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

Western Australia is one of the oldest lands on Earth, and boast of an Aboriginal history that dates back to more than 40,000 years ago. With such a rich heritage background, it’s no wonder that there’s so much to do there, whether you’re going on a family holiday, a personal retreat or an aorous honeymoon with your significant others.

Unlike the rest of the Australian states, Western Australia was colonized as a free settlement and not a penal colony like Tasmania, Victoria, New South Wales and South Australia. This is reflected in the diversity of its farming and agriculture. Tens of thousand of years before the European settlement, Aboriginal people were already roaming the Australian landscape, living in harmony with Nature.

Visiting Western Australia should include interesting activities like 4WD sand dune adventure or visit Caversham Wildlife Park where you can feed kangaroos and koalas. A visit to Margaret River, Western Australia finest wine region, is a must. Make a trip to Wave Rock, one of Australia natural wonders. From the activities on the land, you can venture to the sea. Visit Rockingham Wild Encouters for a close encouter with cute marine life. Or, you can stroll along the fine sandy beach at Cottlesloe Beach.

There are plentiful of choices of accomodation in Western Australia. If you are bored of staying in hotels or motels, why not try farm stay with the locals. You can experience the fun of collecting chicken eggs in early morning and milking cows.

Perhaps, you may want to stroll along the streets of Fremantle to shop at the fleamarket. Things can be very cheap if are good are bargaining.

Tags: Australasia · Beach · Honeymoon · Nature · Regions · Shopping · Sightseeing · Theme Vacation

One of the most ideal locations to stay when I go to California is at Norwalk. Norwalk is in a central location and it’s easily accessible to other major tourist attractions in California like Los Angeles, Long Beach, Hollywood and Anaheim. Getting to Norwalk is never an issue. One can always fly to Los Angeles internal Airport (LAX), Long Beach Airport (LGB), John Wayne Airport (SNA) or Ontario Airport (ONT) and get to Norwalk by bus or cab. There are many hotels in Norwalk like Knotts Berry Farm hotels which one can stay.

Major tourists’ attractions are about 10km to 20km from Norwalk. From Norwalk, one can go sightseeing in Hollywood or even Disneyland at Anaheim to bring back the childhood in us. Hollywood is always there but bumping into a movie star will depend on your luck. You may want to find out where these movie stars hang out for their meals, shopping or even have their drinks. You may want to join the paparazzi to trail the movie stars.

Perhaps, go to Long Beach for to visit Queen Mary, the world’s most luxurious liner, go whale watching or visit the Aquarium of the Pacific. After a long day and after the sun goes down at Long Beach, there nightlife will come to life. There are many good restaurants for meals. There are many night spots to spend the evening away too. There are jazz lounges, night clubs and pubs to go to.

Tags: America · Sightseeing

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

Declared as a World Heritage area in 1981, the Great Barrier Reef, one of the wonders of the world, is the only living organic collective visible from space. Beginning at the south coast of Papua New Guinea near latitude 9°S and running south and east generally parallel to the Australian coast until about latitude 24°S, off southern Queensland, the Great Barrier Reef covers a chain of coral reefs and islands more than 2000 kilometers long.

Like any other place on Earth, the Great Barrier Reef must have human contact in which there is no direct evidence. It is known that the aborigines possessed a bigger part of the Australian continent for a very long time. Due to limited technology, dates concerning the Great Barrier Reef have been obtained from the deposits at Mount Mulligan. Though no physical evidence has been found, one can conclude from the episodes of glaciations through the occupancy of the aboriginal people that much of today’s Great Barrier Reef has been occupied by humans 20,000 years ago.

Cultural and Historical background
Several names were listed and noted for the discovery of the Great Barrier Reef. In about 1522, it was noted that a Portuguese expedition led by Cristovao de Mendonca first sighted the east coast of Australia. It was followed in 1606 by William Jansz who chartered the west coast of Cape York Peninsula after which Luis de Torres sailed and sighted the islands of Torres Strait. Owing to the international interest, it was hard to determine who really had a sight of the Great Barrier Reef. The French, accordingly, were the first Europeans to give evidences of sightings of the Great Barrier Reef. On June 6, 1768, Louis de Bougainville, commander of La Boudeuse and L’Etoile approached the Australian continent from the east, encountering Bougainville Reef in about the latitude of Cooktown.

Though fleeting glimpses of the Reef were noted, none of these can be considered scientific. The first scientific discovery noted, however, was of James Cook less than 2 years after Bougainville. It was in 1770 when Cook aimed to have a scientific exploration of the Reef in tradition of the Enlightenment. Several explorers, scientist, discoverers were noted to have gone to the Reef in desire to study one of the Earth’s wonders. The exploration and discovery continued until the 19th century. Since that time, everyone who has encountered it has experienced a sense of fascination.

Why the Reef?
Who would not have a keen sense of interest to discover and see the Great Barrier Reef? Who would imagine that for a thousands of years, this reef is simply constructed of corals and living organisms alone? What forms the reef are nearly 3,000 individual reefs and around 300 coral islands making it rank as the world’s largest structure made by living organisms.

