Destinations

The Things They Eat

October 16, 2009 by Bino 11 Comments

I heard the saying before that Cantonese people will eat anything with four legs. During my visit to Guangzhou, I came to the conclusion that this assertion is terribly lacking. Yes, they eat all sorts of four-legged creatures – but much more than that. I stopped by one of the city’s wet markets and it truly was an eye-opening experience. I came to realize that Cantonese cuisine is not just about dimsum, barbequed pork or shark’s fin soup. It goes way beyond the dishes which I would normally think of as food. Some of their specialties could actually be used as staples in Fear Factor.

one of the more conventional dishes - prawns on tofu

Pictures of my discovery after the jump. Be aware that the page contains pictures which some might find disgusting or offensive. Enter at your own risk!

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A New Empire

October 15, 2009 by Bino 3 Comments

The temples of Angkor and surrounds used to exude a strong sense of adventure and exoticness. Visitors were few and far between then. With striking ruins such as Ta Promh seemingly devoured mercilessly by the trees, these ruins seemed wild and unexplored. A few kilometers lied Siem Reap, a small outpost containing a few hotels for those who were eager enough to explore the temples. Up until the year 2000, this was still the case and Angkor was just something you get to watch in documentaries.

Several hundred years after the fall of the Khmer Empire, a new one centered on tourism is gradually taking its place. Since the turn of this century, tourism in the Angkor sites has grown exponentially. Siem Reap likewise grew exponentially with it. I visited in 2007, which is the year Angkor received the most number of visitors (not even 2008 could top that). The Angkor I visited was extremely convenient and seemed to center on one thing – tourism. Guides, tuktuks and private transportation were everywhere and easy to find. Accommodations and restaurants were aplenty. I couldn’t help but notice the new hotels that sprouted like mushrooms in Siem Reap. A lot of them were being built simultaneously, with modest exteriors and spartan beds that cater to the hordes of tour groups that come to admire the temples.

This being said, the temples in Angkor still looked majestic. It also helped that the weather was good when I went. Basically did 2.5 days of temple touring, and covered a lot of ground including some of the minor temples. The ruins started to look alike by the second day but was still a sight to see.

the bayon

We hired a car and a guide for 2 days. We started in Angkor Thom, from which we explored the Bayon, Baphuon, Phinmeakas, Terrace of Elephants and the Leper King. Afterwards, we made a stop at the maze-like temple of Preah Khan – which remains mostly unrestored.

angkor wat

In the afternoon, amid the sweltering heat, we went to Angkor Wat – the most well known among Cambodia’s temples. The building plays an important role among locals, and is featured prominently in the nation’s flag. It is also a living temple – and there are still worshippers who come to pray. Certain parts contain very intricate bas reliefs of devatas or apsara. We then wrapped up the day’s temple tour by going to Phnom Bakheng to watch the sunset.

the ruins of ta prohm

The following day, we ventured to the Ta Promh temple complex. It was made famous during the Tomb Raider movie, where the erudite Lara Croft (played by Angelina Jolie) was featured running around the eerie temple complex. The main draw of Ta Prohm is the wild vegetation which seems to overwhelm – and threaten – it in some areas. No surprise. Unlike many of the other Angkorian temples, Ta Prohm has been left in pretty much the same condition as when it was discovered.

banteay srei

Some of the other temples require a relatively long drive. Banteay Srei is one such complex, but the journey’s definitely worth it. The temple is made of sandstone, giving it a reddish hue that is a departure from Angkor. Elaborate carvings are the main draw here, and I only had sheer admiration for the people who painstakingly created these art works almost a thousand years ago. Talk about mad skills.

