Posts Tagged ‘tourist

18
Apr
12

BEYOND TOXICITY X OLD MANILA WALKS IN GEORGE TOWN, PENANG

What could be a perfect welcome to a revisiting tourist in George Town, Penang but a RAINBOW! Can you spot it? ;)

My family and I wolf down plates of Restoran Kapitan's Chicken Cheese Kebab + Cheese Naan served with coleslaw, tamarind sauce infused with green mango+chili chutney. The fambam loved it! We usually order Chicken Tandoori and it's only my second time to savor this kebab dish and I personally liked the tenderness of the chicken specially when perfectly dipped in the tamarind sauce+spicy chutney; flavors just burst into mouth! :P

Roti Prata Telur or Egg Prata + Manggo Lassi.

Chicken Tandoori + Cheese Naan for Ivan

Beyond Toxicity X Old Manila Walks in the heart of George Town, Penang 04/17/2012

When I learned several weeks back that Manila’s tour-guide-extraordinaire, The Main Man from Old Manila Walks, IVAN MAN DY is revisiting George Town, Penang  after he graciously informed me via facebook, Tina and I had to think where we should treat him even just over dinner.

Tina first thought of bringing Ivan to Nando’s that specializes in Portugese Peri-Peri Chicken in either Gurney Mall or Queensbay Mall however, both of these malls are located in the tail ends of the island-one in the north, the other southbound; it means travel-commuting would definitely kill our time. I considered something authentic to Penang –the hawkers of course! But we personally prefer hawkers outside Gurney Mall for a wide range of choices but then again, location doesn’t fit the schedule. Then we narrowed the list down to  3 other family favorites –Old Town Restaurant (Malaysian cuisine), Towne’s Steamboat (Chinese) and Restoran Kapitan (Indian).  I told Tina that since Old Town Restaurant is a chain present in almost all parts of Malaysia, Ivan might have already tasted it in the airport or somewhere. While we also considered getting a table after 5PM would be close to impossible at the frequently-packed Towne’s Steamboat in Jalan Macalister, thus we agreed to take Ivan to our favorite Indian food place, Restoran Kapaitan in Little India. I think it was a good choice beacause it’s only a few meters away from the hotel where Ivan stayed.

Because his arrival fell on a weekday, we could only meet him after work hours. Too bad we failed to tour him around in some of the heritage sites in this side of Malaysia. Nonetheless, we enjoyed the limited time we spent with him. The moment was like we’re only talking, walking and commuting in the streets of Binondo, Manila, hahaha! :)

Ivan Man Dy of  Old Manila Walks :

“Conceptualized, manufactured, bred and educated in the city of Manila, Ivan is the feet behind Old Manila Walks. Before he finally took to the streets, he was an active museum guide as well as a staunch heritage preservation activist.  Now, he has found his calling being seasoned urbanite, a self-designated life-long citizen and ambassador of Manila.  Since 2005, he has led the thousands of happy walking hordes down his city’s most historic quarters.  Four years on and countless calluses later, he is still loving every step of the way.”  -Sourced via OldManilaWalks.com

If you’re a Filipino-balikbayan or foreigner who would like to explore Manila in a nutshell, joining his walking tours back home is always informative, engaging, entertaining and educational. It’s history and gastronomic treats beyond books. We have joined 2 of his amazing walking tours around Manila -

*For more of his walking tours and its details, check out their website at OldManilaWalks.com

After our simple dinner at Restoran Kapitan, we hopped on the bus to accompanied Ivan to one of the malls in George Town where he treated Gabby who didn’t say no, to a delightful scoop of Baskin n Robbins chocholate chip ice cream! Thanks, Ivan! And here’s wishing you enjoyed your days in Malaysia!

17
Sep
11

SINGAPORE : MY LAST THOUGHTS ON OUR FIRST VISIT

Is there any other terminal in the globe cleaner than Changi airport? Educate me.

Call me shallow and easy to please but Singapore’s Changi Airport is just simply impressive!

Notoriously known for being almost sterile and so strict on implementing rules, Singapore’s orderliness works for them and for their tourists too (My wife and I are so envious and felt the Philippines and the Filipino people deserve such system too), and we’re just fortunate to experience it for the first time ever. Needless to say, our 4-day visit to Singapore was indeed a memorable and pleasant one.

From the spotless airport to its very efficient immigration service (read: our passports were stamped smoothly in and out), i cannot complain a thing.There’s just spontaneity in everything.

Where else can we find cleanliness meets creativity?

