Asia

Guide to Kuala Lumpur

June 27, 2019 By admin Leave a Comment

Kuala Lumpur

Kuala Lumpur is the capital city of Malaysia and the city centre should be your starting point for exploring this city.

Towering above the city centre, you will easily spot the famous Twin Towers or Petronas Towers, as they are also known.

Petronas Towers

One of the towers is fully occupied by the oil company Petronas, hence the name – Petronas Towers. The towers are located next to the stunning KLCC Park in Kuala Lumpur city centre, which is a green space devoted to gardens, trees, lakes and fountains. KLCC stands for Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre. Each of the two towers are 88 storeys high, measure 452 metres above street level and from 1998 until 2004, were the tallest buildings in the world. Linking the two towers on the 41st and 42nd floors is the Sky Bridge weighing 750 tons.

Pavilion Shopping Centre Kuala Lumpur — The Pavilion Shopping Centre Main Entrance

Travelling around Kuala Lumpur

Travelling to the Petronas Towers is assisted by the Bukit Bintang pedestrian walkway, which is a neat corridor elevated above the roads and paid for by Petronas – it saves crossing roads and give a more direct route to the Towers from the Pavilion Shopping Centre, which is also a major shopping and tourist attraction. There are several other access points to the pedestrian walkway along the route, which is almost 1.2 km long. The walkway provides access points to the Suria KLCC shopping mall located nearby the park and towers, The Pavilion shopping centre and to the KTM and monorail railway network.

To travel to the city centre, take the KTM Port Klang Line or MRT Kajang Line to Bukit Bintang and then take the pedestrian walkway from the Pavilion shopping centre to the KLCC park and from there you can amble through the park to the Petronas Towers.

Useful links

If you are a nature lover or photographer, you can visit the Perdana Botanical Gardens, which are 4km away

Batu Caves Selangor

Kuala Lumpur Bird Park

Where to stay in Kuala Lumpur

Kuala Lumpur Nightlife

Macau – A Quick Guide

April 29, 2019 By admin Leave a Comment

Macao

Another day trip that you can make whilst in Hong Kong is Macau, also known as the “Las Vegas of Asia”. Macau is on mainland China and was a Portuguese colony until 1999.

To properly see Macau, you will need three of four days because there is a lot to take in – from modern Casinos to historic Portuguese architecture, but you may also visit just for the day.

To travel to Macau, take the MTR to Sheung Wan MTR station and then take a ferry from the port to Macao, which takes about an hour.

When you arrive in Macau, you will most likely be approached by lots of tour guides trying to sell you their tours of the city, which you may like to do. Alternatively, walk out of the port and you will see a collection of shuttle bus terminals. You can take a free shuttle bus to many of Macau’s hotels or Casino from here. If you are just in Macau for the day, you may want to visit the Casinos, which are open 24/7 or surrounding area. Here you will find a new development of shopping malls, hotels, restaurants and even a replica of the Eiffel Tower!

Macau Centre

In the centre of Macau, you will find both Chinese and Portuguese historic architecture and even the road signs are still given in both languages. In some areas, you will be forgiven for thinking you are in the centre of Lisbon, as the architecture is predominantly Portuguese. Even the pavements in some areas have the classic Portuguese wave patterns that you will find in Brazil and throughout the cities and towns of Portugal.

If you are feeling adventurous and are wanting an adrenaline rush, head to the AJ Hackett Macau Tower Bungee Jump, which holds the world record for highest commercial bungee jump at 233m / 764 ft. Jumps may also be made at night for that extra special adrenaline fix! There is also a 360 degree revolving restaurant at the top of the tower offering stunning views over Macau.

Useful links

A guide to Hong Kong

Where to stay in Hong Kong

A Quick Guide To Boracay, Philippines

April 27, 2019 By admin Leave a Comment

Boracay, Philippines

Boracay is a small island, measuring roughly 7 km x 1 km and is located just off the coast of Panay in the Philippines. Although the island is small, it ticks many boxes in terms of natural beauty, nightlife, hotels, restaurants, resorts and climate. Part of the charm of Boracay lies in it’s small size, because you are never far from any of the island’s many attractions, whether that be a beautiful beach to relax, or a place to dance the night away.

Clean up and improvements

The island is currently (2019) undergoing a transformation and clean up, following government intervention in 2018. The main road running along White Beach is being resurfaced, sewers replaced and some buildings are being demolished and others being constructed.

There is a large development of hotels and apartments being constructed on the East side of the island as well called Newcoast, complete with golf course. It will be interesting to see what the impact of this development will be on the island over time.

As previously mentioned in the post ‘How to get to Boracay’, you must have a hotel reservation prior to arriving in Boracay, otherwise you will not be allowed to travel there. Documents to show hotel reservations are being requested at airports and the ferry port, so make sure you bring this proof with you.

In 2018, the island of Boracay was assigned a ‘carrying capacity’ of 55,000, which means that after deducting workers and residents, only 19,000 tourists are currently being allowed onto the island.

Despite all the ongoing construction work, Boracay still maintains it’s magnificence and crown as one of the most beautiful islands in the world.

