Destinations

The Silk Road Journey Pt4: Shimmering Samarkand

April 28, 2012 by Bino 24 Comments

Just when I thought that Bukhara epitomized all there is to be seen in terms of mosques, madrasas and mausoleums; we venture into another such place – perhaps the most well-known among all the silk road cities – Samarkand.

the majestic registan square of samarkand – one of the most fascinating architectural ensembles I have seen

Unlike the more atmospheric Khiva and the more religious but understated Bukhara, Samarkand differentiates itself in grandeur. Also known as the “jewel of Islamic art,” the city was the capital of Tamerlane’s empire (the man responsible for bringing together the Uzbek identity) in the 14th century. Today, the city has been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, credited as a “crossroads of culture” due to its pivotal role in bridging China and the West during the silk road era.

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The Silk Road Journey Pt3: The Holy City of Bukhara

April 21, 2012 by Bino 7 Comments

From Khiva, we left early in the morning for the long and bumpy ride to the holy city of Bukhara – our next stop in the trip. People weren’t kidding when they said that the road was bad. The road conditions between the two cities were probably the worst I have seen in any highway! I reckoned it would not have made much difference had we driven on the sandy desert path instead.

the kalon mosque

The drive only reinforced the idea of how isolated Khiva was. We practically crossed a desert that extended for hundreds of miles, across empty wastelands with nobody and nothing but the odd shrub in sight.

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The Silk Road Journey Pt2: Magic Carpet Ride to Khiva

April 17, 2012 by Bino 11 Comments

We did not stay long in Tashkent before we started to make a move to one of the great silk road cities of Uzbekistan. Our first stop, and a personal highlight for me, was Khiva. The city is practically in the middle of nowhere, almost a thousand miles away from the nearest sea, lying between two deserts and lying close to the border with Turkmenistan. It is so remote that it’s an arduous 16 – 18 hour drive to the capital, Tashkent and the nearest city with at least a million people is two countries away, in Iran. It is impressive to think that this city was once part of the silk road – magic carpets could have been necessary to bring people here back then!

all that’s missing is a genie in a lamp and khiva could very well be another potential location for Aladdin

It is no surprise that this medieval desert city has been maintained very well despite the forces of time. Khiva itself is a city of 50,000 people. Though no longer as isolated as it used to be, we still had to take a 1.5 hour flight from Tashkent to the nearby city of Urgench, and then take a 1 hour car ride just to get there.

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The Silk Road Journey Pt1: Welcome to Uzbekistan

April 14, 2012 by Bino 20 Comments

Mention the country Uzbekistan and more often than not, one gets a mixed reaction. What is there to see? Why go there? Where is that? These were the most common responses I received when people heard that I was going to Uzbekistan. Ask me my opinions on Uzbekistan 5 years ago and I would probably ask the first two questions as well.

As one of the -Stans (i.e. Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, etc), people normally associate it with vast cotton fields, cold, impersonal Soviet architecture and perhaps tall, blonde receptionists all seemingly named Svetlana. In more recent times, Borat came into the picture to portray what is a backward and inaccurate depiction of the -Stans (notably Kazakhstan). Nevertheless, it did put this rarely explored region in the limelight.

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Bukit Timah Hill – Conquering Singapore’s Tallest Peak

April 1, 2012 by Bino 6 Comments

Few major cities in the world can lay claim to having relatively undisturbed tropical rainforests lying within the metropolis. Places like Rio de Jaineiro and Mumbai come to mind. There is another city, which very few people outside of it would include in the list I just mentioned. Surprise, surprise. That place is Singapore.

the long and winding trail…

Despite dubbing itself as a “Garden City” and filling almost every road, bridge, overpass and even airport with greenery, no one would usually make the logical leap and think of finding jungles here as well, much less an authentic one. The zoning of new land leaves less open ones as years go by but one place has remained untouched despite the rapid urban development and limited space – a nature reserve called Bukit Timah. Now measuring a mere 1.64 square kilometers, this was once part of a larger forest where tigers and many other indigenous animals used to roam.

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Petronas Towers: The Monumental Bling Bling of Malaysia

March 28, 2012 by Bino 2 Comments

If there was one sight / monument / building / attraction that people tend associate with Malaysia, it would undoubtedly be the iconic Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur.

the petronas towers during blue (more like purple) hour

Though no longer the tallest buildings in the world, the twins still never fail to make an impression to those who visit the city, no matter how many times it’s been. It was my fourth visit to Kuala Lumpur when I took the photo above and I was still awed by the Middle Eastern motif, particularly the cross section of the towers which was based from the Islamic Rub el Hizb symbol. It’s especially picturesque at night when it’s lit up very brightly like crystal with spotlights and can be seen from several miles away.

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Singapore’s Chinatown: A Street By Street Look

March 24, 2012 by Bino 14 Comments

At first glance, having a Chinatown in a city where the population is three quarters Chinese seems rather… redundant. In Singapore, however, unlike in other traditional Chinese enclaves, the area seems to function more as a bastion of things past, a conservation area, rather than as a living, breathing mixture of establishments and houses genuinely catering primarily to the local Chinese community.

the massive buddha tooth relic temple at night

This is the second of three entries being done on the country’s ethnic quarters (the previous one was on Kampong Glam). This time, we zoom in on the city’s Chinatown which is loosely defined as the area immediately west of the financial district. This is the area that was historically set aside during colonial times for the burgeoning Chinese population in the island, though as we now know, the Chinese eventually comprised the majority of the island’s population and settled elsewhere as well.

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Mumbai: The City That Will NOT Shock You

March 15, 2012 by Bino 4 Comments

After a really packed trip that took us to four cities in just a week, we now came to (almost) the end of our journey with a final leg in Mumbai. Originally planned to be a transit point only, we ended up spending an entire day there. The city reminds me of many other places, and despite all the Slumdog Millionaire associations, it certainly was not as chaotic as I pictured it to be.

india’s been truly incredible, but i have a grin on my face because i’m finally going home that night!

Mumbai is a humongous city, and perhaps this city has become a poster child for India’s overcrowding problem. Twelve million people are packed into a sprawling metropolis smaller than Metro Manila or Singapore . Despite this, the city can be a lot more pleasant than the other large cities of India, with its wide, tree-lined boulevards, charming Victorian-era colonial buildings, chic bars and restaurants and a long seaside promenade that extends for miles – certainly not a pretext for those expecting something like Slumdog Millionaire, though these places of course do exist. I did not even see a single cow roaming the streets here!
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