Ultimate Travel Experience

There are many reasons why we go for holidays. Most of us are stressed from the monotonous office routine. We need a break from the same boribng routines and the stress the comes with the job. Some of us want to add sizzle to a stagnant relationship, while others enjoy going for holidays with their families.

Holidays are great because it gives us something to look forward to, and most of the time, we come back reenergized. and it times, with a different view of life.

Why not take off to beautiful Bali island in Indonesia? With its beautiful beaches, friendly people and culture that’s steeped in tradition, you’ll find a balance of fun, relaxation and shopping.

Great for recharging and soothing the harried soul, Bali’s beautiful beaches and skillful masseusses will transport you to a land of serene dreams. Rejuvenate your body with traditional Balinese treatements that will leave you silky smooth and a little amorous maybe.

If you are more sporty, try surfing or whizzing around the island on a motorbike. if not, renting a car with driver cost you about US$70 per day.

The pace here is great for holidaymakes. Despite intense exposure to modernization and foreign influences, the Balinese faithfully cling on to their culture and traditions. Bali a small, gorgeous island which offers visitors an infinite choice of things to see and do, and was the perfect destination for taking away your daily hassles.

Bali comes alive at night. You can choose to attend dance perrformances like Barung, Kecak and fire dance, visit a traditional night market to mingle with the locals, or simply head for the pubs and discos.

Spil your taste buds with the spicy succulent Balinese, Indonesian or western cuisine. Then after that, take a stroll and see what’s on offer. You’re bound to fall in love with something, whether it’s furniture, household accessories, fine jewelry, art pieces, designd apparels and casula wear that’s available there.

Start packing and head to Bali, the perfect getaway for your vacation.

Tags: Asia · Beach · Diving · Island · Regions · Theme Vacation

Indonesia, a nation with thousands of islands with its wide variety of cultures and traditions, attracts millions of visitors each year. It’s islands spread from Sumatera in the north to Irian Jaya in the south bordering with Papua New Guinea. In the island of Java, there are three major cities namely Jakarta, Yogyakarta and Bandung. Jakarta is the federal capital for Indonesia. Each of these cities offers its own uniqueness and attractions.

Jakarta is a metropolitan city which offers all kinds of attractions from museums, art and antiques markets, shopping and first class accomodations, food and wide range of cultural activities.

The culture and traditions of Jakarta, especially in the heritage buildings, are well preserved and worth visiting.

For shopping, you are spoilt of choices from the high-end Plaza Senayan to relatively cheaper places like Tanah Abang and Ancol Dunya Fantasy. You can head for Glodok Plaza in Chinatown for electronics goods and Mangga Dua Mall for computer stuff.

The latest attraction there is Waterbom Jakarta - The Urban Cool which is the leading water park and recreation area in Jakarta. Spend a day there if you have time for relaxing.

Heading to the west, the highland city of Bandung offers cool climate for the city dwellers to escape the heat and stress of Jakarta city. Bandung is just three hour journey by road from Jakarta. Bandung is located on a mountainous with rich green valleys hugging volcanic peaks. Besides providing cool climate for holiday makers, Bandung is famous for its selection of factory outlets offering a wide variety of famous brands.

If you are adventurous, pay a visit to Tangkuban Perahu, a volcanic mountain, where you can hike down to the volcanic crater. You can dip your feet in the hot water or even cook an egg there. After visiting Tangkuban Perahu, you can take a dip at the hot springs at the foot of the mountain.

In Bandung, you can taste the delicious Sundanese cuisine. There are many local restaurants serving these wonderful cusine. Among them are Kampungku, Kampung Daun and Sapu Lidi.

Further south is the city of Yogyakarta. Yogyakarta was the former seat for the ancient Javanese empires of Mataram, Ngayogyakarto and Hadiningrat. Yogyakarta was founded in 1755 when a land dispute which split the Mataram empire into Sultanates of Yogyakarta and Surakarta or commonly knnown as Solo.

Prince Mangkubumi built the Kraton of Yogyakarta and created the most powerful Javanese state. Kraton acts as the hub of Yogyakarta for centuries. From Kraton, it radiates the culture and traditional life of Yogyakarta. In Kraton, the gamelan and wayang kulit are performed throughout the day bring to life the traditional stories like Ramayana.

