Wanderlust Tips Team, Author at WANDERLUST TIPS • Page 139 of 195

Boracay: Blue sea and golden sunshine

Though being one in nearly 7,000 islands of the beautiful Philippines, this tiny island is the most popular tourist attraction there. Every year, a huge number of visitors from all over the world go there to immerse in the crystal seawater, lie on the powdery white sand and enjoy the golden sunshine by the peaceful green coconut palms.

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We arrived in Boracay on a September day, just after a storm. Everyone said that we were so lucky because we went there in the rainy season but the weather was still beautiful. Boracay is a tropical island with green coconut palms, a blood red sun, and gorgeous Filipinas dressed in colourful costumes, wearing flowers, dancing on the white sand path; and with various beachside bars and restaurants.

I have visited many entertainment venues in different countries but I was still surprised with how organized the tourism development and management is in the Philippines. When the night falls, coastal restaurants become the most bustling with eye-catching displayed seafood and elaborate Asian style decorations. What the customers need to do is just choose the food and order it to be cooked to their own requirements. Almost every restaurant had their own entertainment show: on one side, they arrange large armrchairs on the sand where Hookah, wine and beer is served. Dancers also entertain guests. While on the opposite side, rock bands wearing Afican braided hairstyles, sing and perform fire dances. There are also bars and hookah stores featuring Asian or Europe design styles stretching along the coast.

There were a lot of tourists, most of them holding beer bottle and drinking while also experiencing the relaxing beauty services offered on the island. These services include traditional Afican hair braiding, henna tattoos and massages. After getting our hair braided and massages on the beach, we dressed up in beautiful, long maxi dresses and put some flowers in our hair. We then chose a bustling restaurant, bought some beers and lobsters at a very affordable price and enjoyed the waves and sea breeze.

People here often start going out at 6pm and have fun until dawn. In the evening, sandcastles are elaborately built and decorated with beautiful lights; you can take pictures and give some money for tips for the builders. These castles are changed every day to match the date, which creates a unique highlight for Boracay. There are a lot of hostels and hotels along the beach; they are small and lovely, featuring traditional Filipino styled architect. The next morning, after leaving central Boracay, we booked a boat tour for about 400,000VND. The price included a tour to 4 islands and a lunch. Boracay brought us a lot of surprises with its crystal blue seawater, and the sea was so clear that we could see fish and corals from the boat. We were then taken to another island for diving and swimming with a school of fish and starfish. There you can go a scuba diving instructor at a much lower price than in Thailand and Vietnam. It’s also possible to go windsurfing and kite boarding, then enjoy a BBQ party on the magnificent beach with fresh fish and seafood. In the afternoon, we went to some caves at Crystal Island where beautiful stairs along the cliffs are made of bamboo, and wooden houses are built in the trees, overlooking the beautiful scenery of Boracay. Exploring deeply into the caves and swimming in the cool water with colourful fish was definitely an unforgettable experience for me.

Filipinos manage and develop tourism in a civilized way: all visitors must pay a tourist fee. People here respect the sea in the same way they respect their religions, so the sea is very clean, beautiful, and has a lot of fish and starfish along the coast. Beaches are decorated with sandcastles. Chairs are decorated with beautiful shells and starfish. Lying on the sand, enjoying a mango shake in the mild sunshine of Boracay made us want to stay there forever.

In the afternoon, when the Boracay sea and sky changed from purple to the crimson of the sun, we sailed to watch the sunset and glide over the waves with the sea breeze. We immersed ourselves in the sea, the blood red sun and white-capped waves. The school of fish sometimes swam past our faces, and we told ourselves that someday, we would definitely come back here with our loved ones.

W.TIPS

WHEN IS THE BEST TIME TO TRAVEL?

The period from June to November is often the season of typhoons, and December to May is the ideal time to travel here. However, the weather in the Philippines is very unpredictable, and I chose to go to Philippines in September to celebrate my birthday. Although people said this was the typhoon season, when I went there, a storm had passed the day before, and the weather was very nice. The security situation was quite good because the war zones were very far from the centre.

HOW TO TRAVEL TO BORACAY?

I chose the Cebu Pacific low-cost airline to fly to Manila with the round-trip ticket price in promotion period of around 130USD. The flight time was very early at 1 am. When arriving at Ninoy Aquino Airport in Manila, from the international terminal you have to go to the domestic terminal to fly the domestic flight with the round-trip ticket price of about 100USD in the promotion period, which takes about approximately 1 hour to arrive at Caticlan Airport in Boracay.

The plane used for domestic flights is quite small and lovely, the air hostesses are very nice and enthusiastic. Security check is very tight, and you will be checked many times because of the political situation. From the airport, you can take the tricycle at the price of about 50PHP per person to the dock, where you can purchase all the tickets needed to travel to the island. The three tickets include the environmental fee (75PHP), dock fee (100PHP) and ship ticket price (30PHP). It will take about 20 minutes to arrive on the paradise island. There are many ships; you only need to wait for 5 minutes for the next boat; small boats will depart immediately when there are 20 guests, while the main boat will wait for the time stipulated at the departure schedule. After arriving at the dock, you will need about 50PHP more for a tricycle to the main area of the island.

STAYING IN BORACAY

Boracay has two sides with a long coastline, the east coast is called Bulabog and the west coast is called White Beach. The White Beach, the main area of the island, is about 4 kilometres long and is divided into three zones: Station 1, Station 2 and Station 3. Station 2 is the center with the length of about 2 kilometres and countless bustling restaurants on the island. Station 2 is home to many casual restaurants and hotels. Station 1 and 3 are the places where you will find large resorts, so they are more peaceful.

I wanted to experience all 3 stations, so I stayed at a hostel in Station 2 for the first night. You can find a lot of lovely hotels and hostels there. The next night I stayed at Fairways and Bluewater Boracay Newcoast resort in Station 3, which was a bit far from the center but the hotel had a free shuttle from the resort to D’mall center at Station 2. The resort is very large and beautiful with lots of infinity pools, a private beach, golf course, and playgrounds.

Station 2 is crowded and bustling with restaurants, bars, and souvenir shops stretching along the beautiful beach; there are some unique beauty services such as henna tattooing, hair braiding and massages on the beach for tourists. Anyone who comes here can experience such nice and unique services which cost only from 200PHP each. At Station 2 you can go to D’mall – a shopping and dining complex to buy souvenirs and food.

EATING IN BORACAY

Some fine restaurants that serve delicious food includes restaurants like Smoke Restaurant – serves Filipino food; True Food Restaurant – Serves Indian food; Best Mestizos – serves Spanish food; The Hobbit House – serves Italian and Filipino food.

The food in the Philippines is very good and cheap; you can go to the seafood market in D’Talipapa in Station 3 to buy seafood then pay the restaurant to cook for you, but remember to bargain because people here often overcharge up to 5 times more for each item. Or you can go to restaurants or bars along the beach, they display a lot of fresh seafood with eye-catching decorations to attract visitors. You just need to choose and weigh the seafood, then the chef will cook it the way you like: grilling, steaming, or frying.

