Feb 11, 2014 |
These sets of pics were taken at A La Natu Bed And Bakery at night. It’s a clear beautiful February night and the moon is full, out and bright. At the time I was on a beach chair just lounging around after a fantastic seafood dinner. The beach was just a short stroll away so the sounds of soothing waves going back and forth was so gentle. It truly felt like a magical night.
I like the photo below more because you can see movement of the palm leaves. It wasn’t windy at all. I rotated my camera clockwise slowly to make that effect. Looks kinda cool to me.
La A Natu Bed and Bakery is one of our favorite places to stay, located in an area called Pranburi which is about a 45 minute drive north to Hua Hin. And the magnificent mountains of Sam Roi Yad which is about 30 minutes away south of La A Natu.
This area is largely undeveloped. For now that is. We saw a lot of signs advertising resorts and other sorts of development in the near future. Which would be sad since there’s so much natural beauty in the region.
Jan 22, 2014 |
Bali or the Maldives? That’s what my wife and I was deciding on for our honeymoon. Bali was the easy answer because the Maldives was just way too expensive and difficult to plan on such short notice.
So Bali we were headed to and I did a quick search for a nice honeymoon resort to relax ourselves for 4 days. Now I didn’t have any clue about traveling to Indonesia nor know much about Bali except that it’s a well known beach area famous for honeymoons and surfing. I don’t surf. But I wanted to treat my wife to the best resort spa I could afford.
Through an exhaustive research I came across the name Jamahal Private Resort & Spa through Tripadvisor and Agoda. I read reviews on both websites and Jamahal had a very good reviews. Mine included, you can see my review on Agoda under Warren C.
This villa had 3 rooms and 2 huge bathrooms. Overall space was 430 square meters…
Jamahal is not far at all from Bali’s international airport. About a 15 minute taxi ride from Ngurah Rai Airport. As I recall the taxi ride cost 100,000 Rupiah ($8USD as of writing) via the airport taxi. And that’s the set price. US dollars are widely accepted in Bali and you can find ATMs everywhere to withdraw Rupiah.
Jamahal is in an area of Bali called Jimbaran and as far as I could see its an area filled mostly with small local businesses with plenty of locals shopping for grocery and goods. But there are many small local shops and businesses so there is that homey undeveloped feel.
When we arrived at Jamahal there’s this huge massive wooden gate manned by 2 security guards with stone walls that were 15 feet high. It was like heading into a fortress. When we got in we saw the guests reception which was very small but there’s a nice seating area for guests to relax and order drinks and it was all open air. My first impression was that resort was designed to be secluded and private as the resort name states. And I knew that already as there were not many villa styled rooms for guests so you get that cozy secluded private feel. It is a honeymoon type resort after all.
We were greeted with smiles by a receptionist and if I can recall her name was Yante. She was wonderful from the start. Since we got in early at around 11am before check in time, our room was not ready yet. So my wife and I decided to try out Jamahal’s Five Senses Massage therapy.
A small yet cozy private pool…
While Yante lead us to the spa section she had a surprise for us. And she was quite secretive and waited until we were away from the reception area where other guests could hear us. She told us we were upgraded to the Luxury III Pool Villa. Originally I booked a Luxury ll Pool Suite Villa. From the description I saw on Luxury II it was 130 square meters with a small private pool. That’s a lot of space already. However, the Luxury III Pool Villa is 430 square meters. We couldn’t wait to see it!
Jamahal’s spa is not far at all from the reception area. While taking the short stroll to the spa we could see the resort has a lot of stone walls for privacy. They weren’t kidding when they put the word “private” on their resort name. Even the spa section we had to enter through another set of wooden gates surrounded by high walls. We were greeted by 2 masseuse who guided us on several special infused massage oils that were available to choose for aromatherapy massage. I think we chose lemongrass. Afterwards we were lead to a big couples massage room where we had to change into some weird type of underwear.
