Budokan

Budokan

Budokan

Growing up listening to the music of The Carpenters, he decided to name this blog Budokan in remembrance of their Live at Budokan Tour in Tokyo in May 1974. He finally made a trip to the Nippon Budokan in September 2017, 43 years after the Carpenters held their 18 sold-out concerts in Japan!

Hailing from the tropics, Budokan is fortunate to reside in Singapore where jetsetting around have become very affordable. His greatest passion lies in cultivating his lifetime career of travelling, blogging and tour guiding.

A Travel Blogger since May 2005, his constant curiosity for new places have brought him places to the remote mountains of Chiang Mai (Jul 2005), rode on the London Eye (May 2009) & the Death Railway in Kanchanaburi (Dec 2007), skied on the slopes of Hokkaido (Jan 2009), paid homeage to the magnificent Temples of Angkor (Jan 2008), Tiger's Nest of Bhutan (Jan 2020) and to the WWII victims of Hiroshima (May 2013), Pearl Harbour (Jan 2015) and Nanjing (Jan 2010).

33 countries, 453 cities and 509,404km later, he would call it a day when he could no longer muster enough strength to lift his backpack. Until then, he would continue to update his travel tales for as long as possible.










Asia » Singapore September 4th 2021

Saturday, 4th September 2021 Opted for the cutesy single loft room at Hotel Yan to spend my weekend. I once joined a weekend walking tour around the neighborhood thanks to the folks at the now defunct Mahota Market (the owner of Prime Supermarket). The weather for the weekend was lovely with clear blue skies which created an ideal setting for picture-taking opportunities. I walked a lot and tasted a lot along the way from the Hainanese Curry Rice @ The Hainan Story to the delicious Durian Mousse @ Tian Wang. At the end of the weekend, I learnt more things about the neighborhood than I would have thought otherwise.... read more
Breakfast affair at Chye Seng Huat

Asia » Singapore » Orchard Road July 17th 2021

Saturday, 17th July 2021 One of the really nice things that happened to me during the staycation was that I was offered a complimentary check-in from as early at 7am on Saturday morning. The concierge contacted me the day before and offered me this great service. Since 7am was way too early for me, I opted for the 10am option. Receiving my room keys for level 22 of the property was a nice surprise. While the room configuration does not permit a window near the bed, the views from the bathroom was nevertheless gorgeous. More surprises awaited me in the room as I was presented with a generous serving of marcrons as well as two servings of cocktails at the level 9 cafe. There was also a mini-swimming pool within the premises. Needless to say, I ... read more

Asia » Singapore » Orchard Road May 12th 2021

Wednesday, 12th May 2021 This was a Japanese-themed staycation as I embarked on a 3D2N getaway from my daily routine. Ideally nestled within the Dhoby Ghaut district, Ji Hotel wowed me for its very spacious Zen-inspired rooms as well as its attractive weekday deal. The spotless room reminded very much of my stay at Dormy Inn during my travels in Japan. The only exception was probably the absence of an onsen within the accommodation. During the staycation, I also found some time to pop by at the LTA SG Mobility Gallery in Little India as well as catching up with SS who was gracious enough to show me around the grounds of the former KK Hospital where she worked. As far as this staycation was concerned, I tried to keep it to the Japanese theme in ... read more
A modern Japanese inspired stay
LTA SG Mobility Gallery
Fort Canning

Asia » Singapore » Tiong Bahru April 11th 2021

Sunday, 11th April 2021 This was a weekend of discovery for me in Tiong Bahru, one of Singapore's most iconic neighborhoods dating back from the colonial era. I chose to stay at the D Hotel to take advantage of the off-peak promotional rates of SGD70 nett. This is a new-built cutesy building that looked like a nest from afar. Judging from the spacious room that I stayed in, it was definitely worth more than the price that I paid. In terms of food, both Tiong Bahru Pau and Tiong Bahru Bakery were literally minutes away. I spent the most part of my day strolling through the beautiful neighbourhood while trying to locate the oldest SIT Block 55 that was built in 1936 during the art-deco craze. There were also other eating opportunities at Ah Chiang's Porridge ... read more
One of the rare 5-storey block in Tiong Bahru from the 1930s
Hello Tiong Bahru
Three generations of flats from the 1930s, 1950s and 2010s