The most famous attraction at Yogyakarta is Borobudur. Borobudur is a ninth century Mahayana Buddhist monument built in Magelang. It consists of six square platforms topped with three circular platforms. It has more than 2500 reliefs and 500 Buddha statues. The best time to visit Borobudur is during the sunrise. You can see the sun rises in between two volcanoes - Marapi and Merapu - and seeing the sunray lighting up the valley below.

Besides Borobudur, there are smaller Buddhist temples in Medut and Pawon.

There is the Hindu temple in Prambanan where there are three main temples for Vishnu, Brahma and Shiva.

Borobudur and Prambanan are listed under UNESCO World Heritage Area.

Stop by at Surakarta or Solo if you have time. Surakarta and Yogyakarta are full of history, culture and art for you to spend your time exploring this ancient city from Mataram empire.

Tags: Asia · Historical · Regions · Shopping · Sightseeing · Theme Vacation

When I was in Bandung with my friend from Dubai, he told us lots of nice and interesting things about his life in Dubai. Surprisingly, Dubai is the most cosmopolitan city in Middle East. He works for a local company there and lived in one of the Dubai villas within a gated community for expatriates. Besides the hot weather in Middle East, his life there is wonderful. He drives a company car which is a BMW 512 and his office is only 10 minutes from home. Strangely, in Dubai, luxurious car owners drive their own car. They don’t employ chauffeurs even though they can afford it. The thinking is that if you have a luxurious car, you should enjoy it by driving it. So, my friend is deprived of a chauffeur.

He invited us to visit him in Dubai while he is there. He offered us to stay at his place or he can also help us book us a Dubai hotel apartment. Dubai apartment comes with good facilities and it is usually furnished. So, it is very convenient for travelers. I told him that whichever place he may want to recommend me, one place I am sure I cannot afford to stay is Burj Al Arab.

My friend recommended a few activities for me to do if I visit him. First and foremost, I have to bring a few credit cards because Dubai is a shopping haven. He believes I will shop till I drop there. He recommend that I should visit the desert and stay overnight in one of the oasis to experience the night in a desert. According to him, it is very beautiful as the sky is always very clear and the stars are so bright. I should also go for a four-wheel drive safari adventure in the desert dune. His family has tried it and they really enjoyed it especially when the four-wheel vehicle slides down from the dune.

Tags: Asia · Nature · Shopping

Bandung, a city in western Java, Indonesia, is famous for many things and it’s one of the favorite vacation spots for people from Jakarta. Bandung is a highland resort which is only 3 hours by road from Jakarta. During the Dutch colonial days, Bandung used to be known as Paris van Java. Today, “Paris van Java” is a name of a modern shopping mall in Bandung.

Being colonized by Dutch in the past, has given Bandung many old and yet nice Dutch colonial houses which have been converted into factory outlets. There are hundreds of factory outlets in Bandung. My family spends 2 days shopping for branded clothes in these factory outlets and yet, I don’t think I have visted all of them. I would recommend a few outlets like Rumah Mode, Heritage, Rich & Famous, Oasis and ForMen. Most of these factory outlets are located in Jalan Dago and Jalan Riau. Most of the famous brands such as Louis Vuitton, Levis, Dockers, Tommy Hilfiger, Hugo Boss, Giorgio Armani, Emporio Armani, Calvin Klein, Polo, Crocodile, Banana Republic and many more brands can be found in these factory outlets. The stocks in these outlets are seasonal and they depend on the incoming shipment. So, if you can find a particular item on one trip, you cannot be sure to find it on the next trip. Buy it if you like it. You do not have to worry about not having enough cash. They accept credit cards too.

One place you should not miss doing shopping is Cihampelas. The two rows of shops facing each other compete to attract customers by putting up gigantic cartoon characters on their sign board. You can find Rambo, Superman, Ultraman, Incredible Hulk, Tarzan, etc lined up along the street. However, the products sold on this street are mainly jeans and local t-shirts. There is a new shopping mall, Cihampelas Walk, located at the back of the main Cihampelas street, where you can find branded clothes.

Besides shopping, one of the most interesting places to visit is Tangkuban Perahu. Tangkuban Perahu in local Sundanese dialect means ‘upturned boat’. According to my guide, you can see the shape of the ‘upturned boat’ from Bandung. Tangkuban Perahu, 30 km away from Bandung,  is an active volcano where you can see fumes coming out from the crater. According to the guide, the crater at the peak is not accessible because it’s emitting poisonous fumes. We had to hike down for about 30 minutes to another crater where we are allowed to experiment with the hot water coming out from the volcano by boiling eggs or just dipping your feet in the hot water.

