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The Perfect Barcelona Itinerary

October 13, 2021 by Bino 4 Comments

Most visitors deem Barcelona as Spain’s most attention-grabbing city and it’s not hard to see why. Out-of-this-world designs, chic bars, a strong culinary tradition and a plethora of things to see and do all make Barcelona the usual first stop in Spain and for many, the preeminent impression of the country. A closer look however, reveals a complex heritage. For starters, majority of the signs in the city are not even in Spanish. They are in Catalan, the native language of Catalonia, the region where Barcelona is situated. In fact, whenever I made the effort of speaking to the locals in Spanish, I would be replied to in English. People here are staunchly Catalan in identity.

While Madrid is the political center of Spain, Barcelona is its commercial and financial heart. And while most European cities can be classified as renaissance, baroque or medieval, Barcelona appears to be more contemporary. Skyscrapers, which are less common in Europe than they are in America or Asia, are prevalent here in all shapes and forms. And of course, one cannot talk about Barcelona’s cityscape without mentioning Gaudi. Arguably one of the top reasons to visit the city, this architect’s unique vision means that many of Barcelona’s buildings appear like nowhere else in the world, leaving visitors in awe at how one man’s ideas can appear so intense, colorful and bursting with so much life.

This guide shows you how you can visit Barcelona for 2 or 3 days.

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Filed Under: Spain Tagged With: barcelona, barcelona attractions, casa batllo, casa mila, catalonia, catalunya, ciudad condal, España, europa, europe, photography, sagrada familia, spain, travel

Day Trip to Oudong – the Former Royal Capital of Cambodia

November 7, 2013 by Bino 16 Comments

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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Filed Under: Cambodia Tagged With: cambodia travel, how to go to oudong, oudong, phnom penh, photography, travel, udong

Review of La Rose Boutique Hotel and Spa in Phnom Penh

November 5, 2013 by Bino 2 Comments

During my short trip to Phnom Penh the other week, I was hosted by La Rose Boutique Hotel and Spa, a relatively new place of accommodation in the city center and one of the top-rated Phnom Penh hotels.

la rose boutique hotel and spa

La Rose Boutique Hotel and Spa is located in Preah Norodom Boulevard, one of the city’s main arteries. From here, the road leads directly to the stunning Independence Monument, and further on to the likes of the Royal Palace and Sisowath Quay so the location is pretty strategic. I took a tuktuk ride here and was pretty excited to see how this property ranks among Phnom Penh hotels.

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Filed Under: Asia, Cambodia, Hotels Tagged With: la rose boutique hotel and spa, phnom penh, phnom penh hotels, photography, travel

The Greatest Show on Earth – Arirang Mass Games in North Korea

September 13, 2013 by Bino 10 Comments

the amazing show!

Imagine 50,000 performers in a stadium. They jump, dance and march with sheer synchronicity. Apart from this, they’re backed by another group of 50,000 performers whose job is to flash flip card propaganda mosaics using human hands. If there is ever a highlight to a trip to North Korea, the Arirang Mass Games has to be it. I go one step further and dare say that this is probably the most spectacular thing to see in the entire Korean peninsula. Watching these “games” alone already justifies a trip to the Hermit Kingdom. It has to be seen to be believed.

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Filed Under: Korea North Tagged With: asia, dprk, korea, north korea, photography, pyongyang, travel

9 Things to See in Pyongyang – North Korea

August 25, 2013 by Bino 22 Comments

Having just arrived in Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea, we were met by two serious-looking “mandatory” guides who wore business suits more suitable for the secret police rather than for holiday planners. And to perhaps bring the seriousness of our trip to North Korea home, they started by giving us three rules – #1: You cannot go out without your guide; #2: You cannot fold, distort, deface or throw away any paraphernalia that contain the images of Kim Il Sung or Kim Jong Il and #3: You cannot take pictures of the military. And with that, our holiday to North Korea officially began.

the grand people’s study house, one of the most elaborately constructed buildings in pyongyang

The thing about visiting North Korea is that it’s not an usual destination by any sense of the word. Everything is strictly controlled. Visitors are expected to pay their respects to Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il by bowing several times before their statues or embalmed bodies. Even the hotel rooms are most likely bugged. Then again, a trip to North Korea offers one a rare peek into the world’s last true communist state. It’s a country that got swept into the Cold War and never managed to get out, thanks to the country’s inflexible government.

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Filed Under: Korea North Tagged With: dprk, korea, north korea, photography, pyongyang, pyongyang hotel, travel, what to see in pyongyang

Hue: A City Echoing Vietnam’s Imperial Past

May 25, 2013 by Bino 6 Comments

Deep in the heart of Vietnam lies Hue, a city that’s a bit out of the way for most travelers (which may actually be a good thing) but is a treasure trove of cultural attractions. Hue was the imperial capital of Vietnam in the 1800’s, during a time when the country practiced a dynastic form of government with emperors at the helm. Imperial life then centered on the royal court, and elaborate buildings were built in and around the city’s citadel to host all the pomp and pageantry. With that undeniable Chinese influence, the Imperial city at Hue consisted of hundreds of buildings which served as government offices, residences for the emperor and his concubines and temples. Most of the Imperial City was destroyed however, during the Vietnam War, and today, barely a dozen buildings remain.

palace of supreme harmony, hue

It is perhaps the extent of the ruins which lead many to skip Hue while in the country. Truly, it would take a lot of imagination for one to recreate what court life would have looked like during the peak of Imperial Vietnam. Nevertheless, the imperial monuments in Hue were declared as a single UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993. I decided to check this out during my third visit to Vietnam.

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Filed Under: Vietnam Tagged With: architecture, asia, history, hue, hue city vietnam, hue vietnam attractions, photography, scenery, Southeast Asia, travel, vietnam

Review of the Majestic Hotel Kuala Lumpur

May 5, 2013 by Bino 3 Comments

This post is written by fellow blogger, Tianhao, from TH Nomad. Seems like he had an extremely wonderful time during his stay at The Majestic Kuala Lumpur!

Think of Kuala Lumpur and the image that springs to mind are of the soaring twin towers amidst other modern skyscrapers. With rapid industrialization, traces of her British colonial history are gradually fading into oblivion. However, the Majestic Hotel Kuala Lumpur is attempting to change all that. This newly opened 5-star hotel is a beautiful restoration of the old Hotel Majestic, which was a gathering place for the colonial elite, unrivaled in its prestige and luxury back in the colonial days. Today, a stay in the Majestic wing allows one to experience a touch of the colonial heydays, including having a personal butler attached to the room! Recently, I was fortunate to be invited to stay in this iconic hotel.

the hotel facade

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Filed Under: Hotels, Malaysia Tagged With: asia, hotels, kuala lumpur, Malaysia, photography, travel

The UNESCO World Heritage Towns of Southeast Asia

May 1, 2013 by Bino 5 Comments

As a destination that’s well known for its diversity, the essence of a trip to Southeast Asia for most would probably include a rundown of the well-known ancient ruins, beaches and secluded islands, through natural landscapes and tropical rainforests and generally having a good time in the region’s megacities. A not so prominent (and less popular) theme are its old towns, some of which have been preserved as UNESCO World Heritage Sites. These are deserving destinations in their own right, and are perfect supplements to those doing long trips across the region. Earlier this year, I had inadvertently completed a small milestone by visiting all the UNESCO World Heritage towns in Southeast Asia. As there are only five, it’s no mean feat. I was not really ticking it off any list. It just happened.

brightly colored buildings such as these in hoi an, are a common sight in all of southeast asia’s unesco towns

Those of you who have been reading this blog for a while might notice this habit of mine of ranking stuff regarding Southeast Asia. This one’s no exception. In order of preference (and I’ll explain why), this is how I would rank the 5:

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Filed Under: Asia Tagged With: georgetown, luangprabang, Malacca, Malaysia, penang, Philippines, photography, town, travel, unesco, vietnam, vigan

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Who Wanders Here?

Hi, I'm B, a part-time wanderer and a Singapore-based travel blogger. In this site, I share with you my top travel itineraries. Along the way, I also provide travel guides and tips, recommendations on awesome food to try and impressive hotels to stay! Read More…

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