Dubai: Where to Go and What to See

Since I've seen the John Lloyd Cruz movie "Dubai" in 2005, I included this exciting destination in my travel bucket list. This year, that dream became a reality.

Considered as the global city and business hub of the middle east, Dubai is one of the seven emirates that make up the United Arab Emirates or UAE. It is located at the southeast end of the Arabian Peninsula bordering Oman, and Saudi Arabia, as well as sharing sea borders with Qatar and Iran. Although the city is known for its world famous infrastructures and skyscrapers, Dubai does not derive much of its wealth from oil industries compared to its neighboring cities. The main revenues that drives its economy come from tourism, aviation and financial services.

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U-Bike in Taipei: A Bicycle Tour of Your Own

If there's a country in Asia where you can find the most number of cycling enthusiasts, it's probably Taiwan. The friendly Chinese territory has long been at the forefront in advocating for cycling as not just a cheap means of transport but also as an environment-friendly lifestyle choice.

In Taipei alone, the government allotted 200km of dedicated bike paths. And along that path and in some train stations you will find U-Bike, a bike-share system where you can rent a bicycle for NT$5 for the first 30 minutes, and NT$10 for every succeeding 30 minutes.

Each U-Bike station is like a vending machine for bicycles, you'll need to deposit money by entering bills or coins into a machine and it will issue a card key which you can use to unlock the bicycle of your choice. You don't need to return the bicycle to where you got it, you can return it to any U-Bike station that you'll come across.

U-Bike has been in operation in Taipei since 2009. Last year, YouBike's more than 6,000 two-wheelers were taken on more than 22 million trips by locals and tourists alike making Taiwan the bicycle capital in Asia. To solidify this title, the Taiwanese government is prepping up a bicycle highway across the whole country!

So if you're visiting Taipei soon, get a better sense of the city with your own bicycle tour. Don't be afraid of getting lost because bike paths are connected to train stations, just don't wander outside these paths. Plus you gain tremendous satisfaction in knowing that you'll be able to burn all those calories from eating dim sums, noodles and other Taiwanese cuisines.

Cebu Pacific Air flies a direct service from Manila to Taipei and vice versa. Check out their website for the cheapest Philippines-Taipei flights! Also follow them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for promo updates.

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Hotel Review: Tune Hotels Danga Bay in Johor Bahru, Malaysia

When I received the invitation to join the Tune Hotels Blogger Fam Trip in Johor Bahru Malaysia I got super excited! I was in Nara Japan that time (March 25) with my blogger friend Morgan Zeanreh and the email that we both received almost kept us awake the whole night. We reminisced the first Tune Hotels Blogger Fam Trip which was held May last year when we were among the three bloggers from the Philippines to join other bloggers from Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia and Australia for the said event. Last year’s familiarization tour was held in Kuala Lumpur and we spent our first night at Tune Hotels KLIA2, which was newly opened that time, and the succeeding nights at Tune Hotels Downtown Kuala Lumpur.

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The Village Coconut Island: A Five-Star Specialty Lodging in Phuket, Thailand

If the Philippines has Boracay, Thailand has Phuket, another paradise island adorned by tourists from all over the world. Phuket is actually bigger than Boracay. It's located in Southern Thailand and measures 48km in length and and 21 km at its widest. The climate, however, is the same: humid all year with March to May as the hottest and November to February as the "cooler" months.

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Gardens by the Bay: Singapore's Most Beautiful Masterpiece

I've been to Singapore 5 times already and with each trip, Singapore has something new to offer. My first trip was in 2006, my very first out-of-the-country experience. The attractions that I've seen that time were the Merlion, Sentosa Island (by cable car) and the Esplanade. In 2008, I came back and tried the Night Safari and shopped at Chinatown among other things. My third time was in 2010 when I toured Little India, Clark Quay, Buddha Tooth Relic Temple, and restaurants in Geylang. 2013 marked my fourth time in the 'Little Dot' when I stayed the longest: 8 days! This is the year I went to Universal Studios Singapore, marveled at the beauty of Marina Bay Sands and rode the Singapore Flyer.

Last May 14, 2015, was my fifth time in Singapore. The trip was only for one day because it's part of the Tune Hotels Danga Bay bloggers fam tour which was mostly held in the Southern Malaysian city of Johor Bahru. We went to Marina Bay Sands that day to watch the finale of "Asia's Got Talent" inside MasterCard theater. After the show, we went back to Malaysia.

The bloggers fam tour in Johor Bahru ended last May 16, Saturday. But I decided to return to Singapore by bus to spend one more day at this amazing country. Can we consider it my sixth time in the Lion City?

So the highlight of my one-day Singapore trip was of course, exploring its newest attraction: the famed Gardens by the Bay. 

Winner of the 2014 International Thea Awards for Outstanding Achievement in Botanical Garden, Gardens by the Bay is a huge complex that showcase great landscape architecture. It's adjacent to the Marina Bay Sands and consists of three waterfront gardens: Bay South Garden, Bay East Garden and Bay Central Garden.

When you cross the bridge from Marina Bay Sands, a picturesque view will mesmerize you as if you're about to enter Jurassic Park or the world of Avatar. The structures that first caught my attention were the "Supertrees."

These supertrees, which differ in height, are home to enclaves of exotic ferns, vines, orchids and also a vast collection of bromeliads (like pineapples) at the base. It comes alive at night with the Garden Rhapsody, a free light and sound show at 7:45pm and 8:45pm.

Connecting two supertrees is the OCBC Skyway. You can stroll at this hanging bridge, suspended 22 meters above the ground, for S$5. The entrance is at the base of the one of the supertrees. The elevator will take you to the bridge.

Strolling at the OCBC Skyway of Gardens By the Bay. It jiggles quite a bit when wind blows. #StarmoInSingapore #WanderMore #Travel #Singapore #MarinaBaySands

A video posted by Edsel Roy (@starmometer) on May 16, 2015 at 5:35am PDT

I took this picture from the bridge using my iPhone 6:

Took these pictures using the Blux Pro app:

There are two conservatories in the 101-hectares wide Gardens by the Bay: the Flower Dome (on the left) and the Cloud Forest (right):

The Flower Dome features plants found in the Mediterranean and other semi-arid tropical regions like Australia, South America, and South Africa. It also replicates the climate in the said places. The Cloud Forest, on the other hand, replicates the cool moist conditions found in tropical mountain regions in South-East Asia, Middle-and South America. It consists of a number of levels with different themes and features different kinds of orchids, ferns, peacock ferns, clubmosses, bromeliads and anthuriums. The ticket price for each attraction is S$12 for adult and S$ for children and senior citizens.

Cebu Pacific Air flies daily from Manila to Singapore and vice versa, daily from Clark to Singapore and vice versa, four times weekly from Cebu to Singapore and vice versa, and thrice weekly from Davao to Singapore and vice versa. Check out their website for the cheapest Philippines-Singapore flights! Also follow them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for promo updates.

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