There is no update for this blog the past year. I was too complacent and preoccupied by other things that I totally neglected visiting and updating my blog. I have been to several trips overseas the past year mostly for rest and recreation rather than discovering new places. I still have few countries within asean that I planned to visit last year, but because it requires longer days I did not pursue them last year. Laos and Myanmar was part of my bucket list last year.
My first travel outside of Singapore last year was at the beautiful Rawa Island Resort in Mersing Malaysia. I celebrated my birthday in the island. The small island is exclusive and has a pristine white sand beach. The resort rate is expensive given the basic facilities of its rooms and amenities. But its all compensated by the island itself. The island is small, so it is ideal only for short stay holiday or weekend gateaway. The resort accept advance booking and the rate is inclusive of the transportation from the mainland and for the food during the stay. I enjoyed my stay in the island. My activities during my stay were swimming in the afternoon, relaxing in the evening at the beach bar, hiking the whole island in the early morning, and swimming again until lunch time. The resort is popular for expats from Singapore, and popular for families as the resort has a huge water slide at the jetty port of the resort.
Then comes July, again I went outside of Singapore, this time at the nearby island of Batam in Indonesia. I spent the weekend at the Turi BeachResort. The resort is situated far away from the town proper. Actually is it located in a secluded area of the island and has it's own private jetty port Though it is a beach resort hotel, the beach front is not ideal for swimming and during my stay there I saw no one swimming in the beach. But it was compensated by two swimming pools located separately within the resort. What I liked about the resort is the rooms. It is big by standard, has a full wall mirror (wink) and though it has no bathtub, the bathroom has a rain shower which I enjoyed using.
Then comes a visit to the Legoland Malaysia Resort in Johor Bahru Malaysia. This theme park features millions of bricks painstakingly build famous buildings, villages, animals, and people. Like in any theme park resort, Legoland has seven themed areas of attractions. The centerpiece of the theme park is Miniland, where asian landmarks have been recreated using millions of lego bricks. It is interactive as people and transportation come to life at the touch of a button.
By August, I went back home in the Philippines. I basically stay home during the short vacation and spent overnight in Manila for last minute shopping and bar hopping at night time before heading back to Singapore.
Comes December, I went back to Bali Indonesia. This is my second time to Bali. It was unfortunate that when I was in Bali, I was sick that I spent most of the time at the hotel room. Lucky I was upgraded that I stayed in a villa instead of a regular room. Though I was sick I forced myself to go out of the hotel for a day tour and managed to visit two of the must visit places in Bali. I went to Penglipuran Village and the sanctuary of Besakih, known as the Mother Temple of Bali.
The Penglipuran Village is a well maintained traditional countryside village. The place is beautiful and i am envious to the people who live there as the place is surprisingly beautiful. I managed to talk to one of the residents there and share some stories about their village. I was also toured inside their compound and explained to me how is the typical house layout look like.
The Besakih Temple is situated on the slopes of Gunung Agung (Mount Holy) and is over a thousand years old. It is the holiest of all Balinese temples. Balenese people is a delight to see here who comes in colorful attire often with offerings in their head. There is an entrance fee to enter the temple. The carpark is located a bit far away from the entrance and hilly so it would not be an easy walk. Hiring a motorbike would be a better option.
I ended the year by going home to the Philippines to spend the Christmas holiday and New Year with the family. While on holiday I managed to visit the majestic Mayon Volcano in Legaspi Philippines with the family.
Year 2013 is not my travel happening year due to work. It was not easy to find time to travel. I hope this year would be different. Myanmar and Laos is still on my bucket list for travel. I might venture outside asean maybe this year.
How was your 2013 goes?
How was your 2013 goes?
