Let’s Visit Asia

TigerAirways is celebrating its second anniversary and is offering flights from Singapore to Thailand (or reverse) for just S$2 (that’s just a bit more than one US dollar!). That’s for travel within the month of September, and you’ll have to act fast if you want to get these 2-dollar-tickets because the promo runs only til Aug 6, 2006, or until the 10,000 seats on sale are all taken.
Here are the destinations in Thailand where TigerAirways fly to:

Bangkok
ChiangMai
Hat Yai
Krabi
Phuket

Note, of course, that you’ll have to add service and taxes on top of the promo price. Check for availability here.

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Aside from not having meals served and limited services for passengers requiring special assistance, budget airlines also offer less baggage allowance. Usually these low-cost airlines only allow one checked-in luggage not exceeding 15 kilograms, and a hand-carried baggage not exceeding 7 kilos. For every kilogram in excess, one has to pay a hefty fee.
Good news for those taking TigerAirways! For an additional S$15 (about US$10), you can avail of the option to upsize your baggage allowance to 20 kg. That’s a big discount, compared to paying S$7.50 per kilo in excess of 15 kg, if you don’t get the …read more

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Hong Kong Disneyland is offering three new futuristic attractions this summer. Here’s the teaser from the hongkong Disneyland website:
Autopia:

Stitch Encounter:

and the UFO Zone:

Click here to find out what’s in store for you. You can even watch a video for a sneak preview. And best of all, if you avail of the Summer Pass, you can enjoy all these all summer long!
[Photos: Hong Kong Disneyland]

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Off to try your luck at the Macau casinos? Bring the kids along! To Macau, I mean, not to the casinos!
If you book yourselves at the Mandarin Oriental, you can get them involved in the summer fun games organized by the hotel. Or, if there are enough kids participating (kids from your gambling colleagues, perhaps?), they can all go on a horse-riding tour, or engage in pool water fun games.
Heck you can join in on the fun, too. Afterall, the casinos don’t open til late in the evening!
See Mandarin Oriental’s website to see what awaits you and your kids.

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Assuming you have enough mileage on your Mileage Plus® frequent flyer account, you can now avail of an upgrade on United Airlines on your next trip to Asia.
Upgrades are permitted for one class of travel, either from Economy Class to Business Class or from Business Class to First Class*. Additionally, on United flights offering First and Economy Class only, upgrades from Economy to First are possible.
Other Asian Airlines offering such upgrades are:

Asiana Airlines (Asiana Club)
Singapore Airlines (KrisFlyer)
and Thai Airlines(Royal Orchid Club)

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Muslim visitors especially those from the Middle East, will be glad to know that the Singapore Toursim Board has just released a “Muslim Visitor’s Guide”, featuring annual events, cultural districts of Singapore, major shopping areas and vital visitor advice written specifically for Muslim tourists. And of course, where to find Halal food!
Copies of the new guide are available directly from Singapore Tourism Board, or try the arabic version of the Uniquely Singapore website.

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When I visited Singapore, one of the things that struck me was how different religions were able to co-exist, apparently without any conflict. It was so inspiring to see people of various heritage and religious leaning being able to respect and live peacefully amongst each other. No matter what belief you belong to, you’ll never find it difficult to locate a place of worship that’ll suit you.
One evidence to such inter-cultural/inter-religious mix is the Sri Mariamman Temple, Singapore’s oldest Hindu temple, located right in the heart of… no, not Little India, but in Chinatown!
Incidentally, I can recommend Insight City …read more

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They say jetlag is worse when you head east. So if you come from the US or from Europe, you should expect the worst of jetlag to hit you upon arrival in Asia. Not true for all, of course. I, for one, feel the opposite. I feel worse when I get back to Europe, but I suspect a good fraction of the reason lies on psychoemotional issues (also read homesickness).
But if you are one of those who feel the brunt of jetlag when going eastwards, here’s a something that might work: a massage on arrival. It might coax you …read more

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I would have thought that war would be a deterrent to tourism. Afterall, who would want to be caught up in the middle of the gunfire? But it seems that the ongoing all-out Israel-Lebanon war is actually the very reason some Americans are heading there.
Stuart Katz, a managing director for Israir Airlines, which flies between New York and Tel Aviv, cancelled his trip to Hawaii next weekend because he’s going to Israel instead.
“One of the motivating factors for us to go is to stand with the people of Israel in Israel,” Katz said.
Israir has slashed fares to entice Americans to …read more

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While budget airlines can save you a lot of $$$, not everyone seems to be happy with the service. That there are no meals served and that there limited (or virtually no) services for the disabled and those needing extra attention, is acceptable. But overly delayed flights? Here’s an account from someone quite annoyed with AirAsia to say the least, and with reason:
The 4:10 p.m. Saturday, July 1, flight, which my daughter’s friend was supposed to be on didn’t leave until past 9 p.m. Two other friends with tickets for the afternoon flight on Sunday, July 2, were similarly delayed. …read more

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