Since one can only dip their feet in the craters in Tangkuban Perahu, there are some hot springs around this area. One of the recommended hot springs is Ciater Hot Spring where you can swim in the sulphurized water which is known to be good for healing skin problems and rheumatism.

For meal, there are so many nice restaurants around for you to try out the local Sundanese cuisine. Among those that I have tried are Kampung Daun, Sapu Lidi, Ayam Goreng Suharti, DapurKu and The Valley. I would recommend that you go to Kampung Daun and The Valley for dinner. KampungKu serves local cuisine and its located along a stream. Guests are allocated individual cabanas for the meals. From the list of restaurants, only The Valley serves western and local cuisine.

Moving around Bandung and the surrounding areas is easy. Hire a car and a driver for the day will only cost $30 exclusive of gas, parking fee, tips and meals for the driver.

From historical perspective, Bandung is the birth place for the Non-Align Movement (NAM) in 1957. There is a street in Bandung known as Jalan Asia-Africa which is dedicated to the NAM movement. The street starts from Savoy Homann Hotel to Merdeka Building. This is the street where the leaders who started NAM in 1952 took a historic walk to commemorate the inaugural NAM meeting.

For accomodation, I stayed at Malya Hotel, formerly known as Chedi. Malya Hotel is located at Ciumbuleuit and its away from the busy street of Bandung. Malya Hotel overlooks the valley and gives you the peace and serenity for your vacation. Every room in this hotel faces the valley. Every morning, you will wake up to the sound of birds chirping and butterflies flying about in the valley.

You can go to Bandung from Jakarta by road or plane. From Kuala Lumpur, Airasia flies to Bandung twice daily.

Tags: Asia · Shopping

It is the largest and longest lying dragon in the Far East. A man-made structure designed to keep out intruders, fortified with blood, sweat and lives of countless people who built it, the Great Wall of China has been noted to be a structure visible from space. Portions of the Wall have been built and rebuilt throughout the succession of dynasties in China that there have been fluctuations in design and architecture over the years. However, it has retained its purpose of showing China as a dominant Eastern country in terms of geographical significance and military strength. Its massive mass and structure are made mostly from earth stones, wood and during the later part, bricks. They were cut in rectangular shapes to make them easier to work with and were used to line the foundations, the inner and outer brims, gateways and battlements. Watchtowers and barracks were built at regular intervals to keep communication between a million Chinese manning the Wall at any given time.

Familiar with wall building techniques in 7th century B.C., the Chinese constructed the Wall beginning in the now known Spring and Autumn period. Extensive fortifications were added from 5th century BC to 221 BC to defend the borders of Qi, Yan and Zhao from small arms such as swords and spears, strengthened by stamping moist earth and gravel to wooden board frames. After conquering all opposing states and unifying China in 221 BC, Qin Shi Huang intended to impose the centralized rule to prevent the resurgence of feudal lords, ordering the destruction of portions of the wall that divided his new empire along former state borders. His intentions to protect his new empire were shown by adding new wall fortifications connecting the northern frontier and transporting local materials for its construction. In the course of its building, peasants have died and were buried in its walls. During the Qin dynasty, due to the materials used, parts of the walls eroded over time and few sections remain standing today.

The following dynasties like Han, Sui Northern and Jin repaired, rebuilt and expanded portions of the Great Wall to defend people behind it against invasion. It was revived elaborately during the Ming dynasty after failing to gain an upper-hand battle against the Mongols. It is considerably stronger in its Beijing section as it is Ming’s capital during that time.

Towards the end of the Shun dynasty, Manchu invasions during the 1600 were unsuccessful because of the Great Wall’s existence. Manchus were finally able to cross the Great Wall in 1644 when Gen. Wu Sangui opened the gates of Shanhaiguan because of his dislike of the rulers of the Shun dynasty. They seized Beijing and established the Qing dynasty. Under it, Mongolia was annexed into China and construction was halted.

