Travelers Journal

Aug 30, 2008

A wet shopping thrill at Bangkok Floating Market

Voted as the Best City in the World in the 2008 survey by Travel + Leisure Magazine, Bangkok boasts of its culture and lifestyle as well as its colorful tourist destinations --- one of which is the Damnoen Saduak Floating Market.

In a nutshell, Damnoen Saduak Floating Market describes the traditional "buying and selling" customs in Thailand particularly those communities along the river. It is located 110 kms west of Bangkok. So this "tourist craving" is actually not within the busy Bangkok Metropolis.

Colourful, lively, noisy, and crowded --- these are just a few elements that will surely add up to a fun-filled experience! It starts in waking up early as in 5:30 AM so you could travel from Bangkok (around 6:30 AM) and ensure to arrive at Damnoen Saduak at around 7:30-8:00 AM. The wet shopping craze begins with the long-tail boat hitch to the actual Floating Market. On your way to the market, you’ll pass old-style teak houses, orchards, spirit houses and local people who chose to maintain the lifestyle of their ancestors.

The end of the ling-tail boat ride rings the bell to signify a welcome treat for you by a totally chaotic, crowded 'khlongs' or small canals. But you have to be quick in flashing your cameras as every single second give you a prime shot of actions as starred by flat boats paddled by Thai women selling just like whatever is saleable --- fresh fruits, colorful hats, umbrellas, fans, t-shirts, bags, slippers, hot-served noodle soups and more!

Now what's the next big thing that awaits you if you are not quick? You'll definitely get wet!

If you are planning to visit Bangkok and would like to avail of the Whole day Floating Market tour package (inclusive of Elephant Show, Cobra Show, Crocodile Show and Thai Cultural Show) you may contact:

MABUHAY Travel Agency Bangkok

747/7 Bangkok-Nonthaburi Road 21/1

Bangsue, Bangkok 10800 Thailand

Tel.: +66-2-585-7873

Tel/Fax: +66-2-911-2098

Mobile: +6689-112-2098
or e-mail gracemabuhay@hotmail.com

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Aug 22, 2008

A deeper experience at the Manila Ocean Park

A boutique mall…
A restaurant strip…
An open water marine habitat…

These and more are what you will experience at the Philippines’ first state-of-the-art oceanarium – The Manila Ocean Park!

This 8,000 square meters oceanarium held its soft opening on February 29, 2008. Although the construction is still incomplete, many foreign and local tourists are already visiting the theme park. I’ve been to the Sentosa Underwater World of Singapore, the Siam Ocean World of Bangkok and to the Aquaria Oceanarium of Kuala Lumpur but I must say that the concept and the location of the Manila Ocean Park is thus far the best (which might be dethroned in my mind by the Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium in Japan.. I will soon be there!) First of all, the Manila Ocean Park takes pride of being situated at the Manila Bay, giving its visitors a real “oceanic feel”. The construction plan and design of the park is certainly worth looking forward to. I would definitely like to see the marine-themed mall and hotel, outdoor pools and restaurant strip which are expected to be completed by end of 2008.

As this is the first oceanarium in the Philippines, the Manila Ocean Park maximizes the opportunity to spearhead efforts in educating Filipinos on various initiatives on the conservation and preservation of Philippine marine life through symposium, multimedia presentations, research and special partnerships.

The 7 major sections of the oceanarium provide its visitors a good glimpse of about 20,000 marine inhabitants (approximately 300 species).

Agos (Flow) is the first part of the oceanarium where you can see water cascading from an artificial waterfall.

Bahura (Reef) showcases the very colorful Philippine underwater rainforest, thus giving a sampler of how beautiful the Philippine coral reefs are.

Laot (Fishing Ground) displays fishes of various colors and sizes.

Buhay na Karagatan (Living Ocean) showcases a 25-meter long underwater tunnel. This is one of the main attractions of the Oceanarium.

Ang Kalaliman (The Deep) features the barracuda - known for its toothy grin as the “Tiger of the Sea”.

Pagi - Overhang tank displays a variety of rays fly over while you're under this unique Overhang Tank.

Pating (Shark) give a face-to-face experience with the most feared predators of the sea – the sharks.

Although there are a lot of things that may be improved in the Oceanarium such as handling hundreds of visitors a day, I’m certain that the entrance fee of Pesos 400.00 (or US$9.00) for adults and Pesos 350.00 (or US$8.00) for Kids 4.5 ft and below is all worth it! I will surely go back to Manila Ocean Park once the entire project is completed since I am really intrigued by that Fish Spa. Imagine, plunging your feet onto the waters and letting these small fishes give you the foot massage. I waited for an hour but the queue is really long! Too bad for me...

