Boarding Gate 101

I visited Bandar Seri Begawan, the capital of the Sultanate of Brunei, last November. Brunei is located in the island of Borneo, surrounded by the Malaysian state of Sarawak. I stayed in the capital for two nights, arriving one Friday evening from a Cebu Pacific flight from Manila.  BSB, as the capital is known, is different from all the other capitals of Southeast Asia that I have visited so far. No maddening traffic, no skyscrapers and crowds, and glitzy malls. In a word, I find the capital rather dull.  Kampong Ayer. Venice, it is not. Economy-wise Brunei is very rich, with the fifth highest per-capita income in the world. I learned that almost every household in the capital has a car, explaining probably why there are only about fifty taxis in the whole country (which means getting anywhere via a cab is expensive and tedious, as you cannot just hail them off the street). It is also a small country, with about 400 thousand citizens, mostly concentrated in the cap

Not a lot happened in the first 2 days of 2018, but some shopping and doing touristy things in Dubai. ____ Ninoy Aquino International Airport, January 3, 3:00pm I arrived safely in Manila, and this concludes the trip. It has been an epic 18 days - visited 3 countries and 11 cities and towns - from snow-covered passes to deserts and everything in between,  ate exotic food, got nekkid in hamams and baths,  made new friends, and had countless spills on the slopes. Everything has been amazing, and can't wait for the next adventure. Thanks for following me here, folks! January 2 Abu Dhabi Airport, 9:00pm We reached the airport, and I got inside right away. Goong through immigration is now automated, no more stamps on the passport. I just got eye-scanned, and my passport too, and I am in the departure concourse. I got some more last minute items from duty free and I spent my last dirhams buying a box of dates. My flight is scheduled at 3am, and I scheduled to lan

I traveled to Dubai on the last day of 2017 and spend New Year's eve there. ___ 3:00am Going home was absolutely bonkers! It took us 3 hrs to finally get a train and get back to the hostel. 12:00 midnight And the countdown began - and it's a happy New Year! This is my first time to spend NYE away from home, so the experience is a bit different. The lightshow was better in some ways from the fireworks, but nothing can come close to exploding things that light up the night sky to usher in the new year. Hashtag #justsaying. Financial Road, 10:00pm We picked a spot along the Financial Road overlooking Burj Khalifa where to see the lightshow. Then we waited. Al Safadi Restaurant, 8:45pm We decided to eat first, and we picked a Lebanese restaurant to have our NYE meal. I ordered shawarma and avocado drink. 7:30pm My hostelmate from Japan and I decided to go to Burj Khalifa to see the NYE lightshow there (fireworks were canceled this year). At Th

One of the museums that's on my list of must to visit within this lifetime is the Louvre. I sort of check it with (an asterisk) today when I visited the Louvre Abu Dhabi. The Louvre Abu Dhabi was established in November 2017, though construction of its building started in 2009. The museum is a partnership between Abu Dhabi and the French government. Located in the island of Saadiyat, the museum is the largest art museum in the Arabian Peninsula. I visited it on my second day in Abu Dhabi. First thing that you will notice as you enter the museum complex is its architecture. Made to look like it was set in the middle of the sea, tidal pools surround the building. At the center and seems to hover around the it is the web-patterned metal dome, the pattern arising from aluminum stars that are joined and tesselated in several layers. This lets through the light from the sun, which then casts shadows like that of "palm fronds in an oasis." As you enter yo

Day 15 is mostly just exploring the city, and the Louvre Abu Dhabi. ___ 4:30pm I spent more than 2 hours inside the museum, then I called it a day. I won't visit the Sheik Zayed Mosque today, instead I will go there tomorrow before going to Dubai. I went back to the hotel and was sort of cocooning there since afternoon. Louvre Abu Dhabi, 2:00pm There was a long line going to the ticket counters, and it took me about 20 mins or so to get a ticket. Once inside, it is all worth it though. The art works and artifacts on display are priceless. Like Hagia Sophia I will do a separate post for the museum. World Trade Center Mall, 12:30pm UAE is known for their over-the-top malls, and this one did not disappoint. I chanced upon a multi-adapter in a gadgets kioks, so I got one. I also got my caffeine fix in a Starbucks (as always, they mispelled my name). After coffee I took a taxi to Saadiyat Island, to visit the Louvre. Souk, 12:00am I crossed the road fro