The day started with perfect blue skies. The beach was tempting and so there I was feeling the light breeze from the golf of Mexico, swimming the calm emerald water, watching the bright sky, soaking the prickling heat of the sun, sipping a coconut drink straight from the shell and listening to Jamiroquie, on my iPod that is. Then all of a sudden, the beautiful skies turned dark with grey clouds. The next thing I know, the clouds burst into heavy rain. So heavy rain.

Taking cover under a nearby cottage, that didn’t help at all. So it all ended up walking up the road all barefoot and hired a classic dark blue Plymouth, a local shared taxi that should not be taking foreigners as passengers. Sitting inside this huge old car, the plan was to act all nonchalant about being soaking wet as I know that guests at the Hotel Nacional de Cuba are not allowed to be walking in the hotel in swimming clothes. But it all ended deciding to put dry clothes on top of the wet, wiping myself with a handkerchief as I didn’t have a towel on hand and carefully combing my hair. While the driver was so busy keeping his eyes on the road as it was pouring cats and dogs!

Walking up the hotel with my head up, I know that I can continue pretending to be all dry and all cool as if the rain was not so bad to me that day.

It was 7:00 am. Too early to be awake on this week of holiday. But who can resist not to open the window of Hotel Nacional de Cuba and to experience the magnificent Malecon open up right before your eyes.

I had a very good feeling about this holiday. Not only that it took more than 12 hours to get here, a few months of planning and the fact that I’ve dreamt of this holiday for some years, this holiday marked a big fat tick on my to do list!

Opening the window for a dash of fresh air, I instantly feel in love with this beautiful, exotic country. But three things I’ve learned fast. If you are not willing to spend much money on your holiday, this is not your destination. If you hate tipping, this is not the place for you. If you enjoy haggling, this is not where you want to be either. In short, this country is expensive for tourists and clearly not a place for backpackers. But if you are into smoking and like the smoky feeling in the air, by all means, come to Cuba. You will enjoy sat at the garden bar of the hotel, watching the rich locals come in wearing Guayaberas and Panama hats, covered with the thick smoke of their cigars. Felt like I was an extra on a filming!

The Ilustrado is inside the Intramuros, the walled city of Manila. It has a charming touch to it. Furnished with an elegant, old-world interiors, this restaurant set within a garden has been around for more than 19 years. Again, seated at the corner of the room facing the rest of the restaurant, I savoured the perfect appetiser of baked eggplant in Filo pastry served with black olives and Feta cheese. With flowing conversations around the table, the baked fish placed on top of mashed potatoes with mushrooms sautéed in butter was delicious too. I enjoyed the coffee and the Mango Jubilee with home made Sampaguita Ice Cream for dessert.

Having experience these restaurants, I was convinced that I should visit Manila more often.

(Photos from the restaurants’ websites)

I’m used to flying on a small plane because of where I was based in Cambodia. But Cambodia is flat. Nothing so exciting to look down to and even though there were stories of elephants to be seen beneath, I’ve never seen one. But flying in Papua was a totally different experience  The abundance of hills and mountains made the fight a very scenic one but also very eventful. I remember so vividly in my mind the sudden turn of this tiny plane to avoid the mountain facing us. Landing on a small elevated ground was something not worth forgetting too. 

There was once this place in Vientiane where I was surrounded with beautiful things. I loved this place. I’ve sat there for endless hours reading and writing my random thoughts.

The place was wonderfully decorated with orange washed down walls and some pretty exotic lamps. The only problem was this restaurant did not perform as one. I was only able to order couscous salad. I even recall having a baguette invaded by ants. It was really sad. It was a well designed place with a poorly planned menu.

The place was closed after a few months. It was not just closed down but it completely ended its existence. It was knocked down to the ground. I was partly broken hearted seeing that happen. Some things are not meant to last. Not even for a year. Soon it will be forgotten that it once existed. I can’t even remember its name.

The Halong Bay in the Gulf of Tonkin is a must place to visit if you are traveling to Vietnam. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the Quảng Ninh Province. The bay has some 2,000 islands and islets which are mostly limestone. The limestone in this bay has gone through 500 million years of formation. In literal translation, Halong Bay in Vietnamese means descending dragon bay. 

It’s worth to stay overnight on a junk boat in Halong Bay. The magnificent view on the top deck is something not to be missed especially during sunset and sunrise.