Indeed, Queensland, where the reef is, highly benefits from tourism on the reef attracting about 1.6 million tourists each year. Large centers on the central and northern towns of Cairns, Port Douglas, and Townsville as well as the Whitsunday Islands are built for the reef tourism.

Tourists can enjoy lots of activities upon visiting the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. Aside from the nice resorts along the Reef, hundreds of licensed tourism operators offer a range of services and activities such as diving and boating excursions. A diving holiday and a fishing adventure are perfect to spend in the reef. Fishing is allowed depending on the degrees in the marine park. People may take advantage of commercial and recreational fishing that take place in the park, including line fishing directly on the reefs.

There is also a large prawn industry in the lagoon. Tourist may also fish for a popular sport fish called barramundi and mud crabs. Even a bit of fun filled sightseeing day is perfect in this wonderful place. Where else can you find a colorful and wonderful array of marine wildlife but only in the Great Barrier Reef? 

Best Time to Visit
Located in the Tropical North Queensland, the reef has warm weather and beautiful sunshine most of the time. However, it could be warmer and possibly rainy.

If you want to spend a cooler holiday, the best time to visit would be from July to November. It is certain that you would have a wonderful and relaxing vacation.

Want to know why The Great Barrier Reef is a perfect place to spend your holidays?  It is one of the places in the world that can offer you relaxation, enjoyment, life, laughter, nature, and a breathtaking diversity of nature and fresh environments.

Tags: Australasia · Diving

Florence, or known as Firenze in Italian, is one of the most beautiful cities in Italy. It is located in the romantic Tuscany region. Florence has so many interesting things to do. I prepared my list of places to visit prior to arriving at Florence. I have the Duomo and other churches, Uffizi Museum, Statue of David, Piazza Michelangelo and 14th century bridge Ponte Vecchio in my list.

The best of all is that all these places are within walking distance. There is no need to take rely on public transport or cars to move around. I joined the thousand of tourists strolling along the tiny cobblestone streets that crisscrosses Florence to visit the many churches around the Duomo like Santa Maria Novella, San Lorenzo, Santo Spirito, Santa Croche.

In one of the cobblestone street leading to Duomo was Via Ricasoli 60. On this street, there was Galleria dell’Accademia where Michelangelo’s masterpiece sculpture, David, was on display. I joined the thousands of visitors crowding around the sculpture to admire and also, to take pictures with David. This was the life time opportunity to see this masterpiece.

For lunch, I bought a piece of pizza from one of the local Italian pizza shops around Piazza Del Duomo. To save time, I ate my pizza by the road side just like one of the backpackers in Florence.

From the Duomo, I walked along the cobblestone street to Uffizi Museum. Uffizi Museum has one of the best art collection in the world. UNESCO estimate that 60% of world art collection is in Italy. 50% of it is in Florence.

From Uffizi Museum, I moved on to visit the 14th century Ponte Vecchio. Ponte Vecchio is one of the most famous landmarks in Florence. Ponte Vecchio is a medieval bridge crossing Arno River that runs through Florence.

In the evening before the sunset, I made my way to Piazza Michelangelo, where there was a giant replica of Michelangelo’s masterpiece David awaits us, to see the sun set over the city of Florence. This was one of the most beautiful sunsets I have ever seen. To those who plan to visit Florence, don’t miss the sunset view from Piazza Michelangelo.

After the sunset, I made my way back to my hotel. Florence accommodation is easy to book via internet. Accommodation in Florence caters for all type of travelers depending on their budget. Luxurious or cheap accommodation is readily available in Florence.

After freshening up in the hotel, I was out to the cobblestone street of Florence again. This time was to savor the nightlife in this old renaissance city.

Tags: Accomodations · Europe · Historical · Uncategorized

On my way back from Phoenix, I decided to stop over to visit Los Angeles. Everyone has heard so much of this city but not many have the opportunity to visit Los Angeles. So, I decided I should not waste the opportunity.

Los Angeles is so well know around the world for its many offerings. The English entertainment world is center in Hollywood. Every one who watches movies knows about Hollywood and its blockbusters, movie stars and their glamorous lives at Beverly Hills. A tour of Hollywood and Universal Studio are a must to witness how movies are made.

There is Disneyland at Anaheim to bring out the kids in you. I have always wanted to be at the ‘Happiest Place On Earth’ since I was a kid. I spent the whole day trying out every ride. I didn’t mind queuing up as long as I can get to try out the rides which I have seen on television shows. The kid in me keeps me going in Disneyland. There was the Walt Disney’s Parade of Dreams showcasing all the characters that we are so familiar with. In the evening, I watch the “Remember…. Dreams Come True” fireworks show. It was the most appropriate event to end the day in Disneyland.

Other places that I visited are Santa Monica beach to see the muscle builders flexing their muscles by the beach, checking out Sunset Boulevard to see if it’s the same as the musical and off course, shopping at Citadel Factory Outlet. Actually, I did not manage to spend more time shopping. There are plenty more shopping centers that I wanted to visit.

There are still so many things to do in Los Angeles and I have to come back again to see the rest.

Tags: America · Sightseeing · Uncategorized