If visiting China for the first time, the North Pass or Joyungguan or Badaling to locals, is striking for its historical significance. It used to have many guards as it was guarding Beijing, Ming’s capital, and was made from stone and bricks from the region’s hills. The Great Wall has various watchtowers (67 in all) and a sight to behold as they rise 980 meters above sea level. If in the Southeast, the Mutianyu Great Wall gives the view of cragged lofty mountains connecting to Joyungguan to the west and Gubeikou to the east. Notably, Shanhaiguan known as Number One Pass under Heaven is built in the extremity of the Wall. It is where the first pass was built on. Because of its great structure, most of its section is in disrepair and needs reconstruction, thus portions are closed to the public. Prone to graffiti and vandalism, parts of the Wall in remote areas are destroyed and tourist vendors plagued those nearer developed areas.

The belief that it is visible from the moon is not true. This urban legend has persisted but has been disputed by sources like US and Chinese astronauts. It cannot be seen in space as the width of the Wall is smaller to even be seen from 200 miles (320 kms)  up in the sky unless you know where to look and is aided by high powered binoculars.

In this day and age, the Great Wall of China helped in preserving the rich Chinese culture and heritage preventing Western influences from coming in and changing the landscape. The Wall has served its purpose of preventing “invaders” from coming into China and influencing them to deviate from their beliefs and practices. More of a self-preservation idea but the nation’s identity was strengthened however arduous it must have been during that time. The Wall is significant today as it was before because its purpose of building walls to prevent invasion was also built to protect its people. Regardless of when and why it was built, the Great Wall of China instilled pride to a young nation on the brink of greatness.

Tags: Asia · Historical

Hong Kong, the Hollywood of Asia, is famous for its Cantonese movies plus movie stars like Jacky Chan, Chow Yuen Fatt, Maggie Cheung and Bond girl, Michelle Yeoh. Besides movies, Hong Kong is famous for its Chinese cuisine like tim-sum and shopping haven for tourists. For business people, Hong Kong is one of the top financial centers in Asia together with Singapore, Tokyo and Shanghai.

For me, I was a simple tourist traveling to Hong Kong to enjoy the Chinese delicacy, do plenty of shopping and sightseeing. I made my hotel reservations via internet in one of the hotels in Hong Kong. With exception to Japan, Hong Kong hotel rooms are smaller than other Asia hotels due to cost reasons. For me, I was fine as long as the room was comfortable.

My favorite shopping areas in Hong Kong were Causeway Place at Time Square and Sogo, Kowloon, Central at Landmark and Chater House, Shim Tsa Chui and Mongkok. Hong Kong had exciting night markets and shopping there was fun. Among the famous night markets were Temple Street, Jordan Street and Ladies’ Market.

For sightseeing, my all time favorite was to taking the Star Ferry from Wancbai to Kowloon to see the city scape of Hong Kong in the evening. The following evening, we took take the funicular train up to The Peak and have dinner there.

After completing shopping in Hong Kong, we proceeded to visit the Hong Kong Disneyland at Lantau island. Hong Kong Disneyland is smaller than that in Anaheim, California.

Before we knew it, five days have passed so quickly. Hong Kong gave us the ultimate travel experience we were looking for and it was time to catch a flight home.

Tags: Accomodations · Asia · Shopping · Sightseeing · Uncategorized

Can you imagine a whole community living under one roof? They literally live under one roof in a long house that can cater for so many families. The Dayak community in Sarawak practices this unique way of life. This practice is still common among the Dayaks in modern days. Besides the Dayaks, the Iban, Bidayuh and Orang Ulu also practice this communal living style

In the longhouse, the long covered gallery that runs through the length of the longhouse is called ruai. The residents of longhouses conduct all their ceremonies in the ruai.
The residents conduct the miring ceremony to welcome guests to their longhouses. During this ceremony, offerings consisting of drinks and food are offered to deities to ensure goodwill among the residents and guests. After the ceremony, guests are offered a glass of tuak, a local rice wine, and drink to everybody’s good health.

During these ceremonies, guests are entertained with local traditional music, dances and delicacies. They will be invited to join in the fun especially after a few glasses of tuak.

Sarawak is one of the states within Federation of Malaysia. Sarawak is located in the Borneo island.

Today, some longhouses are open to accepted guests who stay overnite.

For your ultimate travel experience, please visit Sarawak Tourism Board for more information.

Sarawak Tourism Board,
P.O Box 2950,
93758 Kuching, Sarawak,
Malaysia.

Tel: +6082-423600

Tags: Accomodations · Asia · At A Glance

Pavillion Kuala Lumpur had its soft opening on Sept 20, 2007. This is hottest and trendiest shopping center located at Bukit Bintang in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Bukit Bintang itself is already the heart of Kuala Lumpur shopping district showcasing the latest fashions and designs.

