photography

Taking the Slow Lane in Chiang Mai

March 17, 2013 by Bino 8 Comments

I won’t beat around the bush — Chiang Mai has got to be one of the best cities to live in Southeast Asia. In a region where cities are known for chaos, endless traffic jams, overpopulation and crushing poverty, Chiang Mai offers a nice change with its affordable laid-back lifestyle, cultural inclinations as well as variety of things to see and do, all within an infrastructure framework that is developed and most importantly, convenient for city living. I went to the city for a short visit and was definitely impressed with what it had to offer. My only regret was why I had not visited earlier.

wat phra singh in chiang mai

Chiang Mai is Thailand’s second largest metropolis but the contrast from Bangkok could not be any greater. At first glance, it has all the trappings of a large modern city – shopping malls, an international airport, high-rises and luxury hotels dot the urban landscape. But what really sealed the deal for me is the city’s laid back attitude. Even the tuk-tuk drivers here never once attempted to overcharge me. There’s a certain calmness that doesn’t take long to infect city-folk like myself, and in no time I was swaying to the unhurried rhythms of this northern town.

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Sampling Southeast Asian Cuisine at Delicious

March 11, 2013 by Bino Leave a Comment

Tucked away in the relatively new and upscale Scotts Square, just off Orchard Road, is an exciting, recently-opened dining option called Delicious. It offers a smorgasbord of dishes, taking its customers away on a culinary exploration of mainly Southeast Asian inspired dishes. Recently, I was fortunate to be invited to sample their offerings.

And it was a treat! The occasion was graced by Steve Allen, the very friendly Creative Chef who flew from Kuala Lumpur to join us as well as the bubbly Jasmina, from Eastern and Oriental Group (Delicious’ parent company). The culinary expedition began shortly thereafter, with Delicious’ signature Watermelon and Lychee Blast (my personal favorite!) as my drink, as well as the myriad of Southeast Asian dishes that lay before us.

Truth be told, there is no one specific cuisine that can accurately describe the offerings at Delicious. Its menu is evenly split between local dishes as well international favorites such as hamburgers, sandwiches, steaks and the like. For the occasion of our food tasting, majority of the dishes presented were Malay favorites.

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Exploring the Majestic Ruins of Sukhothai Historical Park in Thailand

March 3, 2013 by Bino 6 Comments

When I told my friends that I was visiting Sukhothai Historical Park, an ancient city located in Northern Thailand during a short holiday, many had asked exactly what there was to see. To most, the idea of exploring ancient ruins in Southeast Asia has probably become synonymous to a visit to Angkor and only Angkor. Even other deserving places such as Bagan and Borobudur become relegated to an afterthought. But Sukhothai was stretching it – barely anyone recognized it.

water lilies in sukhothai

It was precisely for this reason that I could not find any references for the place. I wondered whether it was still worth visiting. The few photos that I found online piqued my interest. That more or less sealed the deal. During a trip to Chiang Mai and armed with no expectations, I went for an overnight stop in Sukhothai Historical Park.

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Days Hotel at Zhongshan Park Singapore: A Review

February 17, 2013 by Bino Leave a Comment

Singapore has been breaking records as of late in the tourism sector. Month after month, there’s been record numbers of tourists and record number of arrivals in Changi Airport. It’s no wonder that a respectable room in an international chain hotel these days costs at least SGD 200. Even 3-star hotels here are known to almost touch the SGD 200 mark. As such, it really is a breath of fresh hair that new entrant, Days Hotel at Zhongshan Park, of the Days brand which is well-known for great value lodgings in the US and in selected international markets, has given the local hotel scene a bit of pricing disruption with its competitive SGD 128++ rates. Currently, Days Hotel at Zhongshan Park has the CHEAPEST room rates among international chain hotels in town.

the unmistakable logo

A few weeks ago, I was given the opportunity to try out the “product” through a weekend stay in the said property. The hotel itself has not been opened long — it’s been operational for hardly 2 months. It sits along the well-known Balestier Road, on a piece of land that has been redeveloped with a park as well as a neighboring 4-star hotel that’s due to open later this year.