Most restaurants have live music and fire dances at the beach. Besides seafood, the specialties here include grilled ribs, stir-fried water spinach, smoothies, juice, and cakes made from mango that are delicious and sold everywhere. Even in 7-Eleven, you can also buy the grilled ribs which are very good and sold at a reasonable price.

THINGS TO DO IN BORACAY

Every day you can buy tours to islands, of which the most famous is the Hopping island tour for about 700PHP (350,000VND); you will be offered a tour to four islands and a buffet at sea. I was very impressed with the scenery on Crystal Cove island, where you could go into caves right into the sea to swim with colorful fish. The boat will also take you to the island to go diving, even without deep diving you can still see a lot of fish and corals. Late afternoon is when Boracay becomes the most gorgeous. The sunset over the sea of Boracay never fails to overwhelm tourists. In the daytime, the sea is a crystal blue colour like the Maldives, and when the night falls, the sea turns into crimson. You can buy a 200PHP boat tour to sail to the sea to watch the sunset.

In Boracay, besides swimming and resting, you can go snorkeling to see coral reefs, or go to Bulabog beach for windsurfing and kiteboarding, or take the tricycles to travel along the island, visit local markets to learn about the lifestyle of local people. Filipinos are very nice and friendly, who will help visitors wholeheartedly; although they slightly overcharge products, it will still be fine if you bargain or even decide not to buy anything. Boracay becomes most vibrant at night with bars, hookah, massages, tattoos and braiding stores. You will see manysand castles beautifully built while walking along the beach. A new sand castle will be built every day with that specific date for visitors to take pictures. I was so lucky to be able to find the castle with my date of birth even though we arrived late at night on my birthday.

CURRENCY

Exchange rate: 1 PHP = VND500

It is recommended to exchange money and buy sim cards at Manila airport in order to get the best price.

Hong Anh | Wanderlust Tips

Vietnam Airlines signs a USD1,5 billion agreement with Pratt & Whitney

Vietnam Airlines and American aerospace manufacturer Pratt & Whitney signed a contract of the selection of aircraft engines and support services for 20 Airbus A321NEO aircraft in the presence of the President of Vietnam Tran Dai Quang and President of the United States Donald Trump.

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The signing ceremony was held within the framework of the President of the United States’ official state visit to Vietnam. The two parties also signed a memorandum of understanding on maintenance contracts covering these engines. The deal between Vietnam Airlines and Pratt & Whitney is valued at more than $ 1.5 billion which include 44 PurePower Geared Turbofan (GTF) engines in accordance with comprehensive terms of warranty, maintenance and repair of engines.

Mr. Duong Tri Thanh – President and CEO of Vietnam Airlines said: “The signing ceremony today marked a new step in the development of Vietnam Airlines’ A321 fleet. The engine we choose is highly efficient, fuel efficient, especially environmentally friendly and comes with comprehensive repair arrangements which help Vietnam Airlines to increase operational efficiency and save on operating expenses. I believe that the agreement between Vietnam Airlines and Pratt & Whitney will further reinforce the important economic, trade and investment partnership between Vietnam and the United States.”

Mr. Rick Deurloo, Senior vice president of sales, marketing and customer support at Pratt & Whitney said: “We are proud to celebrate this momentous occasion with Vietnam Airlines. We’ve been powering Vietnam Airlines since the early 1990s when the airline received its first PW4000-powered 767. We look forward to continuing our strong relationship and long history with Vietnam Airlines.”

Since its first operation in 2016, the GTF engine has shown a strong performance with a reduction in 16% fuel consumption, 50% emission and 75% noise compared with the current engine. Vietnam Airlines’ A321 airplanes equipped by GTF engines are the new version of the A321 – the largest aircraft type in the Airbus A320 family. The A321NEO will provide passengers with new standards that will optimize cabin space, increase the size of the exits and new design of passenger cabins. Vietnam Airlines expects to receive 20 A321NEOs in 2018 and 2019.

Wanderlust Tips | Cinet

Tone of extravagance

“White is pure and simple and matches with everything,” said Christian Dior. This statement seems to be strongly strengthened when you admire Thuy Dung’s charming beauty breathing contemporary Asian style in liberal linen designs of the Kaab fashion brand with its dominant white tone.

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With a nice little sedge bag, a wide-brimmed sedgehat and an impressive Bandana neck tie, Kaab’s sleek white dress is elegant, youthful enough for the girl to stroll the sidewalks of the New York area in Universal Studios Singapore and feel the spirit and energy of the Big Apple that appears in all great movies.

Entering into the marine realm of S.E.A. Aquarium at Resorts World Sentosa, the modern woman exudes her elegance and charm amidst the fascinating marine life under the sea.

Elegant, distinctive yet luxurious – the pure white Kaab clothing harmonizes perfectly with the magical and mesmerizing world of marine animals. In the comfort and privacy of own suite, you can simple slip a cup of warm coffee, read your favorite book and soak in a bubble bath with company of over 40,000 marine fishes.

Photographer: HOANG DANG
Make-up: MONICA THACH THAO
Model: THUY DUNG ( The second runner-up of Miss Vietnam 2016)
Stylist: HUYEN GIN
Costume: KAAB
Location: RESORTS WORLD SENTOSA (Singapore)

Wanderlust Tips

Secrets to booking cheap flights

Unlike a bus or train ticket, the price of a flight ticket can keep changing and be priced depending on the airline’s brand, its policies, booking class as well as day and time of booking. In principle, the closer it gets to the departure date, the more airlines will charge for tickets. Here are some suggestions to help you get cheap flights.

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Book a ticket early

You should plan your travel well in advance to buy your air ticket earlier and get a cheaper ticket than when buying one at the last minute. However, travel specialists also advise that you should not buy too early. The optimal time to buy a ticket, then, is between 1 to 2 months before the flight, unless the airline launches a low-cost campaign one year or several months before the departure date.

Keep an eye out for ticket deals

Waiting for discount tickets is also a good way to save money. If you’re wondering how to keep up with the promotions and take advantage of cheap tickets, don’t worry, it’s very easy. Sign up for the “newsletter” on the airline’s website, follow their social networking sites and register for a loyalty program membership to get promotional information. Many brands will notify you via email with information and offers of cheap tickets and membership is free.

Flying in off-peak season

If you’re not bothered about the time you travel, you can choose to fly in the early morning/late night and off-peak seasons. It is recommended to fly before or after holidays or in the middle of the week. However, these are just hints and you still need to check the airfare on the website to know the actual right time to buy the cheapest ticket for each flight.