After lunch, we headed back to the main Angkor area and stopped by Banteay Samre and Prasat Kravan. By this time, the temples were starting to look alike to me.

in banteay samre

prasat kravan

We only hired the car for two days, and the third day was supposed to have been spent preparing for our trip to Vietnam. But since our passes allowed us to see the temples for another day and we had a few hours to spare, we decided to hire a tuktuk to bring us to the temples in the Rolous group. It was a bit out of the way, but the tourists still arrived in hordes! Never mind that the ruins were more or less similar to the ones in Angkor.

the details in lolei temple

some guy's round the world journey on his bike

In recent years, some entrepreneurs from Europe and the US have established businesses in Siem Reap. Mostly service-based, these range from a one-room hotel to french bistros. All this have helped make Siem Reap a real tourist town as far as tourist towns go.

fusion food

at tonle sap

A Different City Each Time

October 13, 2009 by Bino Leave a Comment

The first time I ventured to Hong Kong was in 1990. I was just a few years old then, and it was my first ever trip abroad. I couldn’t remember anymore what sort of impressions I had when I first visited – I was more engrossed at the thought of riding a plane than at the prospects of wandering about the place. Since then, I have visited 9 other times, most recently in January of 2009. Each time I find myself in Hong Kong, I feel like I’m a totally different person. I can be anonymous. I can be wild. I can assume any identity I want. It wouldn’t matter to the city folks and barely anyone will care in this effervescent town. Hong Kong can at once be buzzing and mouldering, pretentious and friendly, decaying and modern. It has so many contrasting identities that it can very well be a world of its own. The appeal of Hong Kong, I think, lies in this contradicting dynamism.

It was exactly one of these contradictions which I explored during my 2009 visit. During this trip, I visited the Hong Kong that was green – the “fragrant harbor” that had wide open spaces and calming, soothing backdrops that allowed visitors to just relax and move at a slow pace. This is all thanks to my good friend based in the city who thought it best to dispel the dreary notion I had of Hong Kong.

the soothing nan lian garden

Nan Lian Garden is an excellent place to experience the slow Hong Kong lifestyle. Tucked away near a nunnery is this 3.5 hectare plot of land which exudes a zen-like atmosphere. Depending on which pathway visitors follow, they may find a vegetarian restaurant, bonsai garden or tea house. It’s a marvelous way of spending an hour or two of any visit to Hong Kong. A short stroll can easily change people’s perceptions about this notoriously crowded city.

another view of nan lian

kowloon walled city park

For inutile government officials who drastically need a lesson or two in urban revival (casual visitors also welcome), a visit to the Kowloon Walled City Park is a must. Set in a piece of land that until 1993 housed an urban nightmare in the form of a multi-storey shantytown, the park is now an oasis of tranquility with barely any clue of its past incarnation except for a few stone plaques and a scale model of the decrepit tenement that preceded it. The park has several sections, including a life sized chess board and a garden with the 12 animals of the Chinese Zodiac. During my visit, it was indeed hard to imagine that the serenity that laid before me was once a haven for drug lords and utter rot.

the tenements that stood on the site until 1993

kowloon walled city park

Despite what has been said, most of the places which tourists know in Hong Kong still consist of cemented jungles rather than the vegetated ones. Break-the bank shopping, pulsating nightlife, good food and Disneyland will always be hallmarks of this crazy town. Like me, most of you have probably been there multiple times and think that you’ve seen everything worth seeing in this compact city. I used to think so too. Nevertheless, there are other noteworthy elements which have not really reached the consciousness of tourists who go there, and merit an inclusion into future itineraries.

Turkish Delights

October 12, 2009 by Bino 6 Comments

Turkey may be a medium-sized country. But for its 700,000+ square kilometers of land, the country sure punches above its weight on the diversity of its landscapes. My trip there was from over 2 years ago. While the exact progression of the journey is a bit fuzzy to me now, the places I visited are not that easy to forget.

The first highlight during my 9 day visit would have to be Pergamon. It is a very old city that dates back to the ancient Greek civilization. The ruins are typical of the cities from ancient Greece with theaters, baths and of course columns, columns and more columns!

pergamon

traveling from europe to asia by sea

Also stopped by Ephesus. Was particularly impressed with the Library of Celsus. Unfortunately, my camera’s battery went dead exactly at the point when I reached it and I wasn’t able to take a photo. If it’s any consolation, the picture below shows the dreaded Medusa.

the medusa at ephesus

A sight to behold, Pamukkale (below) consists of terraces made of travertine. The white-colored surface gives off an out-of-this-world feel. Too bad none of my pictures of Pamukkale could truly give it any justice. Oh, and visitors can bath in these hot springs terraces if they wish. The water there supposedly has some therapeutic qualities.

