Travel, Itineraries & Guides, Hotel Reviews
Nestled in a valley with the Perak River meandering its way around it, the royal town of Kuala Kangsar is another one of those classic Malaysian outposts replete with grandeur and serenity. Cities such as Ipoh and Taiping I could consider as laidback, but Kuala Kangsar, despite being the place of residence of the Sultan of Perak, felt empty. It was as if the whole town was a museum showpiece. We were to discover later that this assumption was not so farfetched.
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I thought this post is a bit overdue, but better late than never!
To be honest, I was astonished when I received so many questions on how to visit North Korea after writing about the things to do in Pyongyang some months back. I certainly never expected there to be many people interested to visit this notorious place. When I was planning for the trip, many of my friends rejected me outright when I invited them. Are you crazy? – was the most usual response I got. But fortunately, two friends went with me in the end, so I didn’t have to experience the many “pleasures” of the DPRK by my lonesome!
our small tour group plus our guide
Visiting North Korea is not as straightforward as visiting other countries. But let me clear up some myths here – it’s not an overly complicated process. Most of the arranging is actually done by the travel agency so one can just sit back and relax for the most part.
If you have intentions of visiting this mysterious country, here are some things to take note of.
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No longer off the beaten path, Croatia is becoming one of the hottest destinations in Europe. Medieval walled cities. Fine food. Turquoise waters. This country is blessed with having a wide variety of things to offer all travelers.
Some twenty years ago, Croatia was a war zone. Many people still remember with horror how the walled city of Dubrovnik was shelled during the depths of the Balkan Wars. Hundreds of thousands of people were displaced and there was no tourism industry to speak of. How things have changed! Today, Croatia is the rising star of the peninsula, having gained EU membership this year and attracting the attention of many pleasure seekers from around the world. More than eleven million people each year now visit this country of a population of less than 5 million! I visited earlier this year and was totally bowled over at how this small country punches way above its weight in terms of things to see and do. Here, I give you reasons why you should visit Croatia!
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Traveling to Europe has perhaps never been cheaper than in the last two years. Thanks in part to the plummeting euro and the widening recognition of the Schengen visa, it is now a lot easier to move across the various European countries using just one currency (for the most part) and one visa.
I thought I’d share some simple tips on cheap travel around Europe. I learned these money-saving measures during my visits to the continent during the past few years. To be perfectly frank, none of them are in any way ground breaking. But they are effective, at least for me. Hopefully, to you as well.
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With only one day to spend in Tokyo last week, I wanted to make the most out of my short trip. This was my second visit to Tokyo, after an absence of what must have been almost a decade. As I did not have time on my side this time, I thought I could skip the usual tourist sights such as the Sensoji / Asakusa Kannon Temple, the Imperial Palace as well as Odaiba and focus instead on the sheer urbanity of the megalopolis. There are a lot of things to see in Tokyo and I did not want to make the mistake of getting overly ambitious. In the end, I highlighted just four places and stuck to it.
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Being the first and only Shangri-la property in Japan and often cited as one of the best hotels in Tokyo, Shangri-la Hotel Tokyo encapsulates the world-renowned service and ambiance which has by now become a trademark of the hotel chain. Add to this the strong service culture of the Japanese, exhibiting omotenashi and serving with pride wherever they go and you’ve got the perfect formula for a well-pampered experience should you choose to make it your place of accommodation in Tokyo. I had the opportunity to witness the delights of this luxury 5 star hotel in Tokyo when they hosted me for a night during my recent trip to Japan. Like all my other stays in Shangri-la properties, it was superb.
time to check-in!
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Singapore is rapidly becoming one of Asia’s most expensive cities. Much has changed in the 5 years since I have been living here. Perhaps there’s no more telling illustration of the change of pace here than by the subtle replacement of the Merlion with the Marina Bay Sands as the most prominent landmark of the city.
While a holiday here can indeed set one back by quite a bit, many would be surprised at the sheer amount of free things to do in Singapore. I can list dozens but in this instance I will just limit it to twelve. To prove my point that a trip to Singapore need not be expensive, here are my favorite free things to do:
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A not so common fixture in the Cambodia travel scene is a quiet town which puches above its weight in the country’s history. During my short stay in Phnom Penh, I managed to sneak in a quick excursion further afield. Phnom Penh has no shortage of possibilities for day trips but I decided to venture to Oudong or spelled alternatively as Udong, which is the former royal capital of Cambodia up until it moved to Phnom Penh in the 1800s. Oudong itself is a town some 45 km north of Phnom Penh, in Kampong Speu province, but the interesting parts are concentrated in Oudong Mountain, a short drive from the town itself.
how’s this for a view? from the peak of phnom oudong
To get there, I decided to take a tuktuk. Bad choice. Although the road getting there was in relatively good shape, the dustiness of the Cambodian countryside just proved too overwhelming and it didn’t help that the ride took 2 freaking hours! By far it was the longest tuktuk ride I had ever taken.
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