Category: Travel
When people think of Taiwan, they think night market, building 101, high-mountain tea. But, once you scratch past the surface, you’ll realize how much more Taiwan has to offer, especially for hikers. The island is beautiful outside the city. No wonder the Portuguese called it ‘Ilha Formosa’ when they first set their eyes on the … Continue reading Four Days, Four Hikes
While en route to the gym and Din Tai Fung two weeks ago, I lost my California driver’s license. Neither the gym nor the restaurant had it, so the next logical possibility was the Taipei Metro system. I filled out a lost and found claim on the Taipei MRT App, but was resigned to the … Continue reading The Future Is Here
We returned to the Grand Hyatt Kuala Lumpur on our last night in Southeast Asia while transiting between Cambodia and Taiwan. Throughout our time in Malaysia and Cambodia, I kept an eye on the standard suite availability for a possible upgrade, and was disappointed to see that availability was gone the day before we were … Continue reading Grand Hyatt Kuala Lumpur – Globalist Experience Part 2
Our second day in Siem Reap started in the wee hours of the morning. To catch sunrise at 6:18am and to get an unobstructed shot of the temple reflected off the Northern pond, we needed to leave the hotel at 4:40am to get to the Angkor Wat gate at opening at 5am. For those lucky … Continue reading Grand Tour
Angkor Wat is the largest and most well known temple in Angkor, but it is far from the only one in the city. There are 2 main routes to follow when visiting - the small circuit and the grand tour, both of which can be covered in 2 days. After our Angkor Wat visit, we … Continue reading Small Circuit Temples
Now is probably the best time to visit Angkor Wat. Tourism hasn’t fully picked up in Cambodia, and as a result, you can get a buy one-day and get the second day free ticket right now. Less crowding makes the visit more pleasant. Less tourists also mean you get front row seats to watch sunrise … Continue reading Angkor Wat
Since the main purpose of our trip to Malaysia was for the food, we made sure to visit Penang since everyone said it was the place to go for great food at all the little hawker stands. The first hawker place we visited had such great ratings online that we endured the heat to wait … Continue reading Penang SNAFU Righted
The 4 nights we spent in Kuala Lumpur were split between Mandarin Oriental and the Grand Hyatt, located right next door. The Amex FHR booking for MO provided amenities such as free breakfast, welcome gift, room upgrade, $100 dining/spa credit, and 4-pm checkout, while the Hyatt globalist status had very similar, but better, benefits. Upon … Continue reading Grand Hyatt Kuala Lumpur – Globalist Experience
Malaysia is a Muslim predominant Malay population with a quarter Chinese and a tenth of Indians. This melding of culture and cuisines explains why their food is so tasty. It also gives you a city with interesting sights and sounds. Hearing the call to prayer in Istanbul is a matter of fact, but hearing the … Continue reading Kuala Lumpur – Batu Cave
There is something about Islamic architecture that is especially aesthetically appealing to the eye. It has both clean soft lines, as well as ornate geometric patterns. The Mughal style is an Indian Islamic architecture that consists of a large onion-shaped round dome, thin minarets on the sides, and delicate ornamentations. One such famous Mughal architecture … Continue reading Kuala Lumpur – Mughal Style Architecture
When flying overhead into Kuala Lumpur one will notice endless fields of palm trees, given how Malaysia is the second largest producer (after Indonesia) of palm oil in the world. Great for the economy, but at the expense of natural habitats. Beautiful palms but with devastating deforestation. To use my Amex FHR credit, I booked … Continue reading Kuala Lumpur – Colors of Chinatown
Our last trip to Singapore was 12 years ago. Given its oppressive heat, we were in no rush to return for a visit. Booking an award flight through SingaporeAir allowed us a free stopover in Singapore en route to Kuala Lumpur, so I decided we’d spend a day in Singapore for some Hainan chicken. Some … Continue reading Singapore – Foodie Heaven
It’s been almost 3 weeks since we’ve landed in Taipei. A couple days after arriving, we developed mild flu-like symptoms which made me think we caught the flu since our Covid tests were negative 3 days in a row. Unfortunately, Joe lost his sense of smell a few days later, and a repeat Covid test … Continue reading Taiwan Routine