Use Flight Comparison websites / Apps

There are now plenty of websites and applications to compare flights such as Tripi, Traveloka, Skyscanner, Hipmunk, etc. Enter the place and date of departure and arrival and information about flights will appear, including direct flights, transit flights and in many cases you will find a transit flight which is cheaper than a direct one. If you have time and want to save money, why not choose cheaper transit flights? These websites also help you compare the airfares of many brands to choose the best fit for yourself. You can buy tickets from these sites or from airlines’ official websites.

Consider the reasonableness of flights and services

When buying an air ticket, it is recommended to consider the flight schedule as well as your needs. For example, you buy a ticket to Singapore and want to come back on Monday, but then you find a cheaper one with the arrival date on Tuesday. But in fact, you will spend a lot more money if you stay there one more day. In addition, this consideration is also extremely important because sometimes tickets of low-cost carriers are not always cheaper than tickets of premium airlines, especially when you have to pay for your checked baggage.

And there are times when business class tickets are cheaper than economy class ones. For example a business-class ticket at D class is cheaper than an economy-class ticket at M or K class. You can secure a business class seat for a reasonable price while being offered top tier services.

Join the Frequent Flyer Programme

Many people that love travelling by plane take advantage of loyalty programmes to get free flights. Joining Frequent Flyer Programmes enables you to earn and accumulate points for each flight. Currently, airlines are also cooperating with banks, hotels and other services to help customers earn bonus points when paying by credit card, booking hotels, renting vehicles or making electronic bill payment. When you earn enough points, you can exchange them for free tickets, upgrades to a higher class and other rewards such as access to the lounge or extra baggage allowance.

For customers in Vietnam, popular Frequent Flyer Programmes that can earn you points are: the Golden Lotus Program of Vietnam Airlines, BIG of AirAsia, FlyingBlue of Air France / KLM, Enrich of Malaysia Airlines, KrisFlyer of Singapore Airlines, etc …

Buy a ticket package

There are a number of airlines that offer ticket packages with multiple flights with fairly good fares for those who want to fly often over a short period of time. For example, AirAsia has an ASEAN Pass that allows passengers to fly around ASEAN for 30 days (with a 10-credit card) and 60 days (with a 20-credit card). The 10-credit card costs USD160 and the 20-credit card costs USD290. You can exchange 1 credit for a flight under 2 hours and 3 credits for a flight of more than 2 hours. This rate does not include airport taxes and other fees.

It is recommended to buy using Malaysian ringgit, in which case a 10-credit card would cost only MYR499, equivalent to USD117 and a 20-credit card costs MYR888, equivalent to USD208, much cheaper than the option to buy in dollars. If you fly 10 flights with 10 credits, the fare will be about USD16 excluding tax, it is very economical and you do not have to hunt for cheap tickets. Besides AirAsia, some other airlines like Garuda Indonesia also have similar ticket packages.

In short, the key to getting a cheap ticket is to keep abreast of discount airfares and promotions, schedule your trip suitably, earn points through Frequent Flyer Programmes, and take advantage of any ticket packages.

Wishing you many bargain priced future journeys to your dream destinations.

Wanderlust Tips

Mysterious stories on the road

Every time i come to a new land, i choose a local person to be my partner. Normally, we stick to the plan, go to places that are yet to be on the map, enjoy the food at nameless restaurants, and listen to mysterious stories passed on over generations.

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LY SON – WIND TOMBS

In the twinkling lights of the restaurant near the sea, there was a sea poison tree next to me, with fruits hanging down like lanterns radiating haunting light. He asked me if I could see the sparkle out there. I said yes, and the ships offshore were constantly flashing lights on a black sky. This time he raised his hand to show me the red dots near the shore; I did not see what they were, what I could see was a high mound, probably with some incenses still burning.

I started to shiver, not because of the cold winds. “In ancient times, King Gia Long’s troops were ordered to sail to the remote island to explore new land and find minerals. Ly Son was the stopover of the soldiers before going to the sea again. Because of strong winds in the sea and unbelievably large waves, the soldiers went missing, whose bodies were not found. King Gia Long deeply grieved for the soldiers and personally went to Ly Son island with a good feng shui master to do the necromancy for the dead soldiers,” said my local friend, quietly but passionately.

Then he said, the feng shui master ordered to dig the clay in the Tien well to form the statue of a dead soldier; used silk to make tendons, mulberry branches to make bones, charcoal from the tree to make the lung; fully shaped the five senses. Finally, egg yolk was scooped into the figurine to make it look like real human skin. The figurine was then put in a coffin and the feng shui master did the necromancy with a long funeral oration.I was startled because it meant that there would be no one in that tomb. Therefore, I could not stop myself from being qualmish while looking at the fading fire that looked like eyes looking up at the sky.

According to the narration, Ly Son Island residents called it wind tomb. After the necromancy, they believed that the dead soldier’s soul would entered the body as if he had returned. Later, whenever the sailing season starts, fishermen perform rituals for Hoang Sa soldiers, and fishermen-shaped figures are dropped into the sea. They consider figures as a substitute to save their lives if something goes wrong.

In the next morning, I went around the island on the road from the East bank to the West bank. The only ten-square-kilometre island has countless unknown graves simply dug and fenced with bricks or tree branches. I heard the crying in the wind, not from the offshore but from the land, from the unknown graves of people who had lived on the island.

PHU QUOC – THE “GHOST” TREE AND WELL FROM HEAVEN

It rained heavily on my second day in Phu Quoc, just like fate. Couldn’t go anywhere, we sat around chatting together. A friend in the group began with a mysterious and spiritual story.“Let’s go to see the ghost tree this evening.”“Where?”Then he said, in the airport, next to the runway there was a tall tree with its canopy stretching that wasn’t cut down.

Actually, no one could cut down that tree, because anyone who came near the tree would suddenly feel ill; the machine could not get close to the tree as it would break down without any reason. Legend had it that the wraith of a girl entered the tree and stayed in the surrounding area. Other rumours went around that it was the sacred tree of the forest, the core of the land so outsiders could not harm. In any case, the existence of the “ghost” tree does not affect the runway, so the airport owner kept it there.

I could not imagine how the “ghost” tree looked like, so I looked for an image on the Internet. It was a tall tree compared to the surrounding grass, with the white trunk and spreading foliage, standing alone next to the runway in the wind. It made me feel like a girl was waiting for something there. Putting aside the “ghost” tree, my friend continued to tell the story of Tien well in Phu Quoc Island, a dried-up well located only five metres from the sea but there is always fresh water. Water flows from a crack in the rock, which is protected by the fence of bricks built by local people.

“King Gia Long while running away from the enemy was drifted to the land in the state of hunger and thirst, and all his soldiers were too tired to continue. King Gia Long prayed to the heaven to grant water and food for his soldiers. He plugged the sword into the rock, making a crack for freshwater to flow all year round. Islanders believe that the water in that well can cure many diseases.”

Aunt Ut, who let me stay in her house for a few days, also contributed to the story. She had lived here since she was a child; she had been to everywhere from the north to the south of the island. She remembered every story that had happened on this land.