My family and I were happy to see lush green amidst the city’s most famous shopping district. Apparently, even the air and the atmosphere are being kept fresh and clean by all means…

In this very expensive city where almost all luxuries are within reach and really come alive right before your eyes, you have the options to splurge or guard your expenses tightly. And for a less seasoned traveler like us with a limited budget on our pockets, we’re left with frugality and being wise to maximize the experience.

Case in point : I booked our roundtrip flights via a budget airline (Air Asia), even waited for their promo rates months prior to our break. We decided to visit only one theme park with entrance fee and just opted to go sight-seeing at those tourist spots free for public. We deviated our ideas of shopping spree to trying their MRT and riding the bus, at times, taking the cab and of course exhaust all energies at strolling and eating! Hahaha! :D

But then again, I thought it’s  also practical nice to stretch the range of our vacation by experiencing best of both worlds. I chose to bring my family to both upscale and budget hotels for our accomodation.  And so our little dreamer, Gabby who aspires to be hotelier-restaurateur-chef someday had a unique dose of exposure.

We all loved Quincy Hotel Singapore‘s all-inclusive-concept, its hip and edgy amenities and impeccable service. At S$405++ (USD 327++ or PhP 14, 122++) package includes Airport pick up by a chauffeur and a Mercedes Benz E-class limo, buffet breakfast for 2, set meals for lunch and dinner + appetizer and salad spread, free flowing coffee, tea, canned soda, exclusively bottled distilled water, complimentary mini bar, cocktails at 6-8pm, Molton Brown, London toiletries and more cool benefits any guest would enjoy…

Happy to relied on tripadvisor.com Trendiest Hotel Travelers’ Choice Award 2011. Now, we are one with those tourists who have tried Quincy and have appreciated everything about it.

But our warm and safe stay in the budget-friendly, Strand Hotel on our second to fourth day in Singapore was also noteworthy.

Glad that I took the recommendation of fellow blogger, Cza to try Strand Hotel. It’s a good choice if you only need a decent place to sleep and keep your things during your travel.

Located at Bencoolen Street, Strand Hotel’s strongest point is its accessibility to bus stops, MRT stations, restaurants, convenient store and must-visit spots in Singapore. At S$160 nett (USD 129 or PhP 5,580) inclusive of Deluxe accomodation for 2, set breakfast + buffet spread of fresh fruits, bread loaves, noodle dish, sausages, cereals, tropical fruit drinks, coffee and tea.

On our first morning at Strand Hotel (day 3 in Sg), we ordered a plateful of french toasts with maple syrup for Gabby (S$6) because our hotel package only included 2 food stubs per day; we were then unaware that the breakfast spread (other than set meals provided for guests) is already sufficient for a kid’s first meal to jumstart his day. So the following morning, Gabby just shared plates with us.

The S$160 nett hotel package at Strand was really a value for money although I bet tourists would be more appreciative if they would do some improvements like updating their interiors a bit, changing their “welcome to the jungle-sort-of-theme” curtains and headboard to a more plain and simpler hues.

The choice of hotel accomodation truly depends on your preferences, travel needs, and of course, your allotted vacation expenses.

We may not have visited the beaches at Sentosa Island and were not able to watch the city’s attractions–Songs of the Sea and The Lion King musicale, didn’t ride the cable car, failed to go to Singapore Museums, Botanical Park, Night Safari and Zoo, passed on the chance to try the Singapore Flyer and the Luge, thus, these remain to be the reasons to find time and save money to go back to this beautiful city again soon.

All in all, it boils down to the fact that vacation need not to be too expensive neither it should be lousy and restrict you on having fun memories with yourself and your love ones. The possibilities of enjoying a break whether in Singapore or anywhere else is just limitless!

Beyond Toxicity’s Singapore Blog series includes:

07
Sep
11

CHINATOWN, SINGAPORE

On a limited budget and with only enthusiasm and a game plan to spend more time & lots of fun with my family in my pocket, I brought Tina and Gabby to Singapore.  On our second day in the Lion City, we headed to Chinatown ! :)

 

After checking out at 12 noon from Quincy Hotel where we stayed the first day, we hopped on the bus along Orchard Road and alighted at Bencoolen Street. We transferred to a more affordable hotel (which deserves a separate post) and more accessible to our itineraries. And like what we did the first day, we just left our luggage to the hotel room and utilized the rest of the day in exploring Singapore.

