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 …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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This week, the World Heritage Committee added 19 cultural sites and eight natural sites to the UNESCO’s World Heritage List. Among these additions were some sites from Cambodia and Malaysia.
Melaka and George Town, historic cities of the Straits of Malacca (Malaysia)
Melaka and George Town, historic cities of the Straits of Malacca (Malaysia) have developed over 500 years of trading and cultural exchanges between East and West in the Straits of Malacca. The influences of Asia and Europe have endowed the towns with a specific multicultural heritage that is both tangible and intangible. With its government buildings, churches, squares and fortifications, …read more

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If it’s true that there are hordes of tourists headed for the Philippines this summer, I hope that the country will indeed recover from the aftermath of typhoon Frank real quick. Last weekend, the typhoon ravaged the islands, particularly Central Visayas, just where most of the country’s best beaches are.
Boracay, perhaps the most popular beach destination in the Philippines, belongs to one of the hardest-hit areas, but is said to be slowly getting back to normal operations. In fact, perhaps fearing the loss of revenues, tourism officials claim that Boracay is ready to welcome guests again.
I’m skeptic. Does nature really …read more

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Image used with permission from JetCombo
I received an email reporting that JetCombo, an online airline booking services specializing in chartered flights, has just released its list of the top 10 international summer destinations, based on itineraries booked through the website for leisure airline travel. Here’s where most are off to this summer:
1. France
2. United Kingdom
3. Germany
4. Italy
5. Israel
6. China
7. South Korea
8. Greece
9. Poland
10. United States
China make sense, what with the hordes headed for the Olympic games. But South Korea? I would never have guessed. One more interesting tidbit: Guess which destination is at position #11? The Philippines!
I would have …read more

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Thai Airways has announced that, effective June 25, 2008, it will be increasing its fuel surcharge on international and domestic flights, due to the increase in jet fuel costs. The adjustment on international flights will depend on the route and will range from US$60 (for short flights from Bangkok to Vietnam and Laos, for example) to US$281 (for long-haul flights from Bangkok to New York or Los Angeles).
For domestic flights, they will collect a fuel surcharge rate of THB 850, except the Chiang Mai-Mae Hong Son route where THB 600 will be collected.
In addition, the airline will suspend its …read more

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As of writing, the current live ranking of the nominees to become a New 7 Wonders of Nature indicate that the top 7 places are all to be found in Asia!

Ha Long Bay – Vietnam
Tubbataha Reef – Philippines
Chocolate Hills – Philippines
Cox’s Bazar Beach- Bangladesh
Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park – Philippines
Ganges River – Bangladesh/India
Mount Everest – Nepal

Have you been to any one of them yet?

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Yowza, budget airline Tiger Airways is now charging extra fees for checked in luggages!
I’ve been watching similar developments in US-based airlines the last several weeks and was hoping the trend wouldn’t reach this part of the sky. Ugh, wishful thinking. Tiger has followed the lead of Air Asia on charging fees for checked in baggages.
Which airline next?

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Starting July 2008, Jetstar Asia will be offering daily flights between Singapore and Phnom Penh in Cambodia, either with four non-stop flights weekly or via Siem Reap thrice weekly on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays.
That means you can now fly from Singapore to Siem Reap, stop there for a few days, dive and take a peek into Cambodia’s past (and see where Angelina Jolie’s Tomb Raider was filmed). Then you have the option of either heading back, or flying further to Phnom Penh for more gallivanting.
This makes booking your flight to see more of Southeast Asia just a few clicks easier!

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My mother in law and her sister will be flying over from Europe next month and are planning to spend a week here in Singapore with us and another week in Shanghai. But given the recent earthquake and the tightened visa policies in view of the coming Olympic Games, I’m not sure they’re going to push through with their plans. And if they don’t go this time, their China exploration might have to be shelved for a longer while.
China officials are insisting that China “will continue to be open to the world” and “welcome foreigners to come to China to …read more

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