The City of Miri, Sarawak - Staying at Park City Everly Hotel

I'm sitting in the lobby of Park City Everly Hotel in the city of Miri now, utilising their wifi to connect to the net and conjuring my mind to regurgitate this post. The weather looks fine and sunny from where I'm sitting, showing good signs of how the rest of the day will be like too, at least for this city. It's my first time staying in this hotel, everything looks clean, the bed, the floors of the room, the bathroom. The room I'm in, which I believe is a deluxe superior type of some sort (because it has two queen-sized beds in it) has an interesting view of the newly-constructed marina resort area, built on reclaimed land. I think the project belongs to Samling group of companies (as with most developments in this region). The hotel is strategically located along one of Miri's main roads and is very accessible if you plan to come to Miri for business purposes or even for leisure. As I sit here on this table especially provided for wifi users, I can't help but noticing the hotel staff working round the clock to ensure the tenants or whoever enters the hotel are being well taken of. I see the guy at the door greeting almost every Tom, Dick and Harry that comes in regardless of how many times you pass through the door (looked a bit strange after a while) but I guess that's his job scope. Yup, I'd recommend this place to stay.

I got this aerial view of Miri City from the Healthy City Sarawak website. From Miri you can go to some of Sarawak's well-known natural heritage places such as Mulu National Park and the group of caves at Niah. Plus you can go to Lambir Hills, another national park area accessible via the City. Check out my earlier posts for details on these amazing places.

Fascinating Sydney

A couple of posts back I wrote about Sydney, Australia. I've got this somewhat close interest with Australia of late probably because I'm currently working on a project of which the client is Australian. I've heard many interesting things about Sydney and what goes on in the city during the day, and especially at night. Sydney night-life is magic, they say. I asked if getting a place to stay in Sydney would burn a hole in your pocket. No, they said. As a matter of fact, there are plenty of cheap hotels in Sydney from what I found out.

Any plans to go to Sydney? When you do find you way to Sydney, among the first pit stops to make would be Circular Quay, which is an area full of festivals and shops. From there you can walk up to the world-famous Sydney Opera House which was completed in 1973. It's a building with as great architectural significance as the Eiffel Tower or the Taj Mahal. Just next to it would be the Government House, a beautiful and historical building just south of the Opera House.

Have you heard of The Rocks? In days of old, the convicts used snadstone to build up the streets, hence the name. The Rocks is a small collection of streets that originally were slums but now offer a shopper's paradise. Then there is Harbor Bridge, also known as "The Coat Hanger" by locals. It's actually a bridge with a pedestrian walkway, two railway lines and an eight-lane road. Some of the best views in Sydney can be seen as you walk along the bridge which will take you a good 30-40 minutes.

The Sydney Aquarium is one place you must visit. You are able to walk under water and explore Australia's rich and diverse aquatic life and habitats. The aquarium trip is best suited for kids, family and friends. I wouldn't miss that one for sure.

And of course, not forgetting the beaches. Two places you should make a point to got to would be Bondi and the northern beaches. Bondi is located just 15 minutes west of downtown Sydney. The norther beaches are cleaner and less crowded compared to Bondi beach. You should try out Manly Beach, Palm Beach, Whale Beach or Avalon.

At night, you can enjoy some of the musical, comedy and magic shows plus a variety of other shows to choose from, depending on what you're interested in. Go check out shows by Ben Bradshaw, Australia's most successful comedy magician to date. Or if you're into dancing and dance shows, then go check out All Flavours, the only crew that mixes capoeira martial arts and acrobatics and breakdancing.

(Photo source: www.entertainoz.com.au)

Travelling in Asia

When one speaks of Asia, one is most inclined to imagine the myriads of different people that exist in Asia since Asia is ever so huge. India, China, Japan, Indonesia, Thailand, Myanmar, Malaysia, Phillipines, the list goes on. Tourists from Europe and countries in the West love to come to Asia simply because there's just so many different cultures to experience and appreciate. Even in one country you can have so many different, shall I call it, sub-cultures that has created different languages and different foods, etc.

Asian themselves love to travel wihin Asia, and I've come across some very interesting and hilarious travel stories in Asia, thanks to this great mixture of so many different cultures. I've got friends from Denmark and Australia who have traveled quite extensively in South East Asia for the last couple of years and they say, Asia is so diverse that it gets to the point of becoming uniquely strange. I'm not quite sure what they meant by that but I'll share with you some examples. Have you ever been to Thailand? Well if you have, then I'm sure you would have heard of lady boys, i.e. men who become women. And really look like them, physically. Sometimes even much better than real women. How to recognise them, you ask? I'm not sure myself, but I found some tips on the Net on the top 5 ways to spot lady boys in Thailand. Good luck to those who are keen to find out!
Sun, sea, sandy beaches and fine hot weather is what most of the equatorial Asian countries hold a trump card for. I'm a beach freak myself and I'd go down to the beach any opportunity I can get. Some of the best beaches in Asia are found in Thailand, Indonesia, India, the Phillipines and Sri Lanka. Not forgetting of course some world-famous diving locations such as north part of Borneo Island. It's a heck of an experience to dive into the crystal clear, warm sea waters or go explore the marine flora and fauna in the reef areas of the coast.

Asian tourists are a funny bunch. Whenever you see them on a holiday somewhere and taking photographs, you are bound to see strange and hilarious actions not just while posing for the photos but also while taking the shots. I kind of figured it out - they have to do all the awkward statures because of the limitations of their camera; it's most of the time a small, light, absolutely-as-compact-as-you-can type of camera. Which is what Asian love to go for. Because it's small. If you're planning to watch Beijing Olympics next year, then you will appreciate tips on how to take photos in Beijing, China.

Asia, simply marvellous!

(Photo source: Katathani Phuket Beach Resort, Thailand Beach Resort)

Where to go for your next Holiday?

Year end is coming up and most of us busy working people would now be looking forward to week-long holidays with family and loved ones. Being on an island with an equatorial climate allows me to enjoy hot, sunny weather almost all year round. Unless of course if it pours. Now where would you be thinking to go for a holiday this year? Locally or abroad? If you're thinking abroad, you should try checking out packages with the best all-in-one offers that is affordable to you. It's always about affordability for most of us young family people.

For those of you wanting to go to fun, exotic places in the east such as India, then try to find holiday packages that will bring you to Goa. It's got one of the best beaches in the western coast of India. Panaji is the capital city of Goa and it offers a wide range of luxury hotels, cafes and bars, its streets are cobbledstoned with pastel-painted old buildings.

If your holidays are somehow limited to just a day or two during Christmas and the New Year, then you might perhaps prefer a short, eventful but relaxing holiday excursion to some of the major cities in the world. Convenience and affordability would be the key thing I look for when it comes to travelling for shorter periods of time.

This year I will most probably spend a week in the capital city, Kuala Lumpur, to take my wife and particularly my 4-year old son to the city's well-known amusement park enjoyments and a nice stroll in town, all of which my boy has not been to. In the not too distant future, I will be making my way to visit places of interest through travelling packages which are good, has little fuss on arrangements and worth the money you're paying it for.

(Goa tourist map: Copyright 2006 Compare Infobase Limited)