I am grateful that former colleagues and online buddies (credits at the end of this post) suggested one of Singapore’s most helpful websites particularly for tourists and first timers on the island like us (read: without gadgets with GPS). The site gives you details on your trip from point A to point B from mode/s of transportation (either by bus, train, taxi cab), estimated total  travel time(including waiting and walk time), to total fare (click the link and be enlightened!).

http://gothere.sg/

The Lion City’s transport system is impressively efficient.

I googled http://gothere.sg/ and lifted details of our itineraries for the remaining days of our stay. We walked through the train station from our hotel,  purchased MRT cards from the touch-screen machines (with refundable deposit of S$1 on top of our fares) in the subway.

Subways of Singapore are clearly wider than Tokyo or it might be just me. But creativity is present at every turn in Singapore, so apparent in the mosaics and murals in the train stations…

We told him but I’m not sure if Gabby realized the thought that we were literally underground when we boarded the train. 

The Dhoby Ghaught MRT station bound to Harbourfront was just few minutes-and-one-train-ride away to Pagoda Street, Chinatown.

Upon getting off the subway, we were in awe and together we uttered, “WOW” in amazement! Our eyes feasted on a burst of colors…

I read from online reviews of tourists that Singapore has the cleanest Chinatown in the globe, knowing the city implements strictest rules on fines and penalties (read : thousands of dollars), everyone is disciplined regardless of the place in Sg.

One doesn’t need to be Chinese to expect to see mostly reds in any Chinatown…

or Oriental lanterns that doesn’t fail to fascinate…

Souvenir items cost usually 3 for S$10… I got a nod from Tina in purchasing fridge magnets we bought for 6 for S$10. :)

Of all the things being sold in the stalls of Chinatown, I found these glass balls most interesting. Agree?  Do you know what they call these?

Few steps more and another surprise (well, not actually, I included it in our itinerary) caught our eyes…

“The Sri Mariamman Temple is Singapore’s oldest Hindu temple. It is an agamic temple, built in the Dravidian style. Located at No. 244 South Bridge Road, in the downtown Chinatown district, the temple serves mainly South Indian Tamil Hindu Singaporeans in the city-state. Due to its architectural and historical significance, the temple has been gazetted a National Monument and is a major tourist attraction.”  –Wiki

A lion and holy cow guard the roofs of Sri Mariamman Temple…

Fantastic sight amidst the high noon…

The doors to this Hindu temple…

We opted not to go inside the Sri Mariamman Temple, we continued walking in Chinatown.  We spotted the famous Ann Siang Hill…

Vivid colors paint the structures built in Ann Siang Hill. Unfortunately, my wife and kid didn’t want to explore it so we went on walking to Sago Street and reached the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple. After a Hindu temple comes a Buddhist temple… both equally stunning!

If the exteriors of Buddha Tooth Relic Temple is magnificent, the inside’s trully awesome! I’m almost lost of superlatives to describe its interiors,haha! :)

“Thousands of candles can be lit from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared.”–Buddha.

I’m left speechless.

Almost right across the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple is a famous hawker food place, Maxwell.

When in Singapore, must try Singaporean foods! Our late snack-early dinner were made  of noodles….

Maxwell’s Tian Tian Chicken House became a word of mouth when Anthony Bourdain gave it a thumbs up.  It’s famous for one of my favorite chicken dish –Hainanese Chicken Rice…(believe me, this plate tasted so much better than it looks on photo)

The rice was cooked with chicken broth and seasoning, it’s delicious sans ulam.

For drinks, a fellow blogger, Dyan and former colleague Gina who’s based in Singapore never failed to remind us not to forget to try water chestnut. We’re obedient. I bought a cup, it tasted like sweet pandan; refreshingly good!  I took a photo on a whim…

Then we felt it’s time to bid Chinatown goodbye…

but can’t pass the chance without a photo-ops with this Buddha statue…

We finally found our way back to the subway and rode the MRT again.  We had Starbucks Coffee break in a mall on way to our hotel (not in photo) and called it one fine day. :)

 

Stay tuned for more of our adventures in Singapore.

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Beyond Toxicity’s Singapore Blog series includes:

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*Thank you to fellow bloggers, Dyanie (she did my initial itinerary!), Cza (recommended the other hotel we stayed in), Chyng, Sards , Dom/Dong Ho, Annevdns, Bambi (all of their blog posts about Singapore and replies to my queries served helpful references for this trip) and former colleagues, Ms. Gina (who provided useful links online about her work place), Dr. D. and former student, Lea for replying to my questions about the city we all like.




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