Asia » Singapore December 31st 2020

If I were to look back at my life at some point in time, this was how 2020 / 2021 meant to me. I remembered that I had just returned from Bhutan when the first COVID-19 case reached the shores of Singapore. Before long, the whole episode unfolded rather quickly. Initially, I started to maintain a log to track my daily movements in case contact tracers knocked on my door. Overtime, I decided to include some of the details below:- 23rd January 2020 - First COVID-19 Case reported in Singapore. The first few cases were imported, predominantly from Wuhan, China. 1st February 2020 – Final edition of My Dawson Heritage Tour. MC annual CNY reunion luncheon. 7th February 2020 - Dorscon Orange declared in Singapore. Panic buy at supermarkets islandwide over the weekend and the shelves ... read more
16th November 2020 - all masked-up in the office
5th December 2020 - Xmas festivities @ Park Royal Beach Road
5th December 2020 @ the Singapore Flyer

Asia » Singapore » Little India October 19th 2020

Monday, 19th October 2020 We started day 02 of our staycation with a sumptuous breakfast affair at level 6 of the hotel. Gone were the days where a full buffet spread greeted us in the morning. Instead, we were presented with a rather extensive menu where we could order any items that we fancy. The wait-staffs were welcoming and eager to serve which helped to elevate our dining experience at the Garden Pavilion. From our hotel, we decided to explore the surrounding Pek Kio neighbourhood for more food options. Along 130 Owen Road, we chanced upon Bakehaus, an artisan bakery that served really authentic croissants. Having opened their doors for slightly over a year, Bakehaus had gained its own loyal following judging by the number of likes on their FB page and rave Google reviews. What ... read more
Breakfast at Pek Kio neighbourhood centre

Asia » Singapore » Little India October 18th 2020

Sunday, 18th October 2020 It was a rainy day that greeted us this morning. Even so, this did not dampen our mood as we embarked on our staycation at One Farrer Hotel. H was held up with work in the morning so I decided to check-in earlier while waiting for him to arrive in the afternoon. I arrived at the hotel lobby sometime after 1pm today and was amazed at how quiet it was. Times were really bad as a result of Covid-19 pandemic. During check-in, I was informed that we had gotten an upgrade to the Skyline Room at level 18 of the property. Breakfast was served at the Garden Pavilion at level 6 on day one and at the Club Lounge at level 18 on day two of our stay. I believed the hotel ... read more
The bath
And the amazing pool

Asia » Singapore » Bugis Village August 9th 2020

Sunday, 9th August 2020 Hotel G probably ticked most of the items on a Great Staycation Experience. Comfortable, plushy beds, powerful rain-showers, fluffy towels, a contemporary outlook, Metis brand of toiletries (that smelt great) and an efficient check-in experience. Oh yes, my room rate came with a complimentary breakfast thrown in as well. And all these came with a jaw-dropping price tag of SGD 90 over a National Day Weekend! What more could I ask for? Probably a queen-bedding configuration would be a nice touch. Anyway, the staycation experience during the COVID-19 pandemic meant that in-room amenities such as face masks and hand sanitizers were included on top of the usual fare. In addition, the usual Safe Entry and temperature-taking initiatives at the lobby level meant that all guests were thoroughly screened for symptoms even before ... read more
Free breakfast anyone?
Hotel G Staycay
Udon cravings at Itacho Sushi

Asia » Indonesia » Sumatra » Pekanbaru March 8th 2020

Sunday, 8th March 2020 We still had sometime to explore the city this morning before our evening flight back to Singapore. After extending our room check-out time to 4pm, we headed back to the town centre for breakfast. Porridge became my staple during this trip to Pekanbaru even though the highlight this morning must be the fish soup and the fried bee hoon from Kian Wee Seafood Soup. After our hearty meal, we walked towards the riverfront where the iconic Rumah Singgah Tuan Kadi is located. This is a historic building located next to the Siak River which is rather posh for its time. The house is elevated by short pillars which perhaps served to prevent it from being flooded by the overflowing river during the rainy season. Back at the hotel in the afternoon, we ... read more

Asia » Indonesia » Sumatra » Pekanbaru March 7th 2020

Saturday, 7th March 2020 It was awesome to start the day with a swim at the hotel's infinity pool. From where I stood, the morning views of the city was unforgettable. At 8am, this was probably the best time of the day to be at the pool when the majority of the hotel guests were either asleep or having their breakfast. Since we had opted out from the hotel buffet, it was time to check out some breakfast options at Chinatown after the swim. Whether it was local porridge or chicken drumstick hor fun or char kuay teow, there were plenty of delicious options for us. Our gourmet journey continued to the local market where there were options for some kueh kuehs and keropok from one of the many colorful vendors around. Next, no visit to ... read more
Lunch at Pagi Sore
Wedding Bells along the way
Dinner at Pondok Gurih




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