A lot of the ongoing construction works are improvements to the island’s infrastructure and were long overdue. Previously, some businesses were polluting the sea with sewage, which was having a negative impact on the sea life. Since the clean up, there have been more sightings of whale sharks and turtles again, which can only be a good thing.

Station 1 White Beach Boracay Aklan Philippines — Station 1 White Beach

Stations on White Beach

The main beach in Boracay is called White Beach and is approximately 2 km long. White Beach is divided into three sections – Station 1, Station 2 and Station 3.

Station 1 is a quiet station and has some of the most stunning sections of beach. It is the best of the three stations for a luxurious and relaxing stay.

Station 2 is the busiest of the three stations and here you will find most of the restaurants, bars and nightlife. There is also a shopping area called the D’Mall, where you will find more restaurants and shops. There are some very good food outlets in the D’Mall as well, and you will find Arabic, Mexican, Greek, Chinese, Thai, Filipino, Japanese, Spanish and American restaurants here.

Station 3 is a relaxed, laid back section of White Beach and has the least foot traffic of all three stations. The accommodation is cheaper than Station 1 and the beach here is not as packed as Station 2. You can easily find a quiet spot here on the beach to relax.

Useful links

Boracay Hotels

Travelling to Boracay

Travelling to Boracay Island

April 23, 2019 By admin Leave a Comment

Boracay Island Airports

Boracay Island does not have it’s own international airport, but there are two airports nearby in Caticlan and Kalibo, which are located on the neighbouring island of Panay in the Philippines.

The closest and most convenient airport for Boracay is Caticlan, also known as Godofredo P. Ramos Airport, so don’t panic if you see this stamped on your flight reservation! Caticlan airport only supports domestic flights from the Philippines, so if you have visited other islands then this will be your preferred option.

Caticlan airport is approximately 0.5km from the jetty area, from where you will need to take a boat crossing to Boracay island. The crossing is roughly 1.8 km and only takes 15 – 20 minutes depending on the weather.

Kalibo international airport is approximately 54 km away from the jetty area and will take roughly 2 hours to reach Boracay. Kalibo airport is an international airport, so unlike Caticlan airport, you can take an international flight to and from there. International flights currently served by Kalibo airport are South Korea, Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan.

From 2018, it is mandatory to have a hotel booking prior to arriving in Boracay unless you are a resident and you will have to present your hotel booking at the airports prior to boarding.

Transfers from the airport

It is highly recommended that you book your transfers from the airport to your hotel before you travel, however you can book them at the airports. Let’s face it, none of us like to queue up for tickets, so booking prior to travelling will speed up your onward journey.

The two main transfer companies operating in Boracay, are South West Tours and Island Star Express – both have years of experience under their belts, so should provide an efficient service.

I have used Island Star Express several times and have been impressed with them.

To find the cheapest flights I recommend SkyScanner

Useful links

A guide to Boracay Hotels

A Quick Guide To Boracay

Which Boat Tours El Nido, Palawan?

April 22, 2019 By admin Leave a Comment

Boat Tours in El Nido, Palawan

If you visit El Nido in Palawan, you are highly advised to take a boat tour of the stunning surrounding islands – this is the reason most tourists visit here. In fact, The Secret Beach is rumoured to be the inspiration behind Alex Garland’s book ‘The Beach’.

Boat tours are available from the main beach area in El Nido town – the main tours are Tour A, Tour B, Tour C and Tour D. Out of these, Tour A and Tour C are the most popular tours. Most of the tours leave from the main El Nido beach or Corong-Corong beach at around 9am and will last for approximately 7 hours.

Top Tips – you will probably want to take some photos of these amazing destinations, so you will need to get yourself a waterproof bag to protect your camera/phone and an Ocean Pack, to carry your personal belongings. You can pick these items up from the many shops in El Nido town centre.

Most of the destinations involve swimming, so you will need to bring swim wear including rubber swim shoes and a towel. Rubber swim shoes are required because some of the beaches have sharp pebbles and your tour operator may not allow you off the boat without them.

Most tours operators offer a buffet lunch, which includes freshly cooked fish, other sea food such as prawns, rice and salads, so you will not need to bring any food with you. From September 1^st 2018, plastic bottles were banned from the tours as well, but the tour operators provide drinking water, so you won’t need to take any on the tour.

You may need to bring some cash as well in case you decide to buy anything because these small islands may not have any card facilities.

El Nido Tour Destinations

Tour A	Tour B	Tour C	Tour D
Small Lagoon	Snake Island	Matinloc Shrine	Ipil Beach
Big Lagoon	Entalula Beach	Secret Beach	Pasandigan Beach
Shimizu Island	Cudugnon Cave	Star Beach	Natnat Beach
Secret Lagoon	Pinagbuyutan Island	Hidden Beach	Paradise Beach
Seven Commando Beach	Snorkelling Site	Helicopter Island	Cadlao Lagoon
			Bukal Beach

Useful links

Where to stay in El Nido – location and hotel guide

How to get to El Nido

Places to visit in El Nido

Puerto Princesa Palawan