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Ilocos Adventure Pt3: Stepping Back in Time in Vigan

February 6, 2013 by Bino 3 Comments

If there ever was a much awaited leg in my trip, this had to be it. For the longest time, I had wanted to visit Vigan – the Philippines’ own UNESCO World Heritage town. Vigan was a name that had captured my imagination. Like a town jumping out from the pages of a history book, Vigan is said to be the best example of a Spanish colonial town in Asia and I wanted to see for myself whether this is really the case. For some odd reason, I had my first exposure with these UNESCO World Heritage towns overseas, namely with Penang and Malacca in Malaysia and then with Luangprabang in Laos. Vigan was a destination that I had kept waiting for far too long.

From Laoag, we had set out early in the morning for Vigan, again stopping by some interesting sights along the way. But before heading south, we detoured east-ward towards Sarrat, which today is more known to be Ferdinand Marcos’ birthplace. The major landmark here is of course, the house where our ex-President was born. Though looking humble by today’s standards, it is certainly well-preserved. Parts of it were redone in brick while the second storey still retained the typical turn of the 20th century Filipino-style wooden panels. Admission here was free and we were treated to actual paraphernalia used by the former president as well as a peek into the actual room where he was born.

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Ilocos Adventure Pt2: From Laoag to Pagudpud

January 31, 2013 by Bino Leave a Comment

The second leg of my Ilocos trip took me from Laoag up to the the northernmost tip of the island of Luzon, stopping by the many interesting places in between. I had a different mindset about this leg. There is a strange and indescribable curiosity that one gets when going to a land’s end, as if one expects to find a pot of gold or the landscape dramatically changing. But I digress.

In all honesty, the entire landscape of Ilocos is quite different from what I am used to in Manila. There is a certain dryness in the land that accommodates what is probably the largest patch of “desert” in the Philippines, endless tobacco plantations as well as plenty of sun baked grass fields. This has translated to a landscape that is slightly different from the rest of the island and for this second leg of my Ilocos trip, I was able to visit some of these “quirks.”

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Ilocos Adventure Pt1: Laoag & Surrounds

January 20, 2013 by Bino 7 Comments

One of the places I’d always wanted to visit in the Philippines was the Ilocos Region. Impressive churches, colonial towns, the legacy of what is undoubtedly the country’s most “famous” president and the hometown of many national heroes; it has what is probably the most concentrated number of heritage architecture in the country. Over the Christmas holidays, I had the opportunity to have a change of pace for this journey up north.

A popular way to get here from Manila is by car, where it can take up to 11 hours drive. I chose to go by air instead – cutting the travel time by more than 90%. I landed in Laoag, the main air gateway into the Ilocos Region on a fiery hot December afternoon. Laoag International Airport is designated as such due to charter flights that land here from time to time. In fact, Laoag is almost equally as near to Taiwan than it is to Manila so it is no surprise that a lot of tourists from the neighbor up north come here for the weekends.

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Ritz Carlton Millenia Singapore Staycation – A Review

January 17, 2013 by Bino 7 Comments

There are certain brands that are so powerful that the mere mention of its name requires no further explanation. I suppose that when it comes to the Ritz Carlton brand, most people come in with a certain impression, a certain expectation of what this brand represents. For many, the Ritz Carlton is considered to be at the apex of hotel chain brands, one that is timeless, synonymous to luxury, and providing impeccable service. Recently, I was fortunate enough to be invited by Ritz Carlton Millenia Singapore for a weekend staycation dubbed as “Time to Getaway.” I was of course very delighted to be able to stay in this hotel, and like many, I also had my own impressions about the brand which did not deviate from the perception of the general public.

Given that this brand is so easily recognizable, I decided to do something different during my stay. I decided to start from a clean slate, without any preconception of utter plushness or the thought of having hotel staff at my beck and call. I wanted to base my overall experience from scratch.

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