She also said, “If it stopped raining early, I will take you to the North Island; the Mother Kim Giao area is very beautiful with fine sand and clear blue sea. On a clear day, you can see the Ta Lon peak of Cambodia very close. Mother Kim Giao is said to be the founder of Phu Quoc Island, also known as Mother Goddess, who is extremely sacred. People here have practiced the rituals of worshipping Mother Kim Giao before men go sailing or women go into labour in order to pray for luck and safety”.

I listened attentively to aunt Ut about the story of Mother Kim Giao because, actually, it sounded “less terrifying” than the “ghost” tree in the airport. Crossing a dense national forest and an obsessive field full of white trunks and canopy like ghosts scattering in the airport, we reached Mother Kim Giao area in joy and regret. Till later, I thought that our trip was successful because of Mother’s permission. There was an unidentified team that went to smash the temple and they had unpleasant results. According to the local people, it was Mother’s “punishment”. It was possible that the events in their lives had nothing to do with the “supernatural” power that human beings have with their vivid imagination; however, I could not help but shudder at the mysterious story passed on many generations of local people.

CON DAO – THE SACRED LAND

With the painful memories of a fierce war, before the flight to Con Dao, I heard a lot of advice such as “Do not bring anything from the island from the stone to the flowers. It is said that each branch of the trees in Con Dao is attached of souls.” The road from the Co Ong airport opens a panorama of the sky and mesmerized blue sea. As the sun rays of the dawn pierced the canopy of the cottonwood, it was time for us to begin our journey to discover the relics in the island.

Contrary to its poetic beauty, this island still bears so many scars of the war. In the constant voice of the tour guide, we went through countless prisons, detention centres, rooms for solitary confinement and witnessed countless detention and brutal tortures that had killed more than 20,000 Vietnamese in more than 100 years. From one side of the prison wall, the old trees rustled with the gentle sea breeze. However, from the other side, there was an unbelievably tragic story of the hell on earth. According to the tour guide, among the prisoners tortured by being soaked half of their bodies in the dung compartments, only 1 or 2 survived. The sunshine of Con Dao was brighter, and it was also when we visited the grave of Vo Thi Sau. This time, the painful memories also carried a mystery.

She said, in front of Vo Thi Sau’s grave, there was an old poplar tree that had dried up the tops, however, its root and a lush branch still rose to the north. Legend has it that, the bricklayers in the prison built the gravestone with cement in front of the grave. Lord of Island Jarty angrily led soldiers to the graveyard, smashed the gravestone, and scratched the grave. But each time they smashed the gravestone, the next day the grave and the gravestone appeared again. It was presumed that perhaps the prisoners quietly rebuilt the gravestone at night. But many people on the island believe that her soul was so sacred that nobody could break the gravestone.

The sweet voice of the island girl could not stop us from shivering when listening to the story of a security who had followed Governor Bach Van Bon’s words to smash the gravestone of Vo Thi Sau. The next day a new gravestone was rebuilt while the Governor was terribly thin, wandering along the street near the hospital. He had a high fever, could not eat anything and died a few days later. There are countless terrifying stories related to Sau’s grave. Some reckless people also assumed that visiting her grave at 12am at night is the most sacred moment.

The painful memories kept clinging on to my mind. At night, the sound of the cottonwood rustling, together with the murmurous sound of the waves just a few steps from where I slept was like the whisper of the tortured souls in the past.

Mai Dong | Wanderlust Tips

Wanderlust Tips travel magazine’s November issue 2017: Vibrant Islands

Wanderlust Tips’ November issue will take you to beautiful islands, enjoy the colourful flowery routes, and share with you exciting travel experiences.

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Autumn passes by so quickly, even when you try to hold back the pellucid sunshine, gentle wind, and the fragrance of green rice flakes before they are gone. However, in many other lands, islands are still vibrant and beautiful, flowers are still blooming and bright sunshine is still pouring.

In November, though the fruiting season in Hokkaido’s vast farms is over, you can still enjoy the hot ramen in Ramen Village where eight famous ramen shops are located, go skiing, or take a sip of Yoichi’s renowned whiskey. You can also taste a variety of fresh seafood in the traditional market in Sapporo. Let’s explore all that wonderful things in the article HOKKAIDO – A VIBRANT ISLAND (Exploration category).

In November, Phu Quoc welcomes you with blue sea, white sands, cool forest, and delicious delicacies that cannot be resisted. Journey to PHU QUOC – WHERE MY HEART STAYS (Phu Quoc category) of the writer Nhat Minh will certainly urge you to carry backpack and go to the beautiful jade island in the south of Vietnam.

In November, despite the traces of the rainy season remaining, Boracay is enchanted with crystal clear water, bustling seaside restaurants and night entertainment venues. Turn to the Destination category to immerse yourself into BORACAY – BLUE SEA, GOLDEN SUNSHINE.

Also in this issue, an adorable German young man named Christopher Heil will share his HITCHHIKING AROUND THE WORLD (Lifestyle category) with countless unpredictable yet unforgettable experiences.

Wanderlust Tips’ November issue, as usual, will explore new lands; embark on an adventure, and share valuable experience on the way.

Wanderlust Tips

Ha Giang and the story of the H’mong living in the rocky mountains

Located in the northernmost part of Vietnam, Ha Giang is a land of magnificent and unspoiled beauty, with steep rocky ranges of mountain, steep mountain passes, golden rice terraces in the harvest season. And beyond your expectation, the charm of Ha Giang comes from the uncharted mysteries of the cultural life of the Mong – an ethnic group featuring very unique identity and identity.

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SURVIVE IN TOUGH CONDITIONS

Among the ethnic groups living in Northern Vietnam, the Hmong people present a special existence, a typical example of life adaptation and survival. Said in Hmong’s folk song: “The fish lives in the sky / The birds fly in the sky / Mong people live in the mountains”, the Mong people in Ha Giang have adapted to the life in the mountains at the altitude from 800 to 1,700 metres above the sea level, in difficult conditions but also majestic and dreaming natural beauty.

According to researchers, about three centuries ago, Mong people (also known as H’mong, Miao) were pursued by the Chinese, so they had to flee to the south, which is the mountains of northern Vietnam. The population of Mong people in Ha Giang accounts for the largest proportion, over 31 percent of the population of ethnic groups in the province. There are two major groups, White Hmong and Leng Hmong, that live in the northern districts of Quan Ba, Yen Minh, Dong Van, Meo Vac and two districts in the west like Hoang Su Phuc, Xin Man.

Many people wonder about the living space of Mong people. Why do they choose to live in the Rocky Mountains? Why do not they migrate to lower areas? The researchers assumed that the Hmong living in the high mountains was an historically inevitable choice. By the time they emigrated, favourable places for farming and living had all been occupied. So Mong people had no choice but to choose the top of the mountains. But even later when they had the chance to choose, the adaptability to natural conditions, pride and independence has helped the Hmong to hold on to the high mountains and not leave their homeland.

