Mt. Kinabalu: A Flyby to Remember

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A few years ago, when the business of budget flights to nearby Asian destinations was still at its infancy, I had a once-in-a-lifetime chance to do a Mount Kinabalu flyby aboard a  tiny Cessna. I was transitioning from freelance writing and directing  to working as a regular slave when the offer to write the pilot of ...

KL’s Hop-On Hop-Off Experience

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Some hard core travellers would tell you that hopping on a tourist bus is a waste of time and money. By ‘hard core’ I mean backpackers on their thirdorfourth round-the-world trip who consider such things as expensive tourist traps. Why not just go around the city on your own? they would say. Why spend ...

Hotels: Number Twenty Guest House, Melaka

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I have three words for Number Twenty:  surot (bedbugs) sungit (rude) ingay (noise) This hostel is a good concept that failed in execution.  It may be very cheap, but then again, you get what you pay for.  It's easy to get drawn to its seemingly perfect, Ikea-furnished interior but it's a whole different story when you've actually ...

Malaysia: Ikea, baby!

Ikea in Damansara

Before going back to Manila, we just had to stop by the Swedish furniture company, Ikea. The last time I was in Ikea, it was still squatting in the basement of One Utama.  But now, it has a space all its own in Damansara. It's quite a long way from downtown KL but it's worth ...

Malaysia: KL Sentral

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One of the things that really impressed me about Malaysia was the amazing transport system.  It's so efficient that there's  hardly any reason to be late to your appointment or get lost along the way.  Everything is accessible and affordable, even the cabs. One particular place that I love is KL Sentral, Malaysia's biggest transit hub. ...

Eating Malaysia Part 2

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Eating Malaysia continued... 6. Dry Mee Hoon with Minced Pork Chinese noodles served in a pool of special dark gravy and topped with minced pork. Perfect for breakfast, while waiting for the city to wake up;  or for a pre-dinner snack eaten while loitering around a hawker stall as you lazily people-watch. Eat with a hot cup ...