Saturday, 5th May 2012 Over Vesak Day holidays earlier this month, I booked myself a private room at the Aqueen Hotel Lavender for a quick weekend getaway from the hot weather. As my url=http://www.tripadvisor.com.sg/ShowUserReviews-g294265-d1574780-r129436032-Aqueen_Hotel_Lavender-Singapore.htmlreviews of the property turned out, it was saddled with its own fair share of shortcomings despite its contemporary room design. I should have guessed it, given that I've only paid SGD 117 for a night's rest in pricey Singapore. Well, that's 3-star comfort for me in a non-touristy neighbourhood. I tried to make do with whatever the room offered even though sound proofing to cut off unwanted noise from the elevators and the neighbourhood was almost non-existent. The streets surrounding Aqueen were having their own sort of religious celebrations. Clearly, ... read more

Thursday, 19th April 2012 (Day 05) I knew that I wouldn't be able to climb on board Bus #14 for my journey to Buddha Park (Xieng Khuan), about 25km from Vientiane. The 12,000 kip (USD 1.50 return) local bus was jam-packed with people when I passed by the Talat Sao Bus Station on Wednesday. Even the reception at my hotel advised me against using public transport since none of the guys at the bus station spoke English. I probably wouldn't know where to alight - it seemed. After having a fair idea of the on-going tuk-tuk rate, I walked down a couple of streets to find the right fit for my budget. In fact, the rate was a standard 200,000 kip flat (USD 25) no matter how far I walked. There seemed to be an unwritten ... read more

Wednesday, 18th April 2012 Day 04 of my trip in Indochina. The sweltering heat in the Laos capital was something quite unlike I had experienced back in Singapore. The weather was scorching hot right from the start of the morning. To a certain extent, the leafy boulevards in the city helped to provide a much needed relief from the sun. However, the heat in summer was simply too much for an average human being to bear. For the most part of the day, I had my brolly put into good use. This was partly inspired by the tangerine-cladded monks along the streets doing the same. After a healthy breakfast consisting of croissant, yogurt, banana shake with honey and plenty of fruits to kick-start my day, I began my morning walk from Hotel Khamvongsa, passing through numerous ... read more

Monday, 16th April 2012 (Day 02) Despite the obvious flaws in Saigon Mini Hotel 5, there was a certain level of quality in the overall breakfast experience. The morning break was served in the Breakfast Room at level 10 of the property with a view of the Saigon skyline. The night before, I had pre-selected my breakfast items on the menu and the nice ladies would cook it right in front of me. Worth mentioning were the flavourful omelettes done almost to perfection - rich and creamy. After breakfast, it was time for me to head to the Ho Chi Minh City Museum about 25 minutes from where I stayed. The 35 degrees temperatures wasn't too inviting given the lack of shade even though navigating through the well sign-posted streets in District 1 was straightforward. Most ... read more

Monday, 9th April 2012 (Day 04) Our 1115hrs flight did not leave us with opportunities for further sight-seeing in the city. For breakfast, we decided to go ahead with room service to save the hassle of finding food in the neighbourhood. By 6.50am, the friendly service staff had arrived with our selections which we had pre-ordered the night before. Bon Appetit! This was a nice ending for our Bandung vacation as we partake the spread in front of us within the comfort of our room. Expenses Air Asia Air Tickets: SGD 215 3 nights accomodation: SGD 144 Expenses + Airport Taxes: SGD 258 Total Damage: SGD 617 (1 SGD = 6,150 Rupiahs)... read more