Let’s Visit Asia

From an update from INQ7:
NORTHWEST Airlines has canceled Flights 19 (Narita to Manila) and 71 (Nagoya to Manila) arriving Thursday night, as well as Flights 20 (Manila to Narita) and 72 (Manila to Nagoya) departing Friday, December 1, in preparation for Typhoon “Reming” (international codename: Durian), an official of the airline company said.
For more information and other inquiries, contact Northwest at 841-8800 or your travel agency.
In another report, Manila officials say they might have to divert other incoming flights to Hong Kong. If you’re headed to Manila in the next few days, contact your airlines or your travel agent to …read more

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Travelling in and out of Asia Pacific countries on business? If you don’t have the APEC Business Travel Card yet, go apply for one, or have your company process one for you.
What are the benefits of this card?

Fast-track entry and exit through special APEC lanes at major airports, and multiple short term entry to these economies for a minimum of 59 days stay each visit (click here for details).
No need to individually apply for visas or entry permits each time you travel to any of the participating APEC economies as the card is your visa.
Cards are valid for three …read more

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The falling temperatures as winter approaches set the right mood for Taipei’s annual hot spring festival. What’s in store for this half-year long celebration? In October, the festival started with the Beitou hot spring season and this month, there’s the Taipei Flower Show. Next month, in December, there will be the Shilin Official Residence Chrysanthemum Exhibition.
Next year, the Yangmingshan Flower Season will run from February to March, and the festival conlcudes with the Zhuzihu Calla Lily Season from March to April.
Here’s more:
The “Springs” portion of the festival will highlight two major events under the theme “A Feast …read more

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Another submission at Gridskipper’s $100 a Day challenge was Patrick McCoy’s $100 in Tokyo (the other on Asia was $100 A Day in Hong Kong). Japan is quite an expensive country, so it’s rather a feat to have been able to squeeze in so much in a hundred-dollar budget. Among Patrick’s destination suggestions:

fish auctions at the Tsukiji Market
a bit of downtime at the Meiji Shrine
a peek at the Yoyogi National Gymnasium
Omotesando dori (window shopping is free )
a coffee at the Kurage
dinner at Ootoya
some drinks and clubbing at Buri and Unit

More details about these and how to fit …read more

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Where will you be spending the holidays this year? The Hong Kong Tourism Board has prepared the Hong Kong Winterfest, and has transformed the Statue Square in Central into an enchanting Santa’s Town (I suppose this is an equivalent of the Christmas Markets in some cities in Europe).
Centre stage goes to a huge Dazzling Christmas Tree that acts as a beacon to draw happy revellers from all over town to join in the festivities and fun. At the Snowy Chapel a series of festive live performances on weekend and public holiday evenings are sure to put you in a Christmas …read more

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Last call on the poll!!!
If you want your vote counted, click on your answer right there on the middle column. I’ll close the poll by the end of the month and post the tally of the answers short after. C’mon, we’re just one vote shy of 20, so go ahead and let’s round it up!

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I just came across South Korea Hotels, a blog on– you guessed it– hotels and travel tips about South Korea. It seems to be just a collection of travel articles that have been previously published elsewhere, but at least, if you’re travelling in the region, the blog may be a helpful resource for you. For off line reading, check out Moon Handbooks South Korea (Moon Handbooks’ South Korea), which has received generally good reviews from Amazon customers. One reviewer says it’s even better than Lonely Planet Korea.

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Of course you can learn English anywhere in the world, but a better way would be to go there where you’ll be “forced” to speak English, and would be able to practice the language daily. In Asia, the Philippines is the ideal destination for this, and in fact has been attracting a lot of students from neighboring Asian countries, particularly Koreans, just for this purpose.
“Koreans prefer the Philippines mainly because of its proximity and relatively affordable cost of education. Parents or families can even visit their children while they are in the Philippines studying.”
If you want to combine your English …read more

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In cities where it’s almost normal to see the air you breathe, al fresco dining may be disastrous to your health. At least in Bangkok, you may have an option: to go waaay up there where smog can’t reach you. The Sirocco atop the State Tower happens to sit on top of Bangkok’s second tallest building.

Jutting into the city skyline like the deck of a flying ship, Sirocco was its own sparkling vista of soft light and clean lines, capped by the entrancing glow of the Sky Bar.
How does it feel to be up there, sipping a cocktail while …read more

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Beginning 2013, Russia will cease charging airlines for using its airspace en route to-and-from Asia.
It called the decision a major step in improving the competitive position of European airlines keen to tap into growing Asian markets, and one that removed a key hurdle to Moscow’s membership in the World Trade Organization. Finnair, with an annual growth of 30 percent on Asian routes, said it would be one of the main beneficiaries of the decision.
Hooray! Let’s hope this translates to a substantial reduction in airfares. At the very least, this could help prevent mishaps like what happened during Oasis Hong Kong …read more

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