There’s just so much space…
It was black and looked like it was made of sheer cotton. So yeah, you can see skin. Which is kind of awkward for a dude like me to wear and getting a massage from a woman. But I guess they’re professionals so to them it’s business as usual. Overall it was a good massage to me. Just what we needed after a 4 hour flight from Bangkok. And my wife who is a massage aficionado said it was good too in a different way after being so used to Thai massage techniques.
After the nice refreshing 1 hour long massage we still had some more time to kill before our room was ready. Yante helped arrange a driver from the resort to take us to an ATM and then to Jamahal Resort’s private beach. The drive from the main road to the beach itself seemed long at first. I mean we knew it wasn’t a beach front resort but that was okay for us.
Staff at the hotel knew it was our honeymoon so they prepared this for us…
When we got to Jamahal’s beach club we found it secluded as well. There were not too many beach chairs and since we were visiting Bali during it’s rainy season the beach surf was rough. So the water was pretty far down. I wish I could say that the beach was beautiful and maybe it is but maybe we just got there at the wrong time. The sand was quite clean though.
When we got back to the resort our villa was ready. Every villa at the resort has a name. Yante lead us to our villa named Banyu. It was right across from the reception. When she opened the wooden doors and lead us in we walked on a stone path with water running around. As I recall “Banyu” means water. It was really nice and we could see the villa and the swimming pool and also a small pavilion for private massage sessions or for lounging around. The place was awesome and my wife and I were so impressed. It’s one of the top 3 fanciest resorts we’ve ever been to on our list.
Super comfortable king sized bed…
Yante opened the doors to our villa and started giving us a tour. The rooms are decorated modern Bali style and very clean. The place looked new and so well maintained. The villa had a total of five rooms. Two of them are big bathrooms followed by a massage room for an even more private massage treatment, the spacious living room and the bedroom with a luxurious mattress. And we really were impressed. So impressed that my wife and I are planning to copy the design of this villa for a home in the future.
Just so much space!…
Outside of the villa is a big garden with the sound of water running creating a soothing atmosphere. And there’s a nice area to sit and lounge around outside by the swimming pool. I was the only one who used it though as the weather was on the cool side since it was late January. It wasn’t cold though the temp was a comfortable mid 70 degrees it wasn’t pool weather to my wife. Good news is because of the cooler weather there were no mosquito either.
A nice healthy breakfast served by a happy butler. A great way to start the day!
Breakfast was included in our room rate. It’s not buffet style but they have a select a la carte menu of items such as fresh baked bread and croissants. Fresh yogurt with granola, platter of fresh fruits and eggs cooked to your liking. Extras like bacon and sausage were extra charge though. I especially love their super fresh coffee served in a plunger. Indonesian coffee is one of my favorites! A breakfast menu is located on the living room coffee table and we can order our breakfast by phone. And the food is delivered to our table by a friendly butler. You just tell them the time you want to eat and the butler will carry your food straight to your villa right on schedule.
I also planned a romantic dinner for my wife one night. Jamahal offers guests 3 course dinner which can be served right in our villa again with personal butler service. And for an added touch of romance the butler lit torches that surrounded our private garden. I did take pictures but they came bad because I forgot to pack my flash for my camera. For all the guys out there, trust me, as a man planning a honeymoon in Bali, setting up a romantic dinner on steroids will earn you a lot of brownie points for dumb things we do in the future.
If you’re probably wondering what is around the area for tourists the answer is there isn’t really much. I’ve taken a stroll outside of Jamahal alone. It’s not easy to walk along the sidewalks because the area is not so developed. But if you walk further down you will see a lot of shops and markets catering to local Indonesians. I know a lot of travelers prefer staying near a mall with plenty of tourists conveniences. The nearest mall that I know of is in an area called Kuta, just north of Jambaran about a 30 minute taxi ride. Personally I prefer the local markets and experience the local vibe.
Still, Jamahal Private Resort is awesome! But sure, getting upgraded to a huge villa is a bonus and saving a ton of money can skew my opinion towards favorable. But I have a feeling even if I didn’t get an upgrade I would still very much enjoy our honeymoon trip.
Read reviews and find discounts for Jamahal Private Resort.
