What Women Want
February 27th, 2007
Yes, accommodations in Asia can be very cheap. Have a look what digs this guy got for 150-baht (about US$5) in Trat, Thailand:
via: Flyaway Weblog
Technorati Tags: air travel, airlines, Asia, asia travel, backpacking, budget hotel, budget travel, Thailand, Trat
February 26th, 2007
The Informed Traveler has the scoop on two new luxury hotels to open on the island of Koh Samui, Thailand: the W Retreat and Residences-Koh Samui and Conrad Koh Samui Resort and Spa, both scheduled to open late next year.
Definitely something for the upscale travelers to look forward to. If your purchasing power is wihtin this category, you might even be interested to know that there will also be about 20 luxury residential villas at the W Retreat & Residences–Koh Samui that will be available for purchase.
Technorati Tags: Asia, asia destinations, asia holiday, asia hotels, asia resorts, asia travel, asia vacation, hotels, Koh Samui, luxury hotels, luxury travel, Resorts, Thailand
February 26th, 2007
Forget luxury wellness resorts. If it’s meditation and soul-searching you’re after, how would you like to try staying in a Buddhist Temple instead?
Temple Stay Korea allows tourists to have a sampling to life in a Buddhist temple and learn, experience and appreciate Korean culture and the lifestyle of Buddhist monks. Organized by the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism’s Templestay Division, the program promises visitors “a magnificent chance to relax, reflect and revitalize themselves in the tranquility of nature”.
Are you up for it?
I got my first hint of this austere lifestyle when I arrived and was greeted by Cho Hyemun-aery, who introduced herself in fluent English. In the guesthouse, she showed me the communal bathroom and the small room my friend and I would stay in, which was unfurnished except for sleeping pads, blankets and small pillows. Then, Cho handed us our clothes for the weekend: two identical extra-large sets of baggy gray pants and vests, along with sun hats and blue plastic slippers.
But that’s just the beginning. Go and read the Catherine Price’s travelogue, detailing her stay at a meditation center on Ganghwa Island.
Technorati Tags: Asia, asia destinations, asia holiday, asia travel, asia vacation, Buddhism, Korea, monks, Temple Stay, Templestay
February 25th, 2007
To those of you who failed to catch MV Doulous in Cebu, well, you’ve still got the chance to see the largest floating book fair in the world aboard the world’s oldest ocean-going passenger ship recorded in the Guinness Book of Records.
Doulos visits port cities throughout the world, supplying vital literature resources, encouraging inter-cultural understanding, training young people for more effective life and service, promoting greater global awareness, providing practical aid and sharing a message of hope in God wherever there is opportunity.
MV Doulos will be docked at its fourth port of call, the Batangas City Pier, north side of the General Cargo Berth until March 6. Following the Philippines, MV Doulous will dock in various ports in Taiwan, Japan, Korea and Hong Kong (see schedule).
Technorati Tags: Asia, asia destinations, asia holiday, asia travel, asia vacation, Batangas, book fair, Doulos, Guinness, MV Doulos, philippines
February 24th, 2007
There’s a new Four Seasons hotel to open in Mumbai in a few months (slated to open mid-2007). Mumbai, formerly called Bombay, is more popularly known for being the epicentre of the world’s most electric entertainment scene: Bollywood.
Consistent with the image of luxury this hotel chain is famed for, Four Seasons Hotel Mumbai is centrally located in the central in the Worli district, 20 kilometres (12 miles) from the airport.
Spacious accommodations, many with views of the Arabian Sea, offer unrivalled comforts and modern amenities. In convenient proximity to Mumbai’s movie industry and financial quarter, the Hotel’s destination spa, poolside recreation, see-and-be-seen dining and superior business facilities welcome the world to India.
Click here for a sneak preview.
Technorati Tags: Asia, asia destinations, asia holiday, asia travel, asia vacation, Bombay, Four Seasons, india, luxury hotel, luxury travel, Mumbai
February 23rd, 2007
How would you define traveling in luxury and style? How would you like to be pampered like this during your flight?
On the mahogany wood table in front of him, a recently released Hollywood movie was playing on a sleek 23-inch LCD monitor. His luggage was stored under the seat’s ottoman.
