickly with the GP2 and Porsche support races followed in the early evening by the Formula One Qualifying. A tense session which ended with Sebastian Vettel on Pole Position, but more importantly the Lotus Racing drivers (Jarno Trulli and Heikki Kovalainen) were 18th and 19th beating the other 2 new teams.
The Yas Marina Circuit looks even more spectacular at night under the lights!
Sunday couldn't come quick enough and I was more than happy to be back at the circuit early on Sunday morning. After a short while I was taken down to the Paddock. This was most definitely a dream come true. I never once thought I'd have the chance to be around all the garages and hospitality areas whilst rubbing shoulders with the stars of F1. The first person I saw as soon as I entered the Paddock was Ross Brawn of Mercedes GP, I instantly knew I was in for a great day.
Once in the Lotus Racing hospitality area every person I spoke to was incredibly welcoming and went out of their way to answer any questions I had, whether about Lotus Racing or AirAsia. A little later I was in the garage having a guided tour of every area, this was special, not only because it was an amazing experience but also to be able to see such a great team working their socks off to prepare their cars for the race. I then got to meet the main man himself, Tony Fernandes.
Before I knew it the race had come and gone. I had the amazing experience of watching the race from the garage, being able to see the hive of activity that is an F1 garage during a race. Everyone with a job to do, especially during the pitstops. To be only a few metres away when the cars came in to pit was a priviledge in itself. Sebastian Vettel took the win and the championship, and I was under the podium watching the presentation surrounded by celebs from all over the world.
The biggest moment after the race was seeing the joy on the Lotus Racing Team after securing 10th place in the championship.
This resulted in the fantastic moment of Tony Fernandes presenting Richard Branson with an AirAsia Air Hostess Uniform!!
And then came the party..... with Lotus Racing securing P10 it was time to celebrate and what a great night it was. The champagne was flowing and everyone was so welcoming.
Even though I was only a competition winner I felt like part of the team for the celebrations, I really don't think any of the other teams could've made me feel as welcome, especially Tony!
It really was a trip of a lifetime and something I doubt I'll ever repeat in my life. I can't thank Tony Fernandes, Kate McCleary, Lotus Racing and AirAsia enough for the great weekend and hospitality I received. A credit to AirAsia and F1!
The changing face of the Yas Hotel.
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