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Showing posts with label MALAYSIA. Show all posts
Showing posts with label MALAYSIA. Show all posts

Monday, October 28, 2013

Why Every Woman Should Travel Solo: Makiko S | Blog | Sedunia Travel


In conjunction with the Asian Women Empowerment 2013 (also known as #aweasia13), the Why Every Woman Should Travel blog series is done by Sedunia Travel. The blog series features amazing women who are living their dream - independent lifestyle. Almost all key speakers of this exciting event have had experience in solo traveling (just like me). I am actually honoured to be 'slotted' in this blog series alongside with these amazing ladies. To read more on my story, check out >> Why Every Woman Should Travel Solo: Makiko S | Blog | Sedunia Travel

One of the biggest advantage of traveling solo is the freedom to meet and start new friendship many other fellow travelers. I have met so many awesome traveler friends along the many solo journeys I have taken. Prior to my decision on going out to solo traveling, I have gone to numerous holidays - as a tourist. During those fine times, I have seen more people come and go as I roam around places, but never I get the chance to actually make friends that I could keep in touch. I supposed going for a fancy