sunset at pamukkale

We also dropped by the curiosity which is only known as the “blue lake.” I don’t see any of the guidebooks ever mentioning it and I don’t even know if it has a proper name but it’s another awesome sight. It is so blue that it looks almost perfect.

the bluest lake i've ever seen

But perhaps the weirdest landscapes I saw in Turkey were the fairy chimneys that spanned a huge area in Cappadocia. The rock formations were actually used as houses in ancient times, and some of them even contain churches inside. The area is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. As can be expected from a designation like this, the place was likewise jampacked with tourists.

fairy chimneys

What it reminds me really is that of a smurf’s house. Don’t you agree?

it really looks like a smurf's house

some more

don't know what it was but it looked interesting

Turkey is an easy enough place to get to. Flights originating in Asia usually land at the Ataturk Airport in Istanbul. There are flights from Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Singapore and Jakarta. Turkish Airlines is also interested in flying to Manila but that is still in the pipeline.

Sunday in Malacca

October 11, 2009 by Bino 1 Comment

the christ church is possibly the most recognizable in malacca

One of my friends was about to end her 3 month stint here in Singapore so we decided to go on a daytrip to Malacca just a few weeks before she left for good. We met up at the Kovan Bus Terminal and paid S$19 (around US$14) for a one-way bus ride to the UNESCO World Heritage town in Malaysia. The ride took up almost 4 hours and was mostly uneventful.

red is the city’s predominant color

tourist traps if you ask me

Malacca is a compact city with many of the main sights just within walking distance. After arriving at our destination, we took a public bus (MYR 1) to the historical area near the Christ Church. We went on a Sunday so the place was brimming with tourists, mostly weekenders from Singapore.

windmill – remnants of dutch past

facade of the porta de santiago

We went to have lunch at the famous Jonkers Street. The food is almost similar to Singapore’s except they have this local specialty called “rice balls.” It’s meat-flavored rice shaped into a … you guessed it! I didn’t like it to be honest, but I was famished so I barely noticed the weird chewiness of the thing. Afterwards, we went to the Baba Nyonya Museum which is an old Peranakan house turned into a museum. It was ok – I’ve been exposed to this culture in Singapore so it wasn’t anything new.

former governor’s residence

We then proceeded to Porta de Santiago which is now just an isolated fort situated in a very commercialized part of the city. We didn’t stay for the night but those who stay overnight may enjoy the light and sounds shows in the area during the evenings.

ruins of st. paul’s church

We made the climb up a hill to reach the ruins of St. Paul’s Church. It’s just an empty shell now, but the view from the top is wonderful. There is also a bunch of large stone tablets neatly arranged by the church walls.

closer look at the ruins

panel inside the ruins

That was our last stop for the day, and we decided to rest for a while and have a little snack. We went to this dessert place in the mall right across Porta de Santiago. I had the golden pomelo dessert (US$2.50). It was a great way to end our trip as we were all soaking wet. Malacca may not be a mindblowing place, but it does live up to its reputation as a good daytrip destination. Malacca is also a foodie’s haven but I did not manage to try much owing to my short time there. For more restaurant recommendations in the city, you can check out this Malacca food guide.

Tip : Buy your return tickets in Malacca if you can. You will end up saving more than 50% of the ticket price.

Step Back In Time

October 10, 2009 by Bino 4 Comments

The flight from Manila to Bacolod had a few quirks. Although sleepy from having to wake up at 5AM, I was perked up by an inflight bring-me game, or in our case a raise-your-hand-if-you-have-the-object-game. It was my first time to encounter something like that during a flight.

a notable mansion that’s been turned into a museum

The flight took barely an hour. I arrived in Bacolod at around 10AM but didn’t go to Silay until about 4:30PM. The few hours before that were spent traversing through Bacolod’s sprawling Central Market, browsing the scrap metal/coin galleries in the hopes of finding something rare for my numismatic collection. I left empty-handed, though it was interesting to see the sort of coins they had for sale.