Post-pandemic airfares have been obstinately high this year due to increased demand and limited supply. Travelers have been willing to pay for these astronomical prices just so they can get away after being stuck at home for 2 years. Premium economy prices on transpacific flights have now doubled. Round trip business class flights now cost … Continue reading EVA Air Royal Laurel
We finally get to take our very first points redemption flight. The original flight booked a year ago was to have us fly to Asia from the West Coast. However, EVA Air went ahead and canceled the flight back in April leaving us with no way to get to Taiwan using our points. I had … Continue reading NYC Drive By
After two months of gallivanting with friends & family, and chasing hotel status, we are finally back to our routine. Got my Hyatt status! Routine entails running for me, and BJJ for Joe. Back to enjoying this view after my runs. Also back on the menu is our oatmeal cleanse. Two months of overindulgence is … Continue reading Back To Regular Programming…For Now
Given the desert conditions of SoCal, our national parks pale in comparison to the ones located further north in the state. One of the best and most well known national parks in California is Yosemite. Due to its popularity, visiting the park requires advanced planning to secure lodging, permits, and reservations. But that’s not always … Continue reading Upper Yosemite Falls Trail
It’d be a shame to come to California and not visit any one of the National Parks. So we dragged Angela to her second National Park during her monthlong stay with us. Sequoia National Park is famous for its gigantic sequoia trees. General Sherman being the largest tree in the world by volume. While other … Continue reading Tokopah Falls Trail
After returning from Tanzania, we made a beeline for Vegas since Angela’s never been. For us, Vegas has always just been an overnight stop between home and our hiking destinations. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t anything else to see while in town. Walking through all the hotels for the decor and installations is a … Continue reading Reason Behind All The Madness
The word “Serengeti” in Swahili translates to “the land that goes on forever”. The open plains of the Serengeti make animal viewing far easier than in other terrain. Our camp in the Serengeti, Asilia Sayari, was much more luxurious than the previous two camps. Large lounge Dining deck Dining room Bedroom Bathroom with a soaking … Continue reading Serengeti National Park
The Great Migration - the largest animal migration in the world. So large that it can be seen from outer space. When people hear “great migration”, they imagine the wildebeests crossing the Mara River, when in fact the migration spans several months, during which 1.5 million wildebeests and half a million zebras migrate clockwise from … Continue reading The Great Migration
Relatively unknown compared to the Serengeti, Ruaha National Park is Tanzania’s largest national park. Here you’ll find mostly European visitors, as opposed to the predominantly American tourists in the Serengeti. Given it’s remoteness, there are only a handful of camps within the park. The Kwihala Tent Camp is one of Asilia’s more basic tents. Like … Continue reading Ruaha National Park
This is the story of a giraffe, or more aptly, the story of the lives around a dead giraffe. It is a showcase of how efficient Mother Nature is. Day 1 Afternoon - Pride of 6 We arrived in Ruaha National Park, a two-hour bush plane ride from Selous, a little after lunchtime. After a … Continue reading The Gift That Kept On Giving
After spending a day in Dar es Salaam, waiting for our luggage to arrive, we hopped on our private charter (private because we were the only passengers) and headed southwest to Nyerere National Park. Aerial view of Dar es Salaam Before Nyerere National Park became a national park in 2019, it was known as Selous … Continue reading Slow Beginning
Flight travel time from the US west coast to East Africa usually takes about a day. Given there are no nonstop flights, travelers must layover in Europe, Türkiye, or the Middle East. Out of all carriers Qatar Air offers the shortest travel time, clocking in at 23 hours. Imagine being seated in economy for that … Continue reading Qatar Q Suites
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