As soon as we landed in Yogyakarta, I received a text message from Paul. The message read: "I guess it is not that difficult to spot a long-haired man with a beard." And it wasn't. Piece of cake. ;-) Paul drove us straight on to the Hindu temple complex in Prambanan . Just before entering the complex, we decided to buy our hats. This is when I remembered I forgot to bring my sunscreen. Oh well, let's hope the hat does the trick. Best sunny than wet. Prambanan Temple This ancient masterpiece is unquestionably the greatest Hindu architectural wonder in all of Indonesia. Just like the temple at Borobudur, Prambanan is adorned with bas-reliefs depicting the Ramayana epic. Built around the same time as Borobudur , this 9th century heritage site is only 17 kilometers from ... read more

What to do in Davao? I have made many visits to Davao in the past, and have felt I have run out of things to do. There is the famous Pearl Farm in Samal Island. I would not mind going back again, but surely , there has got to be other things to do. Then there is the Eden Nature Park where I remember fishing with my little Patricia, then aged 3. She caught a small one, yet that was one of her proudest moments then. Having made this 90 minute plane ride from Manila to this part of Southern Philippines, I thought we were ready for some unexpected twists on this trip. As soon as we arrived , I was pleasantly surprised with the new Davao International Airport. It is not huge, but the place ... read more

It's another long weekend. And many have planned for this long weekend. Just slightly more than an hour's plane ride from Manila and Cagayan de Oro City in Mindanao welcomed us. There is work to do, and more.... Cagayan de Oro in Northern Mindanao, but in the southern part of the Philippines Cagayan de Oro looks and smells like another metropolis but there is a provincial touch to the place as people from hotel staff to vendors to the taxi driver seem to have enough time for everyone. There is no rush about how things are done . Perhaps people are more relaxed, and more accepting of "strangers" while visitors appear to be more trusting rather than cynical of the kindness of strangers. One may even say "laid back", yet the progressive economy of the place ... read more

We arrived in Taipei midmorning of August 6th. A good 45 minute ride from the airport, we soon found our Leofoo Hotel in the city center. We were a group of 4 traveling from Manila, each one smarting from the superb deal we bagged from Philippine Airlines which put out a two-day promo fare of only P3,900 (about US$80) inclusive of the travel tax of P1,620. The planned 4 day/3 night holiday listed a few must-visit sites, no-mercy eating and some night market shopping for good measure. Soon after we found our hotel, we wasted no time and took a cab to visit Taipei 101 : the world's tallest building, but not for long. The 20 minute cab ride cost us only NT 120 (less than US$ 4) . Just when we neared this lovely piece ... read more

Lady Yang was one of the four beauties of China. She lived during the Tang dynasty and was briefly married to the Imperial Prince......until the prince's father fancied her and made her his favorite concubine in the Tang harem. How's that for a love story? The Hua Qing Hot Springs was a gift from Emperor Tang Ming Huang for Lady Yang to spend the cold spring months. So in love was this Emperor that relay horses transported her favorite fruit, lychees, to this palace . No wonder the Chinese call premium quality lychees as "concubine smile" , inspired by this consort's love for this fruit. As the favorite concubine, Lady Yang and her family enjoyed many privileges and earned court titles. But all good things must come to an end. Lady Yang's adopted son, An Lu ... read more