Researcher Nguyen Manh Tien, the author of the book called Mountain Peaks – where we find H’Mong’s personality, has said: “Having lived on the mountain peaks, Mong people with long-standing practices have occupied the highest terrain they migrated to. In Vietnam, the Mong are the owners of highest peaks, which I called the roof of Vietnam.” Therefore, the Mong people have the proverb: “There are no peaks higher than the Hmong’s knees,” and they will even conquer the towering Tay Con Linh mountain.

From the adaptation to living conditions, the Mong people have created new farming methods as well as appropriate cultural conditions to survive on the high peaks. Surrounded by sharp-edged and rugged rocks rising to the sky, they have created a unique cultivation method: planting crops in rock holes. The soils are carried from other places to fill every rock hole; then suitable plants such as maize, squash, and legumes are selected to plant in these holes. The habit of planting food crops in rock holes lying on towering mountain ridges is a powerful and lively demonstration of the Hmong’s excellent adaptability to the hard conditions to maintain life, which is beyond imagination. Their intelligence, logical thinking, and persistence in farming practice are admired by both researchers and visitors. Having witnessed the Mong women who carry baskets full of soil on their backs to the high mountain to pour into the rock niche, we realize how valuable each grain of rice is, containing great effort of the Hmong. The knowledge and techniques of planting crops in rock holes of ethnic minorities in the Ha Giang rocky plateau are documented on the list of National Intangible Cultural Heritage by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in 2012.

Furthermore, to retain water and prevent soil erosion after the rain, the Mong have also brought the Cunninghamia from the forest to plant in the village. This kind of tree can withstand harsh weather conditions like sun, strong wind, drought, and freezing cold to survive on the rocky mountain.

“LIVE IN THE ROCKS, BEING BURIED IN THE ROCK”

When talking to the guests, Hmong elders have proudly said, “Mature Hmong male must know how to plow, play the khaen and build stone fences.” Indeed, in Ha Giang, 80 percent of the terrain is rock outcrop. Rocks appear everywhere: under the ground, on the roads, and on the mountain peaks. The mountain ranges are hundreds of meters tall with full of sharp-edged and endlessly rugged rocks reaching for the sky.

Therefore, to the Mong people, rock is a part of their life and soul, just like the song “Live in the rocks, being buried in the rock”. Children grow up with the rocks, old people are buried in the rocks when they die. Rock fences mark the boundary of the Mong people’s living space. And the soul of rammed earth houses of the Hmong also begins with the rock fence. Without cement and sand, the rock fence is still solid and sturdy enough to become a protective barrier to the house. The height of the fence is approximately less than 1.7 metres to prevent animals from jumping over, but not too high for a passerby to look inside. Therefore, it can be said that rock fence is also a feature of H’mong architecture. It surrounds the house, which looks like a fortress from the distance. On the mountain peaks in the Dong Van Plateau, you can easily see thousands of these “fortresses”. In some places, houses gather into a cluster; in others, some are scattered as “reigning” the high mountain. In addition, the stone is also a sacred object in the house, a survival tool for H’Mong people. Every H’Mong family has a stone mortar. In H’Mong custom, when moving home, they must definitely carry three things: a woman’s dress, a linseed bag and last but not least, a stone mortar to grind corn and make “mèn mén” (a dish from finely ground cornmeal).

Moreover, the stone is closely linked with H’Mong’s spiritual life because they worship the God of Stone. They often prepare ceremonial offerings to the God of Stone on the first day and the full-moon day of a lunar month to pray for peace. H’Mong customs also include inviting Stone to become adoptive parents for a sick child in the hope that he or she will be protected. The shaman will take a piece of red cloth, burn incense, read the name and ask for a blessing for the baby. People then strip some red thread from the piece of cloth to tie to the baby’s leg and the rest will be tied to the stone. The chosen stone is called the birth stone which must have sharp-edged and rugged top standing firm on the ground symbolizing fertility.

H’Mong people have a faith that the solidity of the stone will help the children to grow up into happy and healthy ones. In this plateau, stones have shaped the H’Mong lifestyle; the rock protects their lives, gives them support, beliefs in life, and train their strong spirit to live in and dominate this land. This is the holy bond between man and nature.

ETHNIC MINORITY MARKET – THE SPECIALTY OF ROCKY PLATEAU

H’Mong people not only have a strong bond with nature but also build a community with rich cultural identity. Besides the purpose of trading goods, they often go to the market to make friends and expand their social network. The ethnic minority marketa appear everywhere on the plateau, from Meo Vac, Dong Van, Quan Ba, Hoang Su Phi to Xin Man, Pho Cao…

Unlike the lowland market, H’Mong’s one has forward fair and backward fair for people to have more opportunity to meet each other. The schedule is based on Chinese Zodiac. For example, if the ethnic minority market in Dong Van is held in the day of Tiger, the market of its neighborhood must be held the day after – the day of Rabbit. This allows H’Mong people to participate in various markets and get more chances to communicate and share with others.
The markets usually open from early dawn when people cannot see others’ face clearly and clouds still cover the mountain. H’Mong houses are often far away from the market. Therefore, from the early morning when the mountain forests are still in deep sleep, H’Mong people already wear baskets on their back to go there. H’Mong girls often wear their most beautiful dresses and brush hair neatly to go to market. They often save glitter shirt, cajuput ten-coloured skirt, and red shoes to wear only on these important occasions and fairs.

Ethnic minority markets on the rocky plateau are always bustling like Tet Holiday. We can easily hear the sounds of cows, horses, people buying and selling goods or cheering with a bowl of aromatic wine, “thang co”, velvet bean. There are also high-quality mountain products such as honey, mushrooms, vegetables and some modern household items like Television. Especially, in many markets in Ha Giang, people often use objects instead of money for trading. For instance, they can exchange the chicken or dozens of eggs for the hoe or bucket of water … Ethnic minority markets are often noisy but not as vibrant as the lowland ones. Everyone does his/her own works there. The drinker drinks quietly while other people sell and buy things without bargaining.

Next to the trading area, there is a food court with the big, hot woks of Thang Co and aromatic corn wine. Beside short tables and old benches, Thang Co is scooped out and the wine is poured into the bowl. Men eat Thang Co and drink corn wine while women sit next to their husbands chatting with each other, and spinning. H’Mong people go to the market to meet people. Due to geographical characteristics, houses are separated by the mountains so the market is considered their meeting place. Therefore, it is easy to understand that many people come to the market without buying anything, or just bring the chickens to charge for foods. At the market, besides trading, they play the khaen and dance. Until midday when Thang Co and corn wine are all gone and all essential goods are bought, H’Mong people arrange their belongings and come back home after saying a few goodbyes to each other.