Later, Smith changed into a special “sleep suit” designed by fashion house Givenchy as a flight attendant in her sarong kebaya uniform turned down his big leather chair for sleeping. Bedding also by Givenchy.
How much? A first-class, round-trip ticket from San Francisco to Singapore was just a little more than $10,000. More info from Singapore Airlines. You may also want to see more pics of the the debut of the airline’s 777-300ER service between Singapore and North America last month.
Technorati Tags: air travel, airlines, Asia, asia travel, Boeing, Boeing 777 300ER, first class, luxury travel, San Francisco, Singapore, Singapore Airlines
February 22nd, 2007
Woohoo! Let’s Visit Asia made it to the finals of the 2007 Travvies Travel Blog Awards! I am just so tickled and honored, considering who the judges were.
Now it’s up to you, readers, to cast your votes. This blog is up among 4 other well-deserving blogs (Europe String, JohnnyJet, Newyorkology and Yucatan Living). I really wouldn’t mind losing, particularly to Melissa of Europe String whose blog is also housed by b5media.
Well, ’nuff said! If you think this blog’s worth the award for the BEST DESTINATION BLOG, cast your votes here! I’d really appreciate the click right beside Let’s Visit Asia on category 2!
Voting runs until February 28.
Technorati Tags: Asia, asia destinations, asia holiday, asia travel, asia vacation, Travel blog awards, travel blogs, travvies
February 20th, 2007
How would you like to win a $20,000 dream trip to anywhere on earth?
Join Conde Nast’s Traveler Dream Trip 20th Anniversary Contest. All you have to do is upload a memorable travel moment—a photograph you took on your travels and a brief explanation of what you’re sharing—to their online contest gallery. I already see an entry showing some delicate umbrellas in China, and a young diver in Indonesia.
Got a nice pic from one of your more recent travels, in Asia, perhaps? Follow the step-by-step instructions to enter the contest. The more photos you upload, the more chances you can win. Contest runs until April 23.
Now go get a-clickin’!
Technorati Tags: Asia, asia destinations, asia holiday, asia travel, asia vacation, Conde Nast, photography, photography contests
February 19th, 2007
Phnom Pehn, Cambodia finds its way to the International Herald Tribune’s travel section recently, with author Stuart Emmrich describing the city as full of contrasts, a mix of old and new, traditional yet nearly
cosmopolitan.
At this moment, Phnom Penh, the Cambodian capital, seems frozen in time, as the scene in front of you plays out much the way it must have 70 or 80 years ago, when Cambodia was part of French-controlled Indochina and the city was known as the Pearl of Asia. But then you notice the bank of ATMs in the nearby storefronts, the Internet cafés crammed with fashionably dressed teenagers checking their e- mail, the sleek air-conditioned bars with names like Metro and Heart of Darkness. And all around you, you hear the polyglot of languages — English, French, Korean, Spanish, Chinese — that are a testament to this city’s reappearance on the global tourism map.
In fact, after a few days , you notice that Phnom Penh has something of a “next Prague” vibe about it — a place where many young people from around the world, heady with excitement and the thrill of the unknown, are coming to reinvent themselves. At least that is what it feels like as you run into groups of Americans hanging out in one of the cramped nightclubs along Sisowath Quay, or vie with Australian expatriates for a table during the crowded two-for-one happy hour at the Elephant Bar in the Raffles Hotel, or scan page after newspaper page of job listings in the English-language Cambodia Daily.
Curiosity awakened? Have a look at this Phnom Pehn travel guide for ideas on where to stay, where to eat, what to do and when to go.
Technorati Tags: Asia, asia destinations, asia holiday, asia travel, asia vacation, Cambodia, Phnom Pehn
February 19th, 2007
Here on my part of the sky, we’re in the thick of Carneval season. But that’s not the carnival I’,m talking about. I’m on to a blog carnival, where bloggers submit their entries around a particular theme. Let’s Visit Asia joins the first Carnival of Cities and among the many, here are two other entries showcasing travel tidbits in Asian cities:
Enjoy the rest of the entries on the maiden issue of the Carnival of Cities around the world, hosted this week at Home Turf Media.
Technorati Tags: Asia, asia holiday, asia travel, asia vacation, blog carnival, Carnival of Cities, China, destinations in India, india, Kerala, Nanning, pagoda, travel blogs
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