February 3, 2011

Grand Palace and Emerald Buddha

I’ve been to Bangkok a lot of times already, but I’ve never visited Grand Palace until April of this year. I thought that it would be just another overrated tourist destination, but I was wrong. I was staying in Khao San Road and one lazy morning I decided to go to the Grand Palace. It [...]

A Backpacker’s Epiphany in Khao San

Khao San Road would probably be Bangkok’s answer to Champs Elysses of Paris. However, it’s not as grand as the latter, in fact Khao San is quite the opposite of Champs Elysses. It’s dirty, with narrow roads, packed with cheap hostels and mid-priced hotels and it’s full of street vendors peddling everything that they can [...]

First Time in Kuala Lumpur

March 2009: I left my home around 4AM and took a taxi to EDSA Pasay. There’s a bus station there that goes to Clark Airport everyday. I can’t remember how much exactly I paid for the bus ride but it’s definitely not that much. For those who’re not familiar with Clark, it used to be [...]

A Glimpse of Burma

I’ve always wanted to travel to Burma for the longest time and last April 2009, when I was in the North of Thailand, I thought that I would be able to do so. Burma seems to be fascinating and mysterious to me. I personally don’t know anyone who’s been there or at least expressed an [...]

Halong Bay on the Cheap

Halong Bay has been on my list ever since I became a traveler. However, I was really hesitant to go there especially after knowing that Halong Bay is on the top list of the New Seven Wonders of the World poll. I was thinking that I may not be able to afford it. I was [...]

Biggest Beach Party in Asia

I just had dinner and really felt full. I felt the urge to smoke to relieve myself of the stuffy feeling caused by overeating. As I was staring at the sky, I noticed that it was full moon. A couple of years back, I was restless in my apartment in Bangkok. I grabbed something to [...]

The Golden Triangle (Southeast Asia)

I’ve heard a lot of stories about the Golden Triangle during my Asian history class in high school. They’ve said that it’s one of the most dangerous places in Asia. As I was traveling from Mae Sai to Huay Xai last April 2009, I accidentally saw a songthaew going to the Golden Triangle. Curious as [...]

The Great Ruins of Angkor

Angkor Wat would probably be one of the most visited historical sites in the whole Southeast Asian region. This is one place that you shouldn’t miss when you go to Indo-China. Some facts from Wikipedia “Angkor Wat is a temple complex at Angkor, Cambodia, built for the king Suryavarman in the early 12th century as [...]

Challenges of a Filipino Backpacker

It’s a bit difficult to travel freely if you’re a Filipino and a Philippine passport holder like me. There seems to be a lot of restrictions that are imposed to our nationality. But these things shouldn’t stop us from traveling and experiencing the backpacking lifestyle. These are some of my observations. 1. Low Wage: Most [...]

Phnom Penh: A City of Hope

I was planning to take a boat trip from Saigon to Phnom Penh but most travel agencies were still closed when I arrived. So I just bought a bus ticket and did the usual overland crossing. I was expecting it to be another long ride but it just took me five hours to reach the [...]