Ha Giang market is a place for not only people there but also other ethnic groups and tourists from the lowland. People come here to take a walk, admire the scenery, take a few photos, try a bowl of Thang Co, and sip a glass of corn wine. Though simple as it is, the ethnic minority market has become a “specialty” of the plateau, which even makes many people say “if you have come to Ha Giang without visiting the market, it means you have only experienced half of the beauty of this place”.

“Dangerous, majestic and poetic like the unknown, endless, everlasting mountain peaks”, is what people talk about the living space of the Mong. On the Rocky Mountains, H’Mong people always live with tenacious spirit, constantly adapt to survive while building a united community with distinctive and unique cultural identity.

Thu Hoai | Wanderlust Tips

Adrian Anh Tuan: Grasp your chance for travel as time will pass very quickly

Despite a busy work schedule; Adrian Anh Tuan always makes others admire him for his travelling to gorgeous places. Especially, during his travels, there is always an appearance of his companion and soul mate entrepreneur Son Doan. The most wonderful thing is travelling the world with the person you love.

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Hello Adrian, what has helped you to have such great passion for travelling?

I think that everyone has a passion for travelling; they all desire to travel around the world and discover new things outside of their daily life. What matters is whether you want to follow your heart and have the financial ability or not. In my opinion, going with a soul mate is always more wonderful than going alone. The soul mate you have mentioned here must be Son Doan – who has created a beautiful love story with you. Son and I are lucky enough to share the same passion for travelling. We go to learn more about the outside world, to broaden our horizons, to explore other cultures, and to try out the local dishes at those destinations.

Though being busy at work, we always try to arrange the time to travel together. Time goes by quickly, and before you notice you will be in your old age and may not be able to do what you want. So for me, I always attempt to make more room in life to have greater experiences.

Could you name the destinations that you have been to together?

There are too many places to tell. In Vietnam, we have been to all the places that we want to, many of which we even had to return dozens of times because of the beauty and our preferences. In Asia, we have been to Thailand, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, China, Singapore etc. Furthermore, we have come to America, Canada, France, Switzerland, Italy etc..

Son and I are in our late thirties, so backpacking or hiking is not something we can do anymore. For me, travelling should be combined with relaxing leisure so that you can enjoy everything around you. That is why we always choose the most affordable and beautiful places, as well as try out as many local dishes as possible, which is also one of our hobbies and interests when arriving in a new place.

Can you share some of your most unforgettable memories during the trips?

For me, the memories are always enjoyable because I forget every sad memory from my mind. Of course, we occasionally encountered some unfortunate situations while travelling such as missing luggage, wrong hotel bookings, flight delays or stolen belongings, etc. but they did not make us upset. They were just funny experiences that we have gone through.

We have too many happy memories to mention. And we always try to retain the joyfulness in memory by capturing our happy moments. Son Doan and I are very fond of visiting new places where we have local friends, so we can discover more interesting things which a typical tourist may not have the chance to experience. Recently, we visited Aix En Provence (France) and stayed for a few nights at beautiful mansions, enjoyed food grown in the garden, as well as sipped the wines produced in the vineyard right in those mansions. We were also told many interesting stories that even the tour guides here might not even know.

As a designer as well as a travel blogger, are there any connections between your two passions for fashion and travelling?

The fact that most of my collections were inspired by travelling happened as I became a travel blogger. That is the reason why I have travelled to so many places in the world. Fashion also gives me more opportunities and conditions to travel and broaden my knowledge. Furthermore, travelling is my spiritual remedy and creative source, which inspires me to create beautiful collections for my clients. It can be seen that these two passions, two jobs complement each other perfectly.

It is known that you and Son Doan are quite successful with your Youtube channel Away We Wow. Could you tell us more about this work?

Away We Wow is a channel about travel and cuisine. Although Away We Wow was established less than a year ago, it has received lots of love and attention from travel enthusiasts, the media and many commercial brands with offers for cooperation. We made this Youtube channel to find more opportunities to travel together and share beautiful pictures as well as interesting information about the trips with other people.

Could you share with the readers your upcoming plans?

Away We Wow is going to have some clips of new interesting trips, including our trip to Japan later this year with a friend who we have specially invited to participate in Away We Wow team. Besides, there are also trips to famous places in Vietnam such as Hanoi, Halong Bay, Quy Nhon and other provinces in southern Vietnam. We hope more people will subscribe Away We Wow channel. As for my fashion designing career, I’m going to hold a special event in November to celebrate my 10th anniversary, which will be a secret and a surprise for everyone.

Thank you, Adrian Anh Tuan, for sharing your interesting information with us. Wish you and your life partner wonderful trips ahead!

Van Ly | Wanderlust Tips

Travel bloggers: How much a dream cost?

Instead of travelling several times per year, travel bloggers turn their life into a long trip. And it is definitely not a path strewn with roses.

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1. TRAN VIET PHUONG

Create your own path

More than a year ago, I published my first book and decided to give up my career as a journalist to become a full-time travel blogger. I am so fed up with the stability, so tired of the restrictive and constrained working environment, and so bored with a repeated working routine, so I made a decision to give up the job that could be a dream to many people to create my own path. Why did you have to live a monotonous life while you were capable of living a more diverse life?

Make money for travelling

There are many ways for me to make money the trip: Income from writing, my savings for years, extra money from part-time jobs outside my main job as a travel blogger, earnings from advertising on Facebook and Google when posting videos on YouTube, and also the contract, agreement of posting product and service reviews on my own website or social networks.

A path not strewn with roses

I had anticipated difficulties that I had to face. However, those difficulties were much harder than I had expected. Being a freelancer means that you will never have a stable income. It is all insecure and I have to work every day, every hour to maintain my income. In addition, being a travel blogger, you have to travel a lot to gain experience, experience to share with the readers. If you do not travel regularly, your experience is tedious, then nobody will want to follow your blog. Furthermore, your experience must be in depth and interesting, which means you are required to have an ability to observe, perceive and interact with local people in the destination.

Finally, you have to build trust with your readers because they will watch your journey and contribute to your success. Sometimes, there were readers that felt uncomfortable when I posted or advertised a product, without understanding that it was also a way I could earn money for travelling. Sometimes, I felt frustrated with my decision to become a full-time blogger when I did not see any progress, I did not know what I needed for improvement, and what I had done wrong.

All achievements need time

I had to face a lot of difficulties, but I always thought that as I decided to go this way, I have to go to the end. I have a strong belief that I will succeed in the path I have chosen. Later, when I get married, we will travel together to explore the world and learn from interesting things in life.

But do not rush to work as a full-time travel blogger when you have not gained the financial ability, comprehensive knowledge, communication skill and foreign languages. All achievements need time. If you want to become a travel blogger, you can start the journey now; start writing and sharing; practice taking photographs, recording and editing video; learn English, and especially read a lot.

2. TRAN DANG DANG KHOA

There will be no other long journey

Regarding the long journey around the world, if I do not work as a travel blogger, I cannot afford the travel cost. I needed to send my savings to my parents because I am the oldest in my family. Being a travel blogger helps me to earn money for travelling.

