Let’s Visit Asia

b5media has decided to retire this blog and it is with a heavy heart that I write this last entry for Let’s Visit Asia. After three years (yes, LVA is one of the oldest blogs in the network, older than even b5media itself!), this blog has accumulated lots of information and tips about traveling in Asia and I hope that LVA’s archives will continue to be a source of valuable information for you.

I have thoroughly enjoyed writing for Let’s Visit Asia and and getting to know many fellow travelers along the way. I hope that doesn’t end with LVA’s retirement: if you find yourself in my part of the globe some time in the future, do drop me a note and perhaps we can catch up offline!

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Out of a gazillion travel videos in YouTube, there’s not a lot that’s fun to watch. Here’s one that’s looks professionally edited, featuring the best of Melaka, Malaysia in just about 6 minutes:

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Japanese cuisine is more than just sushi and sashimi. If you’re headed to Tokyo anytime soon and fancy a degustation of local flavors, check out this ABC article for some ideas on what to expect.

Once the menu is presented, the strange and often thrilling journey outside the comfort zone begins. Though Japanese cuisine is based on the familiar — rice, noodles, soups, tofu, fish, livestock — it also appears to embrace most of the other creatures that inhabit the region, with the exception of Hello Kitty. About 450 types of seafood are sold at the city’s Tsukiji fish market, the …read more

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If you check the website of the Thailand-based budget airline One-Two-Go, this is the message that will greet you:
Dear Valued Passengers
We would like to inform you that during 22 July 2008 – 15 September 2008 we are operating a reduced schedule.
We apologize for any inconvenience to your travel plan and thank you for your kind understanding.
One-Two-Go Airlines.
The reports that are circulating, however, say something different. According to Bangkok Post, the 56-day grounding is due to “mounting cost pressures spurred by ballooning oil prices, fierce competition from rival airlines, falling domestic passenger demand and the poor business outlook”. Bloomberg confirms that …read more

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I was surfing around for cheap airfare deals for November and noticed that I’m still able to see the kind of airfares I was seeing a few months ago. I thought this a bit strange, considering the skyrocketing fuel prices of late. It was when I got to the page indicating the total amount I need to pay that my jaw dropped: the tax and fuel surcharge fees cost more than the seat itself!
Now I understand how airlines can advertise that they haven’t increased airfares, and in fact are still offering discounted fares. As usual, the trick is in the …read more

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Much as I love food and trying out new tastes, I must admit I am quite wary of trying out dishes that are totally unfamiliar to me. I can’t count the number of times I’ve ordered (more like pointed out to) something on the menu, imagining how it tastes like, and ending up quite frustrated cause it was nothing like what I expected. I’ve had so many bloopers of blindly ordering something I don’t know, and I just end up wasting money and sometimes disappointing the cook or wait staff.
If you’re headed to Korea, make sure you read Matt’s experience …read more

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Singaporean cuisine, being a fusion of Indian, Malay and Chinese cooking, is possibly the most diverse in flavors among Asian cuisines. If you’re in the island over the weekend, it’s the perfect time to sample local cuisine as the Singapore Food Festival comes to a close.

Here are the Top 10 Must-Try Dishes:
1. Chili Crab
2. Rojak
3. Hainanese Chicken Rice
4. Bak Kut Teh
5. Satay
6. Char Kway Teow
7. Fried Carrot Cake (no, there’s no carrots in there at all)
8. Fish Head Curry
9. Roti Prata
10. Laksa
For tourists, just present your passport to any of the Singapore Visitors’ Centres (located at the airport, Orchard Road, …read more

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A festival also held in Napa and Tuscany, this premier arts and lifestyle festival will also be held in Singapore for the second time.
From 17 – 26 October 2008, embark on an exciting journey to celebrate the Art of Living Well through over 90 premium lifestyle and arts events encompassing Music, Visual Arts, Literature, Film, Wine, Cuisine and Wellness. Join over 250 artists, musicians, chefs, writers and celebrities at various beautiful locations along the Singapore River and Marina Bay throughout the 10 days.
Check out the calendar of events and ticketing details from their official website. If you book until end …read more

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There are a gazillion of travel websites out there for various destinations and all types of travelers, but being a mom of two little travelers, I’m glad to have stumbled into the Little Jet Set, an online shop for toys, gadgets, clothing and other gear for little jetsetters. According to their founders:
Based on our own travel experiences and extensive research, we are certain that the items we offer are the best in each of their respective categories. We spend considerable time carefully selecting thoughtfully designed and well constructed products that appeal to various ages and interests and that respond …read more

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A friend of mine emailed some illustrations of the future casino currently under construction in Sentosa Island in Singapore, set to open early in 2010. I can’t post them here as I can’t trace the origins and provide credit, but they are basically the same as those featured in the headers of the Resorts World Sentosa website.
I am awed at those illustrations, not just with the sheer expanse and attractions planned, but mainly because it’s blows my mind that something so extraordinary and sophisticated can rise from a site that currently looks like this:

This photo is from my personal collection, …read more

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