Jun 13, 2013 |
Kaminarimon Gate at Asakusa
A big reason why I love traveling to Japan is because they are one of the few countries in Asia that keep a priority on maintaining their culture and traditions. The Asakusa district is one perfect example and I went there last year around March. The temperature was still a bit chilly that time but it was still an awesome day!
Normally I stay at the Shinjuku district but if you’re looking for affordable hotels in Asakusa also it’s not a bad choice. There are plenty of train stations in the area and no shortage of good restaurants.
The main attraction in Asakusa is the Sensoji Temple. Followed by the street stalls and shops called Nakamise that line the way up to the temple. And surrounding Asakusa are many traditional styled shops selling food, snacks and of course a whole lot of souvenirs. Pricey souvenirs too especially the hand made items. I didn’t buy any thing because I’m not a real big shopper. I typically buy souvenirs at Narita airports duty free shops to take back as gifts. This way there’s no need to lug extra stuff to the airport.
So I’m not a shopper. But I am an eater. There’s certainly no shortage of Japanese styled sweets and snacks to enjoy on a beautiful day. The temperature was in the low 70’s and I remember that the days before was rainy with light snow throughout the day. But that day in Asakusa was absolutely marvelous.
Though there were many foreign visitors in the area it’s a very special temple for the Japanese. Matter of fact there were more locals than tourists. Because Sensoji is a really popular Buddhist temple. Shintoism is the main national religion of Japan. Buddhism is the second most popular belief in the country. I didn’t know that little fact until I visited Asakusa. See, it’s still possible to learn something new everyday!
Agemanju shop…
So there’s a lot of sweets that I easily recognized from other Asian cultures. Like sweet dough with sweeter bean paste. I was hunkering for something unique. Something Japanese. I came across this little shop and heard the gentle murmurings of fryers going on. Anything that’s fried can’t be bad!
Just $1.50USD for this yummy fried morsel, surprisingly it’s not so greasy…
Plus the place had a line of locals waiting. Which is an even better sign. It’s a shop selling Agemanju with a good variety of flavors and fillings. It’s basically a fried battered soft cake filled with your choice of fillings. Though there were a lot unique flavors, I just went ahead and bought myself a green tea agemanju with green tea infused bean paste. I found a seat nearby and just sat my ass down and scarfed every morsel with the warming sun on my back.
The steps to the entrance of Sensoji Temple…
I really can’t stress how nice the day really was. There were lot’s of people all around enjoying the day too. And they come to Sensoji Temple to make prayers in hopes that their wishes come true. And though the temple is mainly Buddhist there is a touch of Shintoism which involves cleansing. So you’ll find an area where people can cleanse their hands.
Cleansing with incense…
And you’ll find an area right in front of the temple where they can “wash” themselves with incense. It’s a deeply religious site with many devote followers and you get this wonderful sense of peace and joy.
After wandering around the temple area I made my way back down Nakamise to take more photos. It was late afternoon by then and there were still a lot of people streaming in. Asakusa and Sensoji Temple is definitely a must not miss visit when you’re in Tokyo!
This shopping street called Nakamise leads all the way up to the entrance of Sensoji Temple…
May 16, 2013 |
It was a gloomy day while I was there but still a nice place…
From my experiences, there are not a lot of Asian countries that take care of their environment. I know that has a lot to do with social-economic situations of every Asian country. A rich nation though doesn’t guarantee a green environment however. Case in point China.
South Korea’s got cash too. And they’re doing right by making their cities as clean, green and friendly.
Seoul’s Cheonggyecheon Stream is a prime example. It’s a long river that cuts through most parts of central Seoul, connected the Han River. Before 2005 Cheonggyecheon Stream was covered up with a highway overpass and after that for around 50 years the stream ran dry.
Lots of shops and offices on both sides of the stream…
So the government pumped $900 million bucks to bring the stream back to life and it was a colossal urban renewal project. Water had to be pumped back into the stream and since the highway was removed traffic had to be directed elsewhere. With that huge dollar amount you can bet there were a lot of complaints. So was it worth it?
