Sampan Rides (The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands Singapore)

While there is the famous gondola in Venice at the Venetian Macau where you get to have a boat ride with a gondolier that sings as he rows you down the Grand Canal. Singapore has its own version, well something similar but minus the singing – the Sampan Ride at the Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands Singapore which is indoors and sheltered from bad weather. A sampan is a flat bottom small Chinese wooden boat and the name is derived from the original Cantonese (Chinese dialect) term for boats.

The sampans making their rounds

A ride on the sampan in the Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands Singapore's canal will take you along the Canal, the Shoppes and around the Rain Oculus (a 22-meter diameter acrylic bowl set on a 90-ton...Read more>>

Pont des Arts (Paris) - a bridge with meaning

On the way back from dinner one day in Paris, we stumbled across the Pont des Arts or Passerelle des Arts. The Pont des Arts or Passerelle des Arts is a pedestrian bridge that spans across the Seine River, linking the Institut de France and the central square (cour carrée) of the palais du Louvre.

According to Wikipedia, this nine-arch metallic bridge was the fist metal bridge in Paris built for pedestrians. The bridge served as a place for art exhibitions and is today’s platform for painters, artists and photographers who are drawn t...Read more>>

Concert: The Blaq% Tour Taipei 2012

With the current Hallyu wave, it made us curious what all the hype was all about. Now it so happened that this concert was happening on the weekend we were scheduled to be in Taipei, so DramaQueen and I decided to have a look see...Read more>>

Beitou and XinBeitou - Taipei (Taiwan)

According to Wikitravel, Beitou which is famous for its hot springs is located in the northern part of Taipei (Taiwan). Beitou consists of Beitou, where locals live and work and Xin (New) Beitou, which was developed as a hot spring destination during the Japanese era. The hot springs at Beitou consists of sulphur, so the smell of sulphur permeates throughout the air which might not agree with certain people’s noses much.

To get to Beitou, you would have to take the red line (Xindian-Danshui/Nanshijiao-Beitou). There is an information counter at the Beitou MRT Station which can advise you on the attractions and what you can do... Read more>>

Cash, Credit or Cheque

Before leaving for every trip, there is always that question of how much to bring and the medium it should be in (e.g. cash, credit card, Debit/ATM card or traveler’s cheque).

Cash

By epSos.de via Flickr

Cash is one of the easiest mediums to bring along when traveling overseas, there are no additional charges using the cash you have exchanged. The only concern might be if you bring too much or have not enough..Read more>>

Themed Restaurants in Taipei - Taiwan

Besides being surrounded by beautiful mountains and luscious greenery and rivers (e.g. Danshui), Taipei is also known for its food. From the traditional night markets (e.g. Shilin Night Market) that sell the most interesting foods (e.g. stinky fermented toufu, ‘iron’ eggs etc…) and are cheap, to the interesting themed restaurants from Hello Kitty to Toilet Bowls and everything else in-between (hospital, classroo... Read more>>

Ximending, Taipei - Taiwan

Taipei - the capital of Taiwan - a modern East Asian metropolis that never seems to sleep. Although a city, Taipei is surrounded by beautiful mountains and luscious greenery and rivers (e.g. Danshui). It is the perfect combination for sight seeing, history, shopping and relaxing. One well-known area in Taipei is a neighborhood and shopping district known for its vibrant culture and shopping would be Ximending.

Ximending is Taipei ’s equivalent of Signapore’s Orchard road, just a lot livelier and bigger than its island... Read more>>