Pavillion Kuala Lumpur aims to bring world class retain shopping experience of world famous New York’s 5th Avenue, Milan in Italy, Champs- Elysees in France and Ginza in Tokyo to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Pavillion Kuala Lumpur consists of six precincts covering an area of 1.4 million sq feet offering retails space to 450 outlets. The six precincts are Bintang Circle, Connection, Couture, Gourmet Emporium, Home and Seventh Heaven.

Tags: Asia · At A Glance · Shopping

One of the many island states that I have wanted to visit is Maldives. Maldives is so near to where I am and yet I have traveled to other further islands like Mauritius and Hawaii.

Maldives is famed for its underwater beauty with its sun, sand and sea. And nothing else. Underwater life around the islands of Maldives is abundant and beautiful. Water is crystal clear and visibility can reach up to 50m at certain location. Maldives is also a perfect get away place for couples to have a romantic vacation.

Maldives covers an area of 90,000 km but 99% of it is covered by sea. Maldives has 1190 islands which are spread among its 26 atolls. There are no more than 200 islands which are inhibited. Tourist resorts took up another 87 islands. These islands are exclusively for the resorts only.

Scuba diving, being one of my hobbies, is one of the main activities in Maldives that attract my attention. I want to spend many fun-filled hours in the sea during the day and evening watching sunset in the horizon. It’s going to be a place where I can spend time reading my favorite novels.

I plan to stay at the Fihalhohi Tourist resort, which is about 90 minutes away from Male by speed boat. Fihalhohi is one of the larger islands in Maldives. By size, it may look very small. It’s only 450 meters by 270 meters.

I just can’t wait to go diving in Maldives.

Tags: Asia · Diving · Honeymoon · Travel Tips

Bali, the Hindu island in Indonesia, has many dive sites. Bali is easily accessible with many international connecting flights to the island. The top dive sites are located at the Nusa Penida National Park. Nusa Penida is a cluster of three islands – Nusa Penida, Nusa Lembongan and Nusa Ceningan – about 20 km south east of Bali. It takes about 45 minutes by speedboat from Sanur to reach Nusa Penida. These islands are visible from Sanur.

Typically, divers will stay at villages at Nusa Lembongan. The accommodation ranges from simple motels to expensive hotels. There are many dive centers located along the beach at Nusa Lembongan. Prices are negotiable and it’s best to negotiate for package deal i.e. 10 dives for a fix price.

The ultimate diving experience is to see the mola mola (or Oceanic Sunfish), manta ray and do drift diving. Sightings of mola Mola and manta ray are seasonal.

Mola mola can be seen when they surface to have their mouth cleaned by bannerfish (Heniochus diphreutes). Typically, they can be seen at around 40m. A mola mola has a height of about 3 meters from fin-to-fin and length of 2 meters. It weighs up to 3 tons. Strangely this fish has no tail. It uses its giant fins to balance itself. They only feed on jellyfish, salps and planktons.

The first encounter of mola mola is really astonishing. Mola mola is huge yet so tame and harmless. Seeing a mola mola and swimming around it to take pictures is really a fantastic experience. A truly ultimate diving experience.

Mola mola can be sighted at north coast, Toya Pakeh, Crystal Bay, Batu Abah and Blue Corner. Crystal Bay is the safest and easiest dive site to see Mola Mola. Crystal Bay is sheltered from the drift current. Just outside the bay, there is a drop and the current picks up. This is the boundary of Crystal Bay and this where mola mola can be seen at about 40 meter depth.

Manta ray, in layman’s term, is a giant sting ray. It can grow as big as 4 meters across and the tail can be as long as 3 meters long. A manta ray can live up to 25 years.

Seeing how graceful a manta ray flips it’s ‘wings’ to move in the water is simply amazing. A mature manta ray can weigh up to 3 tons.

At Nusa Penida, manta rays can be seen at Manta Point, Toya Pakeh and Batu Abah. Manta rays are easily found at Manta Point. However, Manta Point is among the furthest of all dive sites. Manta Point is located at south of Nusa Penida and its exposed location makes is a difficult to access due to the possible very rough sea conditions.

Besides manta rays, other type of sting rays can be seen at Manta Point. Sometimes, Nurse Sharks are seen as well.

Editor’s note: The editor isthe diver in both images

Tags: Asia · Diving