Bino

My Qatar Airways Experience, Part 2 (Doha to Tbilisi)

September 16, 2012 by Bino 6 Comments

I have received quite a number of queries from my Tbilisi post on how I managed to get there so this update is definitely way overdue. This trip was taken some months back on Qatar Airways. I transited in Doha for about 8 hours before boarding my 3 hour or so flight to Tbilisi, Georgia.

The terminal was basically the same one I transited in when I flew to Iran (also with QR) just a few months prior to this trip. The terminal was in the midst of upgrading and those of us with connecting flights were given color-coded boarding passes for easy identification.

Here is the rundown:

Pre-flight:

after 8 hours of waiting, I was relieved to see this

I did not have to check-in as this was a connecting flight. As previously stated, I had an 8-hour transit time which was mostly spent dozing off in Doha’s Airport. Given the relatively small-sized terminal, it was a consolation they had a sleeping area for passengers to use free-of-charge. Spaces were limited however. Silver and gold tiered Privilege Club members have lounges which can be used free-of-charge.

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Food Trip in Historic Malacca, Pt2

June 12, 2012 by Bino 4 Comments

After a jampacked Day 1 of “A Date With Bloggers in Malacca 2012”, our Day 2 was shaping up to be another smorgasbord of exotic dishes, cultural sights and audiences with VIPs. We had an early Sunday morning – our early morning wake-up call was due to a scheduled visit to the Cheng Ho Museum for breakfast and a short tour.

day 2 – me wearing our sponsor’s (Julie’s) shirt

Breakfast was simple, and consisted of some fruits and bee hoon (rice vermicelli). It was followed by a short tour of the museum which was a showcase of the life and times of Cheng Ho, the famed Chinese explorer who preceded the well-known Spanish and Portuguese explorers of yore. The museum consisted of four floors but I only managed to see two. Various methods are used for presentation here, including dioramas, multimedia and even interactive means. It’s a place befitting history buffs, and certainly wouldn’t disappoint those interested to know more about Southeast Asian history.

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A Glimpse of the Subcontinent in Singapore’s Little India

June 3, 2012 by Bino 6 Comments

Of the three major ethnic quarters of Singapore, it is perhaps Little India which is the most localized and authentic. Whereas other ethnic quarters have given way to chic boutiques and funky bars, Little India remains as a true enclave of the local Indian community. More recently it has also become the defacto hangout place of many foreign Indians and Bangladeshis which adds a bit more authentic feel of the Indian Subcontinent to the district.

a slice of the bold colors that India is known for

I was recently invited by omy.sg to an afternoon workshop called “Photos make your blogs go Pop!” where they gave tips on photo-taking for bloggers. I thought the subject matter was helpful, and I did appreciate the time the speakers took in giving photography tips. There were a lot of great tips shared, such as using photos to tell a story and the ways to present them. Still, I was more fixated at being one of the first people in Singapore to test out Panasonic’s newest GF5 camera through a photowalk. I’ve had a Lumix LX3 for over 3 years now and am quite impressed by their range of cameras.

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Food Trip in Historic Malacca, Pt1

May 30, 2012 by Bino 7 Comments

I was recently invited over for a food-filled weekend in Malacca, courtesy of a bloggers event hosted by people from the Asia Food Guide.

the chinese-inspired architecture of kampung kling mosque

It was not too long ago when I last visited this UNESCO World Heritage city on a daytrip. Nevertheless, I was really looking forward to this “revisit” as Malacca is well-known as a food-lover’s paradise – especially when it comes to Nyonya cuisine – and I didn’t really get to try much during my last visit. I was staying overnight this time so I reckoned I would have more time to see and appreciate more of the nooks and crannies of this historic town.

This is probably mentioned before – the general friendliness of people in Southeast Asia never fails to be an added plus to me during my trips. My host this time around were true exemplars of the warm Malaysian hospitality, making sure that we were alright and trying their best to make the event enjoyable for all (which they succeeded in doing!). It was great to again have the chance to venture someplace much friendlier, and Malacca proves that it needn’t be far.

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Singapore Blog Awards 2012

May 24, 2012 by Bino 13 Comments

I normally do not toot my own horn here so pardon me for doing so in this exceptional case. I received news earlier this week that I Wander has been selected as one of the 10 finalists for the Singapore Blog Awards 2012 – Travel Category! It would not have been possible without you guys who read this blog. The initial nomination actually came from one of the readers which makes this recognition even more meaningful.

With over a hundred nominations for the Travel Category, honestly, I did not expect that this blog would make it to the finals. There are just so many impressive and well-designed blogs out there! We are now in the voting stage and I would appreciate it if you could show your support by voting. You get to win cool prizes as well just by clicking that vote button. You may vote by clicking on that Singapore Blog Awards image above. It will direct you to the page showing all the finalists. Go to the bottom where you’ll find I Wander’s name and just click the “Vote For Me” button. Registration is required but is relatively painless. You can vote on a daily basis until 30th of June as well so start marking this in your calendars now!

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Eleven Places to See in Southeast Asia

May 22, 2012 by Bino 15 Comments

It took me over a year to post Part 2 of my Southeast Asian roundup, my little ode to this dynamic and diverse region which I call home. One year on and I still find myself traveling around Southeast Asia though now it’s mostly for work, transit or for back and forth trips between Manila and Singapore. More trips are certainly warranted in the future.

As my “tribute” to this region, I am choosing my top 11 sights from the 11 countries that make up Southeast Asia. To avoid being concentrated over a particular nation, I am picking one sight out of each of the 11 countries – my personal favorite from each.

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Favorite Travel Photos – My 7 Super Shots

May 12, 2012 by Bino 20 Comments

One of the things that led me to start this blog some years back is my hobby of taking photos. A few years on and I am still an amateur photographer by any sense of the word, but the interest sure lives on!

I have taken thousands of photos over the years, thanks to digital cameras but I never got to share my favorite ones all in one place. Because of this, I am really happy that Aleah of Solitary Wanderer tagged me in Hostelbookers 7 Shots. This is like a mini lookback of sorts, at some of the places I have been to over the years and my favorite shots – at least those fitting a certain theme – from these trips. The idea is to choose 7 travel photos that fit a certain theme and then to tag five other travel bloggers to do the same. So here goes!

#1 – Takes my breath away

in Coron, Philippines

This comes from one of my trips this year to Palawan, Philippines. I am a sucker for limestone rock formations, and I have seen quite a few elsewhere, but none left me in as much awe as this particular scene, on the way to Kayangan Lake in Coron Island. The island is believed to be sacred by the native tribe that inhabits it and only a small portion of it is actually open to visitors.

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Paradise on Earth: Malcapuya and Banana Islands

May 7, 2012 by Bino 15 Comments

Its diving reputation often takes precedence but Coron has quite a few idyllic outlying islands that are worth exploring for some tropical r&r. In between our excursions in the main town and Coron Island, we devoted an entire day to venture into a few beaches farther afield. These are Malcapuya and Banana Islands, Coron’s version of a beach paradise.

one word – WOW!

These outlying islands lie several miles off the main town, and are actually situated near the open sea. Some of those who have been there fondly call one of these islands as Boracay 2 due to its long stretch of fine white sand beach, sans the crowds. To get there, we had to take a 2-hours journey by hired boat from the main town of Coron, and we went past several other islands along the way.

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