Tag
As far as hotels in Berlin go, the Adlon has got to be the most popular. Aside from being historical, the hotel has succeeded in earning its deserved place in pop culture throughout the years. It’s a frequent filming location for movies set in Berlin and it’s also the place where the King of Pop famously dangled his baby.
I’m an island girl through and through. I’ll always love the sand, the sea, and the all-year-round sun. Though we’re posted in Malaysia which is a tropical country with its own beaches, I must admit that I do miss the islands back home.
There’s just something about the Philippines that makes me want to go back and so I do grab any chance I get, mind you.
In early May, I was part of the 2nd Ambassador’s Tour hosted by – you guessed it – our embassy’s Ambassador. Following the success of the first one (held in 2014) wherein he brought 112 Malaysian tourists to Manila and its nearby provinces, the Philippine Embassy and our tourism representative here in Kuala Lumpur decided to bring even more people this year to Cebu and Bohol – two of the island provinces in central Philippines.
It’s quite easy to travel between islands these days in the Philippines with better ports and more ferries available. 😉
This time, the group was mixed with other expats. We even had quite a huge Thai delegation with us during the tour and a good number of Filipino expats who’ve been staying in Malaysia for 20 or so years.
I was lucky enough to be invited to join as a.) part of the embassy and b.) part of the media delegation. Being part of the embassy meant that I got to help our ambassador, our cultural attache, and our economic attache in bringing the humungous tour group from one place to another.
I also got the task of doing the PR for the whole trip. Side story: It’s a running joke nowadays that I’m the embassy’s publicist. But that’s cool since I do enjoy helping out by using my media experience. Better to get so busy than end up being rusty. 😉
It also meant that I helped in taking good care of the media whom I immediately bonded with during the trip.
We had a packed itinerary as there was so much to see in just 4 days. But we were determined to make it happen! And we did! Though it was hella tiring for us, there is really a sense of fulfilment when you get to do a bit of good for your country. (As cheesy as that sounds)
It’s a passion of mine to promote our islands to tourists and counter all the bad press we’ve been getting. There’s a certain charm to it, I tell you and you’ll see proof in the photos that I will be posting. 😉
So without further yapping (Notice how I tend to ramble? It’s the same when I’m talking IRL.), let me quickly go through some of the reasons why you should consider Cebu and Bohol for your next vacation! 😉
VITAMIN SEA
This sounds so much like a hard sell but it’s actually true: The Philippines has some of the best beaches in the world. And I’m not just talking about Boracay. We’ve got island sanctuaries that are the farthest thing from the word ‘touristy’. Some of them can be found just a short boat ride from Cebu City.
Here’s a quick post while I wait for my homemade cheesecake to chill. 😉 Still from our anniversary weekend, I wanted to share with you a couple of photos from the Oriental Village and the Cable Car ride to the highest point in the island.
Short side story first: When I first told one of the people I knew back in college that my husband was going to be posted in Malaysia, her first reaction was “Aww. But there’s nothing to see there!” While I told her that my husband’s gonna be going out of the country for work and not just sightseeing (and Malaysia, a neighbour country, is a great assignment where my husband will be trained extensively by the amount and importance of work here and his extremely smart bosses), I could also have told her of all the islands we could visit here but I didn’t waste my time anymore because I knew was talking to a girl who wore heels for a sight seeing/shopping trip in Hong Kong and Taiwan so she was clearly an inexperienced traveller and not that well-read. 😉
So. One of the islands to visit in Malaysia is of course, Langkawi. To all my Filipino friends, it’s like their version of Coron+Boracay. Beaches, rivers, and a long list of attractions.
Right in the centre of Kuala Lumpur is its own Little India. The husband and I were able to walk around its main street during one of our weekend afternoons which we usually spend either sightseeing within the city or furniture shopping.
Brickfields is a neighbourhood near KL Sentral station. It’s easily accessible and is a place known for good bargains (from food, grocery items, to accessories) and a good mix of modern meets traditional architecture.
Just wanted to do a quick post on this neighbourhood (which we visited after our trip to the Planetarium) and share some photos taken along the area’s main street, Jalan Tun Sambanthan:
The KL Sentral side of Brickfields is filled with modern architecture.