I managed to catch a jeepney from Bacolod going to Silay and it cost me just 12 pesos (around 30 US Cents). The 20 minute trip was stretched to 45 minutes since the driver was still waiting for more passengers. It was interesting to see how the tout would go about getting more people to ride. The skill is akin to any salesman’s ability to convince his prospects to buy his wares. We would stop in just about every populated corner and the toutwould spend around 5 minutes going through the sidewalk telling each and every passer-by where his jeepney was going while pointing towards our direction. The tout does this until the jeepney is filled like a pack of sardines. It was also interesting to find out just how many people they can fit inside the jeep. Basically the rule of thumb is that the jeep only gets filled when it gets to the point that passengers inside can’t move anymore. On the way to Silay, there would be around a dozen stops and the tout would announce them all for our convenience.

the famous el ideal bakery

And so I arrived in Silay – once the home of affluent sugar barons – a good hour before sunset so the lighting was still pleasant for picture-taking. I walked around the main square and found this “city” really slow-paced. Although there were an abundance of students and teachers in the sidewalks, and tricycles roaring the streets, Silay somehow seemed bare and trapped somewhere back in time. I saw no sparkle of ambition in the eyes of the city folk who swayed and talked in sync to the slow beat of this town. It felt very relaxing. But I think I’d go crazy if I were to live here.

The colonial buildings are of course, what I came to see. Most of them are aging and in dire need of a fresh coat of paint though there are a few which are still quite attractive and pleasing to the eyes. Some of the old mansions have been converted to museums and visitors can actually see how people lived back then at the turn of the 20th century.

nice colonial building

Before going back to Bacolod, I stopped by this cafe called El Ideal which is supposedly over a hundred years old. While that may be the case, I am glad that I won’t be able to say the same about their pastries. I decided to go for something called “guapple.” It’s actually guava filling coated inside a pie that is styled similar to apple pie – complete with cinnamon and all that.

As the sun was already setting and there wasn’t much left to do, I boarded the jeep bound for Bacolod and paid the tout 12 pesos. At least on my trip back, it didn’t take him a lot of effort to fill up our jeepney.

this fairy adorns the entrance of a beauty parlor in Silay

interiors of one of the mansions

probably the main shopping center in this sleepy city

Seoul-ful Sojourn

October 10, 2009 by Bino Leave a Comment

A lot of people I know travel to South Korea just to visit the drama series filming sites. With the hallyu craze in full swing, their TV shows have become some of the most watched across Asia and I do know some who have stacks of their DVDs at home. They visit… no, they worship the actual sites where they filmed for some of the well-known Korean TV series.

It’s a shame really, for South Korea offers so much more than that. I started my journey in this country in Seoul – the vibrant capital of this very industrious nation. The government has done quite a bit to spruce up the city’s image and make it more visible in the world stage. The city has become much more cosmopolitan in recent years, and a lot of expats (mostly english teachers) are helping make Seoul a more tourist-friendly place.

Seoul has plenty of beautiful women, with near-symmetrical faces, big eyes, even eyelids and smooth, clear skin. You’d be forgiven to think that it’s in the Korean gene for the consistency is found down from the waitress in the restaurant and the department store salesladies to the white-collared office workers clenching their cellphones in one hand and LV bags in another. However, someone clued me in on the plastic surgery scene in the city. Procedures are very cheap and almost everyone does it – even men! I heard Seoul is becoming a haven for plastic surgery (aside from Bangkok) and that a lot of Japanese come just to have it done.

Aesthetics aside, the city has 5 royal palaces, and I was able to visit the major 3. Most of them look similar to each other, and they pale in comparison with the ones in China or Japan. It’s still worth a visit, as these places often have the changing of the guard ceremony which is quite interesting to watch. Admission to each of these places is also very affordable, at US$5 or below. For those who have time to visit only 1 palace, I would recommend either Gyeongbokgung or Changdeokgung. The latter is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and can be visited only with a guided tour (included with ticket price).

Gyeonghoeru Pavilion @ Gyeongbokgung

Deuksugung Palace

Changdeokgung

Seoul is also a haven for shoppers as it offers plenty of bargains. The shopping districts are concentrated around Myeongdong (midprice), Gangnam (high end), Namdaemun and Dongdaemun (low-end to mid-priced). I personally prefer the latter for its multistorey shopping malls such as Migliore and Doota. For a more bohemian vibe, Insadong is the place to be with its art galleries and stores selling all sorts of crafts and knick-knacks. Near its end is Tapgol Park, which houses a 500+ year old pagoda. Frequented by seniors, the park is also the site where the Korean constitution was first read aloud.

Insadong

We stayed at Fraser Place serviced apartments during our time in Seoul. For a much bigger floor space, the price is comparative to hotels in the city. It’s a good area and not far from the city centre. For ultimate convenience however, I would recommend Ibis Myeongdong or some other boutique hotel in the Myeongdong area.

For a megacity, I found Seoul to be mildly charming. Despite being the capital of a relatively developed nation, the city is still very gritty, with frequent traffic jams and occassional smog in the air. Certain districts can also appear too grey or soul-less but this is changing fast. Seoul is often throwing in new surprises so who knows what I’ll find the next time I visit?

changing of the guards

The Demilitarized Zone in Korea

October 8, 2009 by Bino 5 Comments

Getting into North Korea is a tricky affair. Tourists aren’t allowed in except on guided tours where the guide actually follows you around the whole time! It’s also prohibitively expensive given the quality of food and lodging that you get. An alternative is to just go on a tour of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), which is what I did in April. It gives visitors a chance to step into North Korean territory, if only for a few minutes. There wasn’t any dramatic scenery or exotic culture to brag about, but the trip proved to be a surreal experience.

Reunification Park

The only way to book a tour of Panmunjom from South Korea is via accredited travel agencies. We went via Grace Travel and it cost about US$45-50 per person. Basically, the tour took about 6 hours. Transportation, lunch and a guided tour was included for the price. We had to go to the Lotte Hotel in Seoul in the morning where the tour buses departed. In a mad rush, I accidentally lost my glasses on the way. But we still made it in time.

Before going to Panmunjom, we stopped by a few places including the reunification park, plus some small villages near the border. We were also shown the unused rail tracks that led all the way to North Korea. The tour itself was quite somber, with startling reminders of the Korean War and the Cold War. If I’m not mistaken, Korea remains as the only divided nation in the world – a divided nation in the sense that the Korean people are homogenous and share the same language, culture and traditions but they are split into two- and it is hard to imagine that the wealth disparity between the two countries could be any wider.

We stopped for a Korean lunch on the way to the DMZ. As usual, we were fed with an array of appetizers including the famous kimchi. Most people find Korean food to be an acquired taste but I didn’t have any problems with it. In fact, I love their cuisine. I really like their staple barbequed meats and bibimbap. Just thinking of it makes me hungry.

good old Korean food

After lunch, we headed straight to Panmunjom which is the place I was really excited about. Security was tight from the time we went in. A young American soldier stayed with us the whole time inside the bus. He joked around with the group and seemed like a really nice guy. Someone in the group asked him how it was being stationed in the DMZ, and he replied that it was really boring. I’m not suprised!

We arrived at Camp Bonifas inside the DMZ and alighted in order to watch a slide show about the Korean War and a briefing about the protocol inside. We were not allowed to wave to the people in the North Korean side, make unnecessary gestures or bring cameras with large lenses. We were also given a United Nations ID in order to identify us as visitors. The whole thing really looked like a big thing to them, and anything involving North Korea was taken seriously. Of course, it didn’t help that our visit coincided with a missile test conducted by Pyongyang just a few days before so tensions were high.

me inside the conference room

We finally arrived into the blue conference room which is divided into the North and South. It looked like a humble shack with some desks and chairs inside. A South Korean soldier was also standing guard, with a clenched fist and taekwondo pose. We were allowed to roam around the room – so for a few minutes I was technically in North Korea. From the outside, we could see the North Korean soldiers in the building on their side. They were likewise peering at us, probably wondering what sort of amusement tourists get in visiting places like these. We were also shown the North Korean ghost town, where the buildings were set up to look like the North is actually doing well. It even had a very tall flag post and a speaker blared North Korean propaganda at regular intervals. We also stopped by a monument that showed the dozen or so countries that fought in the Korean War. The Philippines was one of them, and it was the only Southeast Asian country that participated aside from Thailand.

the great divide

The tour ended with an obligatory souvenir store stop which to me, ruined the tension-filled atmosphere of the place. They had these North Korean banknotes for sale with the picture of Kim Il Sung, the late president of the communist North. It reminded me that my technical “visit” into that isolated country didn’t really count, and that I might come back to take another tour of the DMZ next time, perhaps from the North side. I know I will.

South Korean soldiers

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