Backpacker in Business Class
As a budget traveler, options for air travel are typically limited to low-cost carriers. In my travels around Southeast Asia, I’ve flown almost exclusively on Cebu Pacific, AirAsia, JetStar Airways, and Tiger Airways. When I got to fly Malaysia Airlines from Siem Reap to Kuala Lumpur, it was more out of luck than anything else;...
How Singapore Celebrates Christmas
MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM SINGAPORE! Singapore celebrates Christmas the only way it knows how: Big and Bright. Walking down Orchard Road on Christmas Eve revealed just how big and bright Christmas could be in the Little Red Dot, with malls trying to outdo each other with their respective holiday displays. It was as much a celebration...
Ouvrir La Voie: My YOG Opening Ceremony Experience
As I mentioned in my previous entry, I had the pleasure and honor of watching the opening ceremony of the Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games (YOG) live. I bought a ticket that seated me close enough to the center, and arrived at the venue early enough to be seated as close to the stage as...
Let the Games Begin! Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games
The inaugural Youth Olympic Games (YOG) will officially begin tonight, 14 August 2010, right here in Singapore. 3,531 athletes from 204 countries and National Olympic Committees (NOCs) will be participating in the first ever Summer YOG. For the past month or so, all of Singapore has been decorated with all sorts of YOG stuff. Flags...
Bangkok Delicious: A Thai Food Adventure
It’s unfortunate that when one mentions Bangkok these days, the first thing that people think of is violence and danger, no thanks to the ongoing Redshirt drama. Indeed, people are reconsidering and ultimately dropping Bangkok from their itineraries following recent violence in the city which saw a Japanese tourist wearing a red shirt get beaten,...
Temples, Toys, and Tigers, Oh My! (Singapore: Day 13, 12-Apr-09)
I decided to take it a little easier on my first full day in Singapore, leaving most of my sightseeing for the walking tour I was planning to do the next day. Because I was staying right at the heart of Little India, I figured the most natural start of my day was to look...
A Very Nice Bus Trip (Kuala Lumpur and Singapore: Day 12, 11-Apr-09)
I woke up on Saturday morning wondering if I made the right decision to stay for just one full day in Kuala Lumpur. On one hand, I’d already seen all the major sights and destinations that I wanted to visit: Petronas Towers (even if I didn’t get to go up on the skybridge), KL Tower,...
Walk This Way (Kuala Lumpur: Day 11, 10-Apr-09)
The second half of my whirlwind tour of Kuala Lumpur began after the lunchtime rain. While seeking refuge from the rain in a restaurant along Jalan Bukit Bintang, I tried to plot out the rest of my day. The guidebook I borrowed included suggestions for some walking tours around Kuala Lumpur’s Colonial District and Merdeka...
A Tale of Three Airports (Siem Reap, Phnom Penh, and Kuala Lumpur: Day 10, 09-Apr-09)
After three full days in Siem Reap, it was time to head to my next destination: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. After breakfast and some last-minute browsing at the markets, my tuk-tuk driver, Mr. Bill, picked me up from the hostel and brought me to Siem Reap Airport. He gave me his contact information, asking me to...
Before Sunset (Tonle Sap: Day 9, 08-Apr-09)
I had spent a good morning at Angkor Wat on my last full day in Siem Reap. After a cloudy sunrise and a wet excursion at the temple itself, I went to Angkor National Museum for a bit of historical and cultural background which, in hindsight, I probably should have done before exploring the temples...