Working while travelling

Previously when I had a full-time white-collar job, sometimes I wrote advertisements for several companies. Nowadays, I mainly write advertisements for some brands such as tires or mobile phones, work as a copywriter, take photographs for some brands to pay for travel expenses. Currently, I do not have any stable income, either. Nothing in life is free and perfect, everything needs a trade-off. “Traveling career” is sometimes very stressful with deadlines, occupational risks, and also unemployment. The working schedule is not fixed with 8-hour shifts; you will have to work at any available time.

It is hard to succeed without renewing yourself

Travelling is not a magic medicine or a beautiful Eden Garden. Just like everything else in life, it has two sides: the openness to strangers will be narrowed gradually by the vigilance and caution, while awaiting new experiences will also be exposed to hidden risks. The happiness and excitement when coming to a new land will then bring you a sense of regret and emptiness when coming back home and realizing that travelling will be traded by your time, health, and money. The first difficulty of a full-time traveller is maintaining income. Sometimes I got into serious financial difficulty due to late payment. However, I still have many other sources of income to manage and overcome difficulties.

When travelling, you should always keep the optimism and excitement in your heart because if you get bored, you can do nothing. Sometimes, the beautiful photos or bright smiles are somehow to hide the sadness inside, while some other melancholy pictures are actually just for a concept. Perhaps because no one wants others to lose inspiration or ruining a beautiful day by seeing their boring and monotonous photos.

Another great challenge for travel bloggers is to constantly renew themselves and share useful tips to attract readers. I always think about new unique aspects or exploit less-known viewpoints to make my page more interesting. Because it will be hard to succeed as a travel blogger if you do not travel often or have interesting and unique travel writings.

And when do you get ready?

Working as a full-time travel blogger requires preparation. First of all, you need to have the passion for travelling. Then you need to have writing skill, photography skill and others to earn money to cover your expenses. Moreover, as you may encounter a series of unexpected situations during your journey, you need to have the ability to endure hardships, the desire for life experience as well as the willingness to take on any challenges. If you are ready, just take the first step to experience a travelling life.

3. TAM BUI

A job of travelling

When I still worked for companies, my travel buddies and I said to each other “Our hobby is travelling. Why don’t we turn it into a career? Then we do not need to work anymore and just spend all day going out.”I do not think having a stable 8-hour-shift and fixed monthly salary job is something unfavorable. However, I was not happy working like this, so I had to look for a new path. Fortunately, I found the happiness on travelling.

There is no time to be sad

In the early days, I spent my savings on travelling. But just two months later, I started making money when working as a travel blogger. I received sponsorship from some brands to bring their products during the trip. I wrote reviews of destinations for travel agencies or airlines. In addition, I also set up a team specializing in commercial photography in Saigon. I focus on taking travel photos while on the journey, and advertising photographs for brands while at home. With this huge amount of work, I even feel that I do not have time to be sad.

Do not make your journey lose its significance.

Finance is always a headache for freelancers. A common fear of so many young people is whether they can survive or not when they give up a stable job to work as a freelancer or start their own business. The lack of preparation and this invisible fear has made them intimidated. Up to now, financial issues do not bother me anymore because I know how to throw the burden away to focus on work. You make money while travelling, but if you turn your journey into a business trip, it means you have failed. The trip is no longer adventurous, full of surprises and thrilling but it is commercialized. There are too many significant stories like this on social networks that readers do not need to read anymore.

They need a completely personal experience which is may be impulsive or stupid, yet unique and authentic, so that readers can find themselves in those stories. Because I am a “time billionaire”, I can stay as long as I want so that my senses can work at full capacity, and then I will write and take photos later. For me, I can only have great writings and photos when spending 80-90 percent of travel time for pleasure.

Your final destination is…?

I do not intend to stop, even when I get married. I think I can build my own family and choose a soulmate to share the aspirations for travelling, so we can be accompanied all over the places. Find out what you really want in life is the key to success. But the goal of life is not succeeding, but experiencing. It is new experiences that help us find ourselves, bring memories and makes us different and unique.

4. MAI HUONG

Travel to find a real life

I used to be a public relations specialist for a large university in Central Vietnam with a good salary. I am the pride of the family. However, I still did not feel happy and satisfied with my life. Therefore, I decided to give up that safe and stable life to take my backpack and step forward to experience the world outside, simply because I wanted to find out who I am, what I can do and where I can go. And that is the life I want to live.

Working to afford my dream

My main job is writing, taking photographs and filming. I have trained myself to have enough skills to work in some fields such as photojournalism (photo-essay, photo categories), journalism (journey diary, documentary, and journal) and television (TV report). I will produce a work on the basis of 2-3 days, and the royalty is from
300.000 VND to 2.5 million VND per work. Averagely, in a month I can earn from 10 to 15 million of royalty.

Besides, I sometimes get extra income from working as a Key Opinion Leader (KOLs) for reviewing and promoting some products on my social networking sites such as Facebook, fan page, and website. I am usually paid a minimum of 500.000 VND for a product review or a promotion posted on my personal channel. Not to mention, some of my trips are 100 percent sponsored. Some people are willing to pay the travel cost for me to travel with them to the land they want to go, for example, a trip to the Apatani tribe in Ziro, India.

Did I make the wrong choice?

I used to have an illusion about writing, but when it comes to the reality, money is a matter that needs to be considered besides your dream and passion. To nurture my passion, I had to write a lot, even while travelling; sometimes I had to write in a hurry. The articles sometimes were just a simple introduction with some photos, which I did not even want to read again. I also hoped the reader would not recognize that the author was me. It was one of the broken-hearted things I had to experience.

During the last 1 year, there were at some points when I really had financial problems. The worst crisis was when I lost my camera in the sea. It was impossible for me to collaborate with media companies and agencies because I did not have professional equipment and lost all the photographs taken on the journey. My income was just enough to spend on travelling, and I could not afford to buy new equipment. There was a time when I had only 900.000 VND in my account, and I wondered myself how I could manage to live. I was really stressed and financially troubled. So many times I doubted myself about whether I made a wrong choice.

Should I give up?

Despite difficulties, I am still not ready to stop to live a stable life. Because I still miss the feeling of freely running across the prairie, crossing the desert or snow mountains. That would be the best experience in my life.

Take reality into consideration

It is great to pursue your passion, however, if you do not want to fail miserably, you must take reality into consideration. Before deciding to give up a safe and stable life, you must be able to answer the question: What skills do you have? Can your skills help you to maintain when you give up the safe path to go outside?

5. CHRISTOPHER HEIL

I don’t have to ask for any days off to travel anymore

I have spent all of my time travelling since September 2014 after quitting my job as a Technical Consultant in Online Advertisement Industry in London. I travel every month with a small break in Germany in between. Before that, I took every single day off and a couple of unpaid months off to travel, roughly about 3-4 trips. Working in London as a Consultant in Online Advertisement enabled me to save enough money for my trips until 2018 and even have some left after that.

