Bino

Singapore / Malaysia / Indonesia (and More) Passport Holders Can Now Get Visa-on-Arrival in Ukraine

April 3, 2017 by Bino Leave a Comment

Ukraine has recently loosened its visa requirements for several nationalities. This follows a similar trend by neighboring countries to allow foreign visitors to enter without a prearranged visa.

From the 16th of April 2017 onwards, nationalities of the following countries can enter Ukraine via any border crossing (including the international airports) and obtain a visa-on-arrival. In order to be granted a visa-on-arrival, travelers need to present either an invitation or a document proving themselves as tourists (i.e. hotel reservations, tour agency letter, etc) or business people.

The new ruling supersedes the previous one which was applicable for fewer nationalities and only for entry via Kyiv’s Boryspil Airport.

In case you are wondering what is there to see in Ukraine, check out my guides here.

The eligible countries for visa-on-arrival are the following (the ones in Italics are effective 16th of April):

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Pacific Marketplace at Pan Pacific Singapore – Refreshed Menu Featuring World Cuisines

April 2, 2017 by Bino Leave a Comment

Pacific Marketplace, the gourmet grocery and cafe at Pan Pacific Singapore, has recently revamped its menu to showcase dishes from all over the world. I personally have fond memories of the venue. As it is situated near my workplace, I come here from time to time for lunch. Prices are reasonable (even more so with Entertainer app) and I particularly love the Asian delights such as the Roasted Duck Curry and Wagyu Beef Pho.

I was recently invited to a media tasting in order to sample the beefed up menu (no pun intended). While the previous menu had a strong focus on Asian dishes, the revamp has seen a host of new sandwiches and salads. Here are the ones I tried:

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Hotel Review: Hilton Kota Kinabalu – Luxurious Rooms With Smart Motion Sensors

April 2, 2017 by Bino Leave a Comment

The Hilton Kota Kinabalu is the newest addition to the burgeoning hospitality scene in this popular East Malaysian tourist hub. With 305 rooms, it is the first and only Hilton property in Sabah.

hotel lobby

During a recent trip to the East Malaysian state, I stayed at the Hilton Kota Kinabalu for a night. The first thing that strikes you immediately as you enter the hotel lobby is the stunning chandelier that twists and turns around the high ceiling – like water droplets when it rains. The hotel’s main reception area is certainly huge and belies Kota Kinabalu’s status as a mid-sized city.

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Here Is a Compilation of Solutions Being Offered So Far By Airlines Affected By the US Laptop Ban

March 30, 2017 by Bino Leave a Comment

As I had mentioned in a post last week, there are a couple of carriers affected by the US laptop ban. For everyone’s reference, I thought I’d do up a compilation of solutions the affected airlines have introduced in light of this development. Here they are:

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Flight Review: Malaysia Airlines Business Class on the Boeing 737-800

March 30, 2017 by Bino Leave a Comment

I recently had Qmiles that were expiring and had to redeem them for a flight. However, as I did not have enough miles to redeem for any of QR’s medium or long-haul flights, I decided to look at their partner awards instead. Granted, the value wasn’t exactly there with partner airlines but it was still better than just letting my miles expire. From SIN, I found myself with either MH or CX as my options. However, for the weekend trip I was planning, CX did not have any available award seats so I ended up redeeming a one-way J class flight from KUL to SIN instead.

I have very fond memories of Malaysia Airlines’ Boeing 737’s which they utilize for regional flights within Southeast Asia. Many of MH’s Boeing narrow body planes have the Sky interiors which feature a roomier cabin with mood lighting.

At KUL, check-in was pretty straightforward. Other than getting the standard invite for the lounge, business class passengers also get a fast-track immigration ticket – a much-appreciated convenience as the queue for immigration could get quite long.

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How I Crossed the Wagah Border From India to Pakistan By Foot (and Vice Versa)

March 28, 2017 by Bino 29 Comments

During a recent trip to Amritsar in India and armed with a Pakistan visa, I decided to travel to Lahore for a couple of days. Both cities are only around 50 kilometers apart and as I was quite curious about the region’s other cultural capital, I decided to travel to Lahore by crossing the Wagah border from the India side.

The two countries actually share a border that spans almost three thousand kilometers but the Wagah border is the only point that is open for foreigners to cross. According to Foreign Policy (FP) magazine, the India-Pakistan border is one of the most dangerous in the world. My experience was actually quite pleasant and it’s one of the easiest international land crossings I have done so far.

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Kaiseki Yoshiyuki – Exquisite Japanese Seasonal Menus at Forum Orchard

March 28, 2017 by Bino Leave a Comment

Helmed by Chef Yoshiyuki who spent seven years as personal chef to diplomatic missions in San Francisco and Singapore, the eponymous Kaiseki Yoshiyuki is a kaiseki restaurant in Forum Shopping Mall in Orchard Road that focuses on seasonal menus based on what it available at Tsukiji market in Tokyo.

kaiseki yoshiyuki

One of the quirks about the restaurant is that all staff are banned from using peelers. Instead, the kitchen crew is made to only use knives in order to make sure each edible component including the thin and evenly sliced cucumber or daikon twirls, are knife-sliced by the chefs.

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Flight Review: Singapore Airlines Airbus A380 Business Class – Still One of the Widest Out There

March 26, 2017 by Bino Leave a Comment

On a recent trip back to Singapore from Beijing, I had a couple of flight options. I had wanted to take the 777-300ER flights initially, hoping I would land on one of the refurbished planes but as the flight time was not very convenient (departure was at 00:05), I opted to fly business class on the Airbus A380 instead. SQ807 from PEK to SIN had a more reasonable departure time of 4:40pm with an arrival time in SIN 40 minutes before midnight. Total damage was 29,750 miles thanks to the pre-devaluation 15% discount for online redemptions.

the singapore airlines a380

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