I had never heard of Ipoh before this trip to Malaysia. The town once known for its thriving tin mining industry is now staking its claim in other ways, including spa and wellness tourism. This water lily was in the gardens at The Banjaran, Malaysia’s first natural hot springs wellness retreat, providing peaceful bliss after a week on the road.
Read MorePostcard from The Blue Mansion, Penang
The Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion, also called the Blue Mansion, dates back to the 1880s and is a private residence as well as a 16-room guesthouse. It gets its distinctive blue color from mixing lime with a natural blue dye made from the indigo plant. Tours are offered, giving visitors the chance to peek behind the scenes and take a look at how the wealthy lived.
Read MorePostcard from James Bond Island, Thailand
James Bond Island is officially known as Khao Phing Kan, and is a part of Ao Phang Nga National Park just off of Phuket, Thailand. It would most likely have remained an obscure area were it not for the James Bond film, The Man with the Golden Gun, where it was Scaramonga’s island. Do you recognize it?
Read MoreNorthern Ireland: Malmaison Belfast Hotel
Malmaison Belfast Address: 34-38 Victoria Street, Belfast, Northern Ireland Rating: Features: Located in two old seed warehouses, the Malmaison Belfast has retained some of the original features, including iron pillars, beams, and carved stone gargoyles. The boutique hotel has 64 luxury rooms and two suites. The rooms feature mood lighting, flat screen plasma televisions, upscale toiletries in generous sizes (you’re encouraged to take them with you), and FREE wifi. Giving a hat tip to Belfast’s maritime connection, the Malmaison Belfast features subtle shipbuilding décor features in its common areas. The hotel has a restaurant (Brasserie) and bar (MALBAR) on site. Price Range: Typical boutiques rates here, and with the dollar to pound exchange rate, it can add up fast. The best price we found was by taking advantage of one of their several promotional packages, resulting in a pre-paid […]
Read MorePostcard from Bangkok
It took me over 24 hours to get to Thailand and my first day was full of delicious food. Like this classic , and delicious dessert of sticky rice, coconut milk (to pour over it ), and mango. Lunch at Sala Rattanakosin in Bangkok.
Read MorePostcard from Kihei
Kihei, on the island if Maui, was the first place I went to in the islands. It’s changed in the past few decades, but it’s still a great beach.
Read MorePatria: Spanish Food in Toronto
Patria Address: 480 King Street West, Toronto, Ontario Rating: (2 out of 3 hearts) Features: Patria makes use of the open concept, with high ceilings, full-sized cross-stitch art on the walls, and and exposed beams. There is a narrow outdoor patio, great for warm weather and, with the addition of some heat lamps, could easily extend into the fall and winter season. The venue is sexy in a bright and bold way, rather than dark and intimate, and it had me longing for lingering warm weather meals on the Costa Brava. Price Range: Moderate to high. The beauty of tapas is that you can try so many different things. But that also means your bill can add up pretty fast. Consider making a mean of a meat and cheese platter with a glass of sangria if you’re looking for a value […]
Read MoreYoshida Udon: A Meal Fit for Mt. Fuji
It was hot and filling, and best of all – it wasn’t fish! I slurped up that bowl of Yoshida Udon like there was no tomorrow. I had been in Japan for a couple of days and had been treated to gourmet meals aplenty. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner were beautiful works of art, masterpieces of flavor, and were eagerly devoured by my traveling companions. I, alone, appeared to be the one person who couldn’t face fish, often uncooked, for three meals a day. I felt bad as I pushed things around my plate, trying to be polite and look like I was both eating and enjoying this impressive presentation. This was beautiful food; it was expertly prepared and presented, but I just couldn’t face it. In that fleeting moment, I realized that I was more gourmand than gourmet. What I […]
Read MoreTraveling with MJ October Travel Link Up: Museums
Last month the monthly themed travel round up focused on History. Evidently, history related travel isn’t as compelling for you as it is for me, and we only had a few contributors. My favorite of the linked up stores was from Jennifer at JDombs Travels. Her story, A Picture of Russian Peasant Life, gave me a glimpse into Russian History. I was a political science major in college, with specialization in Soviet Studies, so that might be part of the reason why I found this story so compelling. Or, it could simply be the way Jennifer tells the story with words and photos. So what’s up this month? This month I want to know a little more about your favorite museum. If you’re a blogger and would like to participate in the link round up, here are the guidelines: Post […]
Read MoreWorld Map Update: Northern Ireland
With my recent time spent in Ireland post-TBEX, I’ve added another country to my visited list – Northern Ireland. Northern Ireland is officially a part of the U.K., and referred to as a country, province, or territory. Without getting into the politics of Ireland, Northern Ireland, and England, I’ll just check it off my visited list and leave the politics to others. Here’s what my countries visited map looks like now, showing that I’ve visited only a measly 14% of the world. Create your own travel map – TravBuddy
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