Keep expense low and energy high

Giving up the normal life means that I cannot meet my friends, play guitar or climb the mountains frequently. And for me, it is not easy to give up these hobbies.I started to use Amazon Affiliate Program and earned around 40 EUR, enough to maintain the website for at least one year. However, I mostly live off of my own savings. I am thinking
about selling my photos, which I have never done before.

It will be better for you to find some cheap places to eat rather than buy food in a supermarket, catch a bus instead of taxi as well as find a cheap airfare. I often have to spend hours researching for the most economical journey. And in two years, this has helped me save about 2,000 EUR.

Adaptation is necessary

I have to face a lot of challenges during my journey. When being given a lift, you may not know whether and when you can arrive in your destination. Sometimes I have to sleep in my tent next to the road, which seems to be too risky for some people to do. Sometimes people invite me to their house and tell me about some mysterious stories. In general, we will constantly need to change the plans and have to adapt to the situation. I used to feel so confused when my host was not showing up and I had to solve all the problems without any help and prepare a backup plan. Now I have become familiar with all these things, but for the beginners, they might be big challenges.

Clear vision for the future

Some people don’t really know what they want to do, and how they want their trips to be. But I do, I want to live on my organic and self-sustaining farm in England in the next 5-10 years, provide accomodation and food for travellers, and work as a freelancer in Online Advertisement Industry for at least 4-6 months per year. I will spend the rest of time with my family and on traveling. Preparing carefully for the trips can help you discover the world more safely.

Hong Nhung | Wanderlust Tips

Experience extensive services at Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts

Hong Kong-based Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts currently operates over 95 hotels with a room inventory of over 40,000 all over the world. Recently, it announced to open Kerry Hotel in Hong Kong and Shangri-La Hotels in Colombo.

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KERRY HOTEL, HONG KONG

Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts unveiled the first Kerry Hotel in Hong Kong and its fourth property in the city. The new 546-room Kerry Hotel, Hong Kong opens its doors to guests as the city’s first urban resort, inspiring lifestyle pursuits with its outdoor living spaces and family activities whilst setting the tone for world-class business and meeting services. The debut of the hotel is an important milestone for Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts as it marks its fourth property in the city and the new flagship hotel of the Kerry brand.

Conceived by internationally renowned interior designer André Fu and award winning architect Rocco Design, the new build 16-storey hotel is the first to open on the Kowloon waterfront since 1995. Providing guests with uninterrupted views over Victoria Harbour, the hotel’s multi-level podium design with extensive outdoor landscaped gardens connect the hotel seamlessly to public areas and physically embodies the hotel’s approach to “More Room For Life”and relaxed luxury.

SHANGRI-LA HOTEL, COLOMBO

Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts announced that Shangri-La Hotel, Colombo is set to open on 16^th November 2017. The hotel will begin taking bookings from 1^stSeptember 2017 for stays from 1^st December 2017. Shangri-La Hotel, Colombo will be the second property in Sri Lanka for the luxury Asian hospitality group – joining Shangri-La’s Hambantota Golf Resort & Spa and is anticipated to be one of the most prominent hotel launches in Sri Lanka in nearly 30 years.

Located at One Galle Face along the Galle Face Green promenade, which is the most exclusive address in Colombo, Shangri-La Hotel, Colombo will offer uninterrupted Indian Ocean views in most of its 500 guestrooms and suites and 41 serviced apartments. The hotel sits on 10 acres of land that will also soon accommodate an office tower, two residential buildings and a high-end shopping mall, bringing a new level of luxury to the thriving, metropolitan city of Colombo. The hotel is a 40-minute drive from the Colombo Bandaranaike International Airport.

SHANGRI-LA’S VILLINGILI RESORT & SPA, MALDIVES

Shangri-La’s Villingili Resort & Spa, Maldives has recently announced their star-studded festive programme for 2017, which promises to delight and inspire all guests with some of the world’s best dining hotspots and performers. Buddha-Bar Beach has taken a gastronomic stroll to Villingili island to offer a unique culinary experience along with expert mixologists, while world renowned artists the Gipsy Reyes, Saxokid, and DJ Mario from Buddha Bar will set the festive mood and keep guests dancing until the early hours.

One of the many highlights of the season includes the arrival of Buddha-Bar, one of the most recognised restaurant brands with fourteen Buddha-Bar venues and three Buddha-Bar Beach around the world. The Buddha-Bar Beach pop up at Dr Ali’s Restaurant from 20^thDecember 2017 to 20^thJanuary 2018, will allow guests to taste pan-Asian and Japanese specialties from the tantalising Buddha-Bar menu, as well as experience the bar’s mixology corner headed by Buddha-Bar worldwide Executive Bar Chef, Matthias Giroud.

Other activities during the festive season include:

22^nd December – Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony

Accompanied by the warm and wholesome chorus of the Villingili Voices, a local choir on the island, guests are invited to start the festive season with the traditional lighting of the Villingili Christmas Tree located right at the heart of the resort. The Christmas tree is made entirely of materials found on the island, with the main component of the towering tree being drift wood found along the peaceful shores.

24^th December – Christmas Eve, Santa’s Arrival

As chimneys are few and far between in the Maldives, Santa Claus’ much anticipated arrival for the hotel’s younger guests on Christmas Eve will be via parasail. Serving as a sleigh, the parasail will be piled high with gifts and treats for the resort’s guests. This once-in-a-lifetime spectacle will delight both little ones and their parents and become a cherished Christmas memory.

25^th December – Christmas Day

For the big day, Javvu Restaurant at Shangri-La’s Villingili Resort & Spa will host a magnificent Christmas Brunch from 1pm – 4pm including Iberico ham and caviar stations, accompanied by live music from internationally acclaimed performer, SaxoKid. Set to be a spectacular celebration, the hotel will also arrange for festive themed children’s activities to ensure families have a Christmas Day filled with laughter and lasting memories on the resort’s crystalline waters.

22^nd December 2017 – 5^th January 2018: Master in Residence Programme

Shangri-La’s Villingili Resort & Spa has partnered with world renowned celebrity personal trainer Faisal Abdalla, for a two week residency from 22^nd December 2017 to 5^th January 2018. Ranked on Ask Men’s Flex 50 as one of the most influential people in the world of sport and fitness, alongside Andy Murray, Usain Bolt and Conor McGregor, Abdulla is an ambassador for Men’s Health and an internationally sought-after master trainer for both Nike and Barry’s Bootcamp.

26^th December and 3^rd January – Winemaker Dinners

An exclusive experience awaits in Javvu’s private dining room, as guests can enjoy a gastronomic 5-course Mediterranean set menu paired with five 100 pointers wines, some of the best wines in the world, at USD1,000 per person.

Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts