Visit Asia

As I learned today, it doesn’t matter how old you are or how many times you’ve been to Universal Studios Japan™. This place will always, ALWAYS be fun.

If you’re Filipino, then the holidays are a wonderful time to visit Hong Kong with friends and family. As described, its proximity to the Philippines makes it an easy trip. It’s got everything Filipinos love – shopping and eating – plus we don’t need a tourist visa to go there.

I didn’t know this at the time but Yala National Park is home to one of the highest if not the highest concentration of leopards in the wild. It’s also home to mega fauna like elephants, wild buffalo, and sloth bears, as well as a slew of bird species and smaller mammals and reptiles.

I’m not an authority on scenic train rides but one thing’s for sure, this was absolutely the most beautiful train ride that I have ever been on. If you heed Lonely Planet’s advice and visit Sri Lanka for the first time in 2019, then you absolutely need to go on this train ride.

Before TBC Asia 2018, we were sent on a 5-day press trip that had us visit multiple destinations throughout Sri Lanka. We were put up at several Cinnamon hotels and resorts, each as luxurious and astounding as the one before it.

Vietnam has long been well-known for having over 3,000 km of coastline and many stunning beaches. With white sands, crystal clear waters, breathtaking sunrise and sunset scenes, and the best places for water sports, this country is an ideal destination for beach lovers.

It may have been my third time to share the ocean with these beautiful creatures but the experience didn’t hold any less wonder than the previous two. It’s such a privilege to swim alongside these gentle giants, an experience you can only have in select parts of the world.

To be honest, we aren’t the biggest fans of boats. Ren easily gets seasick and I find the experience to be a little confining. But throw in the promise of unlimited booze and a stunning sunset and it becomes en entirely different story.

Apart from being a gastronomic trip, I expected this to be a spiritual journey as well. Many people, friends of mine included, describe it as a life-changing experience. Life-changing indeed it was, for reasons I never would have expected. And it all started here in Kolkata.

As always, I do a fair amount of research before a trip but there’s only so much Google can tell you. Insider knowledge, especially when it comes to food, is always best, which is why I think it’s so important to experience a new city with a local. Shailesh, a third-generation resident, was about to give me my first real taste of Mumbai.