For the Love of Siam Square and Platinum Fashion Mall – Bangkok, Thailand

March 16, 2013 by 5 Comments
A scene shot at Scala Cineme in Siam Square

I always have to have a hat on when traveling. Have to. Always. That explains this blog's logo, huh? Never mind that my head is too big for a silly fedora hat (or any hat for that matter); it's just my thing. It is comfortable, protective, and to a certain extent expressive. Without it, it just doesn't feel right. If you're traveling with me and you lose me in a big crowd, all you need to do is spot the fedora hat bobbing across the sea of humanity and, voila, you found me! So on my first morning in Bangkok, when I realized that I lost my hat, I just had to find a replacement --- fast. It was an instantaneous reaction, almost a reflex. It was a compulsion brought about an obsessive … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Bangkok, Shops, Thailand Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

The Cheery Chaos of Shilin Night Market – Taipei, Taiwan

December 26, 2012 by 1 Comment
Innards, anyone?

We picked up a piece of the salmon in front of us and raised the chopsticks to our drooling mouths. The hotness of the freshly cooked morsels dominated at first but within a few seconds' linger, the taste took over our palates. Hannah, one of my blogger friends, turned to me and I threw the delighted look back at her. "Best salmon I ever had," I whispered to her. Take that with a grain of salt because I'm not really a salmon guy and I had tried it only a few times in the past. "Me, too," Hannah replied with a smile. "Best salmon I ever had." Now that's something you can trust. I'm pretty sure she had tasted a lot of salmon dishes before. Hannah and I took another bite and excitedly … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Food, Shops, Taipei, Taiwan Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Fountain of Wealth: The World’s Largest Fountain – Suntec City, Singapore

October 24, 2012 by 2 Comments
The Good Luck Ritual around the Fountain of Wealth

"It's the largest fountain in the world," my friend Mimi said as she ushered us out of the building to an alfresco area that harbored a shallow man-made pond. "That one?" I asked while flashing a look that excellently expressed disbelief. "That little fountain at the center of the pond? That's the largest in the world?" As the words came out of my mouth, the right side of my brain was sarcastically taunting the left, Am I being Punk'd?  Obviously, I had seen fountains bigger than that one. Lots of them. That fountain of water that geysered in the middle of the pond in the middle of Suntec City was definitely not the biggest in the world. It would not even make it in my category of … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Other Landmarks, Shops, Singapore Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Drowning in Danggit at Tabo-an Market – Cebu City, Philippines

August 1, 2012 by Leave a Comment
Mounds and mounds of dried fish at Tabo-an Market!

"I asked for a fish. You gave me an ocean," I told my friend whom I had been urging the whole day to take me where I could buy danggit, a popular dried fish product in Cebu. The entire day that I was exploring Cebu City, a nagging voice had been playing in my head. It was my mother's; she always requires that I bring danggit home as pasalubong whenever I am in Cebu. My friend appropriately took me to Tabo-an Market. What I didn't expect was how much dried fish and how wide a variety of it would welcome me there! It was a danggit-lover's paradise! … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Cebu, Food, Shops Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

Sagada Weaving: The Twining Threads – Mountain Province, Philippines

August 1, 2012 by Leave a Comment
More threads!

I excitedly hung my camera around my neck as I hopped out of the vehicle and trod towards the main work hall of the Sagada Weaving complex only to be greeted by a "No Taking of Pictures" posted on the door. Just when I was about to take my cam off and put it back to the bag, one of the ladies working there said that it was okay. We asked if we could take photos of them while they worked and she obliged and encouraged us to explore the other parts of the workplace. From that moment on, I knew I would have fun inside the building. Warm hospitality always makes traveling a lot more enjoyable! Sagada Weaving has been weaving quality products such as bags, slippers, souvenirs, and apparel … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Mountain Province, Sagada, Shops Tagged With: , , ,

Jonker Street: Where Cultures Mingle – Malacca, Malaysia

June 27, 2012 by Leave a Comment
Mouth of Jonker Street Malacca

The Chinese New Year was very much alive when we were in Melaka. An enormous Chinese water dragon, dangling over Jonker Street was spitting cold water into a small fountain to the delight of tourists and locals alike. Darkness was slowly blanketing the UNESCO World Heritage Site but Jonker Street was just starting to get a life of its own. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Malacca, Malaysia, Roads + Bridges, Shops Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Lost in the Pages of Books Kinokuniya | Orchard Road, Singapore

September 10, 2011 by Leave a Comment
books kinokuniya singapore

There's something about the smell of new books that excites me. Call me weird but I love putting my nose close to the pages as I flip them. I also love the feeling of my fingers running on the edges of the books and its virgin pages. It's just addictive. Books give me life. That's why when our very little time in Orchard Road on my previous trip to Singapore did not allow me to step into Books Kinokuniya, I was really disappointed. Knowing that it's one of the biggest bookstores in Southeast Asia --- Indonesia's Gramedia flagship store in Jakarta is the largest --- I promised myself I would pay it a visit the next time I'd be in Singapore. And this Singapore-Kuala Lumpur Cruise paved way … [Read more...]

Filed Under: International Trips, Shops, Singapore Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Little India By Night – Singapore

September 7, 2011 by Leave a Comment
mustafa centre singapore

When my mom learned I would be going to Singapore for the third time, she handed me a list of things I should buy for her. When I looked at the list I knew exactly where to get them --- Mustafa Centre. It was not difficult at all to squeeze this quick shopping stint into my itinerary because Mustafa is open 24 hours anyway. Ten o'clock has already passed when we arrived at Fragrance Hotel Selegie from the airport. After getting my key card, I immediately proceeded to my room, dropped my bags and went out again. It was the perfect opportunity to head over to Mustafa Centre and buy what my mom asked me to get for her, mostly perfumes. Just within the block, I passed by a 7-Eleven store and … [Read more...]

Filed Under: International Trips, Religious Sites, Shops, Singapore Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Window Shopping at Orchard Road – Singapore

August 7, 2011 by Leave a Comment
orchard road

I wasn't expecting to score good deals in Orchard Road since most brands here are high-end. Actually, the night before this we already went to Mustafa Mall in Little India to buy pasalubong and we were more than delighted that there were so many good buys in the area. But I still wanted my mom to see the famed street. After almost 2 hours in Chinatown, the Poor Traveler and his mom decided to proceed to Orchard Road to see the many shopping centers there and possibly buy pasalubong if we see something affordable. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: International Trips, Shops, Singapore Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

Shopping at Mong Kok Night Market, Hong Kong

April 11, 2011 by Leave a Comment
mongkok

Traveling is hard. Traveling with kids? That's a different story. Kids can only do so much walking and they can get exhausted easily. That's exactly what happened to us. My niece and nephew got physically tired after just 5 hours walking around so we had to go back to our hotel in Tsim Sha Tsui to rest. Instead of staying at the hotel, my sister and I decided to push through with our plan of visiting the night market and leave the kids with our mom at the hotel.  And so we went to Mong Kok. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Hong Kong, Shops Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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