From this traveler’s opinion. Yes. I have no clue if there are anymore complaints from the locals but I am sure that millions of South Koreans and tourists from around the world are enjoying Cheonggyecheon Stream. It’s a great place to chill out. If I had a job in Seoul near the stream I would certainly eat lunch there every afternoon with my shoes off and feet dangling in the cool, crisp clean water. It’s a great area to jog around too and I know South Koreans love to keep fit. Plus festivals are held by the stream which many Koreans go to experience and enjoy with families.
And the cool running water cutting across the city helps keep the temperature down when the weather gets hot. It’s environmental friendly and pleasing to the eye.
Geez I’ve got some chubby cheeks…
Cheonggyecheon Stream is 6km long, about 4 miles which is long. I’ve never tried walking the entire extent but I will be in Seoul on in July for another 13 hour layover. Now I’m deciding if I should try to walk the entire length of the stream or try and visit 5 major palaces in Seoul instead. So much to do in Seoul. So little time. God I love this city! I mean even the name of the city sounds so cool!
But since July is supposedly a hot and rainy month I’m just going to have to play it by ear. Until then, I can’t wait. I do love Seoul and can’t say it enough.
May 11, 2013 |
Smiling cause I was glad I was out of the tunnel…
I’ve been to Vietnam a few times. Mostly traveling on my own on to do a Visa run. Last year though I made a trip over to Ho Chi Minh City with a few friends from Bangkok. And one of them suggested going on a half day tour of Cu Chi Tunnel. I don’t normally take tours but this was the type of place that looked really interesting on the brochure. I was born a year after the Vietnam War ended when the city of Saigon was renamed Ho Chi Minh. And since I watched a lot of Vietnam War movies I though it would be interesting to see a part of the war’s history.
Cu Chi Tunnel in a way was a North Vietnamese Army (NVA) stronghold against the US military and their allies. The NVA lived, hid , and planned in the tunnels. It’s possibly one of the main reasons why they could outlast the Americans in the Vietnam War. And surviving in the tunnels was not a walk in the park for the NVA. So it would be interesting to learn what they had to go through.
Anyways the price for a half day tour to Cu Chi Tunnel was really reasonable. As I recall it was around $15USD which the hotel arranged to have a van with a driver and tour guide pick us up at the hotel. We stayed at the T. Espoir Saigon Hotel (formerly Truong Hai Hotel) by the way, which is near the popular Ben Thanh Market in central HCMC.
After getting picked up by the van on schedule the driver made several stops at different hotels to pick up more tourists. After that the drive to Cu Chi Tunnel was on the way. But a stop was made to some sort of lacquer factory where artworks were hand made by locals. Yes, it’s the type of joint where the tour guide and most likely the driver makes a commission. But who cares, it’s not expensive and supposedly the proceeds from sales goes to training locals and giving them jobs. I bought two pieces of art and it only cost about $20USD.
On the job training at a handcraft workshop…
This is where they add a layer of lacquer to give the pieces that shiny coat…
All handmade with duck eggshells…
After spending about 45 minutes inside the factory, every one was back in the van and on off to our real destination, the Cu Chi Tunnel.
Our tour guide giving us a preview of a tunnel…
He’s the actual guide that takes tourists into a tunnel…
I’m inside the tunnel trying to be cool…
So before entering the tunnel our tour guide would give everyone a short history of how the NVA survived in the tunnels even though conditions were bad. They had to deal with all kinds of diseases inside the tunnels as well as fight battles. What he didn’t tell everyone was that we were actually going inside of one. Granted the tunnel system we entered was fixed up with some lighting and fumigated to get rid of all the insects and rats. What he didn’t mention is that the tunnel is small and you’d have to either crawl or crab walk through. It’s probably fine for people with small frames and around 5′ and a half feet. But if you’re taller with a bigger frame like me you’re a bit shit out of luck. The NVA were smaller in stature and suited their needs.
Luckily I was directly behind the park ranger who led our whole tour group through a sissified tunnel system. I followed him as close as I could. Because he was moving fast. At least he was nice enough to stop ever so often and take a few pics for me. Lucky I didn’t crack my camera because I was hand holding it the entire time. I have to admit, I was getting scared and looking forward to getting out. I could hear my friends behind asking where was I. Somehow they fell behind along with the rest of the group.
Anyways the park ranger kept going and I believe we crawled through 50 yards until and exit came up. The width of the tunnel was about 3 feet across and 4 feet high. Some points of the tunnel was a few inches smaller. Even though it’s only a few inches, in a space so small already, it was a big difference. Once I was back out the park ranger went back in to get everyone else out. And I was sweating like a pig by then. I’ll tell you, this kind of tour is not for those who are claustrophobic or have a physical disability. The rest of the group along with my friends came back out in about 3 minutes. I had to admit, I was a bit worried for my friends.
We were getting a lesson on how the NVA concealed themselves…
So what else was there besides crawling through a tunnel and getting the wits scared out of you? There’s a shooting range where you can fire off a bunch of bullets on Vietnam war era weapons and you’d have to pay for that separately. I didn’t try it out though but it was kind of unnerving to hear the loud sounds of rounds going off just a few yards away.
Visiting Cu Chi tunnel was a nice little side trip. And I got a chance to glimpse the area just outside of Ho Chi Minh City. One thing that might irk a lot of travelers who join tours is that often most tour companies include stops at a local souvenir shop. Yes, that’s where the tour guide or driver makes some extra cash when someone buys something because the places they bring you to have expensive souvenirs.
I saw quite a few people in our tour group have a “WTF” look on their faces. Sure, I understand, nobody paid to go to a souvenir shop. But that’s just the ways things are with Asian tour companies. I’ve even had tour guides sell stuff on a tour bus while in Japan. Which is why I don’t usually go on tours. At least you don’t have to buy anything. I say just go with the flow. After a short 30 minute stay the guide started dropping off everyone to their hotels.
I had a good time at Cu Chi tunnel. It was a good learning experience about a controversial times in history that I’ve seen so much on television and movies. So I’m glad I went to check it out.
What’s at the end of every tour attraction? A souvenir shop of course!
May 6, 2013 |
For the past 3 return trips I’ve made to Thailand, South Korea’s Incheon airport has been my transit point. For years I’ve switched airlines around, landing in different transit hubs like Hong Kong and Japan. Way before that, Thai Airways used to fly direct from JFK to BKK. Which was the best for me. But Thai Airways discontinued that route because they were losing money. And I had a lot of mile points saved up to but have now all expired.
For sometime, I’ve been using which ever airline had the best ticket prices. But now, I just stick with one airline to pick up a bunch of miles for upgrades. And that airline is Korean Air. I even got myself a co-branded Korean Airline and Visa credit card to rack up even more points. And they are a great airline with reasonable priced tickets and excellent service.
Anyways, Seoul is also a really cool city I love visiting. It’s easy to get around and I mainly use their subways to check out a lot of attractions in the city like the palaces, museums and eclectic districts.
I use the Arex Trains from Incheon Airport to Seoul Station which is the downtown section of the city. The one way fare is around $4USD which is very reasonable and the ride takes about 1 hour. And I always have carry on luggage but you can always leave it at the airports left luggage centers. And there are 3 different companies located in the departure and arrival terminal. I usually stick with the company called HANJIN Express. So I leave my large backpack there and it only cost about $6USD. Not a bad price to pay at all for exploring Seoul unhindered.
Keep in mind there is a possibility that these left luggage centers become filled to capacity. Which means they will not accept anymore luggage. This almost happened to me once at HANJIN but luckily I was the last customer. But there are 2 other companies in Incheon airport to check out.
Another thing I like about visiting Seoul through it’s subway train system is the public lockers. I don’t exactly remember the fee for using one but it’s not expensive. I usually carry a small sling bag I use to carry my camera. Sometimes even the little things can way me down. So I take out my camera and lock up my bag and I’m off.
So from now on I always pick a flight with a long layover to take advantage of a short trip into the wonderful city of Seoul.
