tour

Singapore Walking Tour: Why You Should Do It at Night

December 13, 2011 by Bino 14 Comments

For a country that has often been branded by its detractors as dull, Singapore’s nightscape is everything but. A world apart from the day, the same buildings which look neat but otherwise unremarkable against the sunlight turn into a homage of modern construction with an added layer of mystery, sleekness and futurism once the sun sets.

the amazing singapore skyline at blue hour… the building where I work is one of the buildings shown in this picture

As a (almost) local here, I witness this spectacle almost every night from where I work. Despite the sweltering heat, I sometimes prefer to walk above ground on my way home (rather than on the underpass) just to see this when I need a break from the masses of drone-like men and women making the commute home. The skyline looks even better during blue hour – that few minutes when the sun sets but just before it completely turns into night.

Many tourists do the standard walking tour of Singapore around this area, no doubt about it. But I find that barely anyone does it at night, which is a shame. The perfect time for a walking tour around the Civic Center / CBD area is actually at night. Not only is it cooler at this time, but everything appears sleeker than usual, even sultry. My suggested Downtown Singapore walking tour after the jump.

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7 Things to Watch Out For When Buying a Budget Airline Plane Ticket

December 11, 2011 by Bino 13 Comments

Since I usually buy budget airline tickets several months in advance, It has been a while since I bought one to anywhere. Did a couple of bookings this past week which led to some startling if not, annoying discoveries which seem to foretell an inevitable trend in the LCC segment of the airline industry.

by 713 Avenue | CC by SA 2.0

Generally, I find the booking systems of most LCC’s to be quite annoying – this stems from their tendency to pre-select add-ons by default in a way that is not so obvious to unsuspecting passengers. Previously, the pre-selection was only confined to travel insurance. Lately, I discovered that not only more and more of these add-ons are pre-selected, but also that some airlines have made it more tedious for passengers to unselect the pre-selected add-ons (probably in hopes that passengers won’t want to exert the extra effort of unselecting and just pay the extra dollars). Smells like an unethical way to make a quick buck to me, but in a highly volatile industry I suppose every cent counts.

At the end of the day, budget airlines can still offer a lot of value especially during seat sales and I suppose that for the majority of the target market, these are hassles that one should just take note of. Thought I’d share some tips on unspoken rules with regards to LCC bookings and how to avoid getting charged unnecessarily in the booking process. These are in my opinion, 7 things people should watch out for when buying a budget airline plane ticket.

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The Real Iran Pt5: Kashan! Kashan!

November 27, 2011 by Bino 5 Comments

kashan skyline – windcatchers and water reservoirs competing for attention

By this time, we entered the second half of our trip and continued our way up north. It was time to say goodbye to the amazing city of Esfahan and proceed to a little but popular city in between Esfahan and the capital, Tehran. We took the morning bus to this city which is called Kashan, passing by more desert and arid lands. Of note were the nuclear power plants we passed by near a small town called Natanz. The other passengers on the bus were quite keen on pointing it out to me when we passed by it.

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The Real Iran Pt3: Yazd – An Oasis in the Desert

November 20, 2011 by Bino 13 Comments

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-VBgDGuKQM]

After spending two nights in Shiraz and taking that daytrip to Persepolis and Nagsh e Rostam, it was finally time to move on to our next city – Yazd. Sitting in the middle of the desert, this central Iranian city is known for its unique clay architecture which gives it a very storybook feel. I wouldn’t be surprised if the story Aladdin was set here. A six-hour bus ride away, I had a rough idea of how to get there from Shiraz but Antoine, a Frenchman we met during the Persepolis trip, told us how it’s common practice to ask the hotel to book bus tickets. This was great news, and saved us the hassle of having to buy them ourselves at the bus terminal.

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The Real Iran Pt2: The Biblical City of Persepolis

November 19, 2011 by Bino 2 Comments

Many countries have that one landmark which serves as the national symbol as well as its #1 tourist draw. As Angkor Wat is to Cambodia, Machu Picchu to Peru and Great Wall to China, in Iran that place is Persepolis. Over 2,500 years old, this former capital of the Persian Empire is emblematic of the strong Pre-Islamic heritage which this nation proudly carries. Way before associations with the “axis of evil” came about, it is Persepolis which people in the past two millennia have come to associate with Persia.

the gate of all nations

Some forty years ago when Iran was still under a secular government, a grand celebration with a lot of pomp and pageantry was held in Persepolis by the then Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi to commemorate 2,500 years of Persian Civilization. The guest list included the who’s who in global politics at that time, and also comprised our then First Lady Imelda Marcos who represented the Philippines for the event.

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The Real Iran Prologue: Why Go to Iran?

November 13, 2011 by Bino 10 Comments

If I were to base my travel decisions solely on the opinions of the people around me, I probably would not have gone to Iran. To say this country has a bad reputation is a gross understatement – it probably ranks near the bottom among countries in terms of public perception. Of course, it does not help that its government once voiced its wish to have “Israel wiped off the map” but then again, as in most countries, the overwhelming majority of the citizenry does not share the same sentiments as with its leaders. A country like Iran deserves more than just a second look. What if instead of Iran, we call it by its former name, Persia? Would thoughts of nuclear programmes and hard-line Islam suddenly switch to dreams of an ancient civilization, ornate palaces and a forward-looking populace? Indeed, this country’s current standing is perhaps a juxtaposition of these two worlds. To dismiss Iran merely due to the negative perception would mean foregoing the opportunity to (1) meet the friendliest and warmest people on earth, (2) see some amazing ancient ruins and stunning architectural works, (3) try some great and varied activities such as skiing, cycling, etc at a fraction of the cost and (4) perhaps have one of the most fulfilling travel experiences ever.

if you though iran was a big bomb site, you're wrong... that's iraq

During the days leading to my departure, almost everyone who learned about my trip thought that I was mad or some kind of a weirdo. I had only told a handful of people about my trip but this seemed to have spread all over, as I suppose there is a tendency for people to spread around rumors that someone had gone cuckoo. My friends, family and colleagues were genuinely concerned for my safety. “Please come back in one piece” was something I heard often, as if I was going to a war zone. The only people who didn’t think so were the ones who had been to Iran previously, and they were the ones who steadfastly vouched for the safety over there. These people had fondly shared with me memories of their trip to Iran and their wish to go back sometime in the future. Many of those who have been there actually rank Iran as one of their favorite countries, travel-wise.

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Ha-Ha-Ha Long Bay

August 31, 2011 by Bino 10 Comments

The sole reason why we decided to have a 3-day Hanoi trip instead of making it a Saturday-Sunday affair was because of Ha Long Bay. The name has been entrenched so strongly in many a travelers’ minds that it’s become one of the must-visit places in Southeast Asia. With a name that literally means “Descending Dragon’s Bay,” how could one possibly pass this up?

While limestone karst formations are not peculiar in the region (Guilin in China; Krabi in Thailand and Coron in the Philippines all come to mind), what separates Ha Long Bay from the rest are the sheer number of these rising up from the sea – there’s over 3,000 of them! It makes for a very fine view, especially during sunset where the scenery can appear like a painting baked by the golden colors complementing the limestone silhouettes.

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