How to get there: The Manila Ocean Park is located behind the Quirino Grandstand at the historic Rizal (Luneta) Park. It opens at 10 a.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. on weekends, and closes at 9 p.m. You can take taxi from anywhere in Metro Manila. Nearest LRT station is the United Nations Avenue. From there you can already take a walk and pass by the Luneta Park (that's like 15-20 minutes of walking). If you want to take the famous Philippine Jeepney, be sure to take those passing Kalaw or Taft Avenue.

The Manila Ocean Park will look like this early 2009!

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Jul 19, 2008

Experience Thai history and culture at Siam Niramit

Are you an ardent fan of theater plays; or perhaps passionate about history and the arts? If yes, then Siam Niramit is a must see place for you!

If you are planning to travel to Bangkok, make sure to include Siam Niramit in your list of places to visit. This US$40 million investment showcases a world-class theatrical presentation of Thai history and culture. The theater itself can accommodate up to 2,000 guests and is a Guinness World Record holder for having the tallest proscenium (the arch around the stage) of 11.9 m.

Before the main show at the Siam Niramit Theater, visitors are given a pre-performance of Thai cultural dance at the multi-purpose grounds (in-front of the main entrance of the theater). Guests may also take photos with real gigantic elephants. There is also a traditional Thai massage sampler that lasts about 15 minutes. And if you happened to got carried away, a full Thai massage can be availed too. One section I like at Siam Niramit is the simulation of the ancient Thai village/community. Visitors can enter various models of Thai houses both from Northern and Southern Thailand which are surrounded by rice fields and canals. Visitors can also take a 5-minute ride of the small traditional boats. Aside from the mock rice fields, there is also the sugar and vegetables plantations.

The main event which is the stage play at the Siam Niramit Theater usually starts at around 8:00 p.m. When I entered this 2,000 seater theater, I was impressed with the murals which I already expected to be automated and retractable during the performance. The play is divided into three major acts namely: (1) Journey Back to History which presents Thai religious faith and ancient heritage of Thai civilization; (2) Journey beyond Imagination which presents Thai belief that life continues after death in a Fiery Hell or at a Blissful Heaven; and (3) Journey Through Joyous Festivals which presents various religious and colorful Thai ceremonies all throughout the year.

My favorite part of the show is the amazing transformation of the wooden stage floor into a flowing river where one of the performers plunged into the water and swam. Much to this,

there were about four boats which sailed from both sides of the stage. So just imagine how great the stage concept is! And to present the seasons of planting and harvesting at the Central Plains, it also rained at the stage! This is one of my two most favorite highlights of the play!!! Next to that is the "blissfully-perfect" stage lighting and direction during the Blissful Heaven scene of Act 2. If I recalled correctly, there were 12 performers flying smoothly and freely as heavenly beings in this scene. The timing and lighting were just perfect!

Overall, the show and the place itself are worth experiencing for! It was indeed a good journey to the colorful and enchanted Thai history and civilization.

Siam Niramit is located at 19 Tiamruammit Road, Huaykwang, Bangkok.
The nearest MRT (subway) station is Thai Cultural Centre. Shuttle buses are also provided at the MRT station.

If you are planning to visit Bangkok and would like to avail of the Siam Niramit package (including dinner before the show), you may contact:

MABUHAY Travel Agency Bangkok

747/7 Bangkok-Nonthaburi Road 21/1

Bangsue, Bangkok 10800 Thailand

Tel.: +66-2-585-7873

Tel/Fax: +66-2-911-2098

Mobile: +6689-112-2098
or e-mail gracemabuhay@hotmail.com

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Jul 11, 2008

San Francisco: The City by the Bay

Of the many places I’ve been to, only in San Francisco I found the best mix of hectic and placid sceneries. Being one of the most popular destinations in the world, San Francisco offers a wide-range of internationally-known tourist landmarks depicting its diverse, cosmopolitan history and lifestyle. I have all my personal reasons to consider San Francisco as one of my favorite cities – a potential place for me to settle in.

Now, how busy and calm this famous City by the bay can get? You’ll surely find more than enough reasons to enjoy every moment of your stay in this City. And for this particular post, I decided to highlight the serene exquisiteness of San Francisco.

First in the list is the relaxing and romantic view at the San Francisco Bay where the world’s famous Golden Gate Bridge reigns supreme. According to history, the bridge took seven years to build and was completed on May 27, 1937. When I first saw the Golden Gate, I was immediately looking for the gold color but in fact the bridge is actually painted in deep red-orange color. (So this is just a bit of clarification.) Both in the northern and southern parts of the bridge, viewing decks are provided. However, parking is an issue. You’ll rarely find a space to park your car. (Good thing I wasn’t driving! Haha…) If you want to get a panoramic view of the bridge as well as the San Francisco Bay, it is best that you park at the Marina area. What I like best being at the Marina is the chance to see the monochromatic blue shaded sky and the cool breeze of fresh air with pine scent. Mind you, this is a nice spot for a wedding ceremony. Imagine the panoramic view as your background in all your wedding pictures. (How's that?)

A panoramic view of the Golden Gate Bridge.

A closer shot of the Golden Gate Bridge.

A view of the San Francisco Bay at the Marina.

If you would like to get more closer to nature, take advantage of the serenity that San Francisco Botanical Garden can offer. You can just lie down the fresh grass and enjoy the air and smelt of flowers and pines. The Garden has various collections of plants from the Mediterranean, Chile, Cape Province, Australia, New Zealand, South-east Asia, and more.

A peaceful scenery at the San Francisco Botanical Garden.

Just approximately two blocks away from the San Francisco Botanical Garden, you will find the Japanese Tea Garden where you will find Japanese maple trees, fragrant wisteria, camellias, cherry trees, rhododendrons and more. There is also a Tea House where you can sit for a while and sip a hot cup of Japanese Tea. Souvenir items are also available at this shop. One interesting spot in the Garden is the Drum Bridge or Taiko Bashi in Japanese which is a perfect half-circle in shape. Japanese history will tell that this kind of bridge had been a part of Japanese villages during the 1890’s. The main attractions (at least for photo fanatics like me) are the Temple Gate and the five-storey Pagoda which both came from the Panama-Pacific Exposition of 1915.

A five-storey Pagoda - a Buddhist shrine. In Japan and other Far Eastern countries,
pagodas were often built over a sacred relic. The Sorin (spire at the top of a pagoda)
has nine rings which represents various heavens of the gods.

The Temple Gate will lead you to the Cherry trees lane.

The Main Pond showcases a series of dwarf trees and Japanese Maple trees.

Blue skies, cool fresh air and relaxing sceneries…. These are just a few of the many reasons why San Francisco makes it easily to everyone’s heart.

More about San Francisco - soon on Travellers Journal.

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Jun 30, 2008

Strolling at the SM Mall of Asia - The Philippines' largest shopping complex

I spent my last weekend in Manila and I had the chance to stroll at the SM Mall of Asia (MoA). Thanks to my best friends Tyrone and Grace (they are my friends since Kinder, since 1987 to be exact) for agreeing to meet with me at MoA. I had a truly wonderful Sunday at MoA.

To my foreign visitors and fellow bloggers, here are bits of information about MoA so that in case you will have the chance to visit Manila, you already have one interesting place in your list.

The SM Mall of Asia is the Philippine's largest shopping complex. According to Forbes Magazine, it is the 3rd largest shopping mall in the world

in terms of Gross Leasable Area, after the South Dongguan Mall (China) and Golden Resources Mall (China). It has been operating for two years now after its official opening on May 21, 2006. Mall of Asia will never fail a visiting tourist as it offers a unique shopping mall ambiance. It cannot be gainsaid that one of its best attractions is the Esplanade, where you can have a relaxing view of the Manila Bay and a nostalgic feel of the romantic sunset by the bay. Unlike any other malls in the world, MoA is situated by the bay and is separated from the usual busy city district. It is located at the famous Roxas Boulevard in Manila, Philippines and is built on 19.5 hectares of reclaimed land area. MoA's architecture is equally interesting as it drifted away from the traditional box-type designed shopping malls. There are portions of MoA where you can feel the natural lighting and air specifically at the restaurant strips, IT centre, and the Esplanade. It may not be easy for slow walkers to roam around as it houses over 600 shops and 150 restaurants. Talk about shopping, you can find both local and international items here. If you like high-end and/or branded goods, you can also find them here. Now if you find yourself hungry after more than an hour of strolling, pick a restaurant of your choice offering Filipino dishes and fusion cuisines. Parking is never an issue at MoA, over 5,000 parking slots are situated outside and inside the shopping complex. Public taxis, jeepneys and vans are also readily available. Thus, transportation is not a big problem for commuters.

Aside from the relaxing view of the Manila Bay and the romantic sunset, MoA has got a lot of other attractions to offer! First in the list is the SM Science Discovery Center. This 313 million pesos (or $7 million) Science Center is the first of its kind in the world. It has a digital planetarium which showcases a wide range of science instructional movies. The planetarium is the ultimate attraction at the SM Science Discovery Centre as it can easily convince its visitor for its being ultra high-tech and interactive. It also houses several technology and science-themed exhibits such as Life Clock, ImagePort, SMART Media City (you can play computer games here), Transportation Nation, Spaceship Earth and Robot Inc (where I've seen Astroboy, my favorite cartoon hero when I was 4).

Among the science themed exhibits, I particularly enjoyed the following:

1. Virtual Reef - a digital oceanarium. Its main attraction is Mr. T, a talking cartoon titan fish. I'm sure the voice over talent could see the visitors via camera as Mr. T can naturally talk to each visitor and respond to every question they might like to ask. You bet, I had fun with this fish as my friend cracked a series of jokes with Mr T.

2. City Science - it provides an audio-visual learning of various skyscrapers all over the world and the whereabouts in major cities such as New York, Paris, London, and more.

If you happened to be a nature lover and would rather take advantage of the Manila Bay and the Sunset, the Ferry Service will be a nice treat for you! The cost per ride per person is approximately $2-3 only. During the Christmas Season, fireworks displays are also showcased by the bay. In fact, MoA has been chosen several times as the venue for World Pyro Olympics.

And if you are movie fan, there are several Digital movie houses at MoA one of which is the IMAX Theater which is the first of its kind in the Philippines and is one of the world's biggest IMAX screens in 3D.

Now if you feel like being sporty, try the Mall of Asia's Ice World, the Philippines first Olympic-sized ice skating rink of 61 by 30 meters. It is described as the biggest of its kind in Southeast Asia.

The SM Prime Holdings has recently celebrated its 50th Anniversary at MoA's SMX Convention Center. SMX is a 3-storey building of 46,647-square meter size and is described as the Philippines' largest privately run exhibition and convention center. It can accommodate up to 6,000 people. Soon to rise in MoA complex is a luxury hotel in partnership with the Radisson Chain of Hotels.

The SM history reveals a very rich legacy and a triumphant venture since the first SM branch. Whatever information is documented and made available to the public will never match the real-life experience and memories that only Mr Henry Sy himself can share.

(PHOTO: Me and Mr Henry Sy, owner of the SM Prime Holdings. Mr. Sy is known as Asia's mall magnate who remained among the world’s super-rich, according to Forbes magazine’s annual billionaires list. He placed 843rd with a net worth of $1.4 billion)

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Jun 26, 2008

Football fever rises up in Geneva and Vienna

Wonderin’ how the football craze heats up in and outside the football stadiums of Austria and Switzerland? It’s definitely worth experiencing for! Unfortunately, just like you maybe – I don’t have the chance to do so! (now that's quite frustrating! and if you happened to travel just to see the matches -- POWER TO YOU!)

As widely reported, EURO 2008 football matches continue to heat up in Switzerland – taking place in Geneva, Bâle, Berne and Zurich. In Austria, matches have been held in Vienna, Salzburg, Innsbruck and Klagenfut. With the finals in Vienna taking place on Sunday, 29 June, I’m sure football fanatics started to have sleepless nights.

Talk about football craze and its relation to the welfare of the society; let me share you some pieces of information. Football stars have committed themselves to helping the United Nations in its various work and development goals. For example, Ronaldinho and Kaká are Ambassadors Against Hunger for WFP, David Beckham is a Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF, Michael Ballack is a Special Representative for UNAIDS, Roberto Baggio is an Ambassador for FAO, and Ronaldo, Zinédine Zidane and Didier Drogba are Goodwill Ambassadors for UNDP. Also, the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) has been running a three-week anti-discrimination programme, “Unite Against Racism”, which aims to demonstrate equality in sport. It’s a "zero tolerance" for UEFA towards any form of racism, discrimination or violence in football.

Now let me share you some photographs courtesy of my organization's global Intranet site. I enjoyed looking at these pictures and I hope you’d also do. Needless to say, I direly wanted to be right there and feel the actual vibes! Grrr… (my eldest brother would surely enjoy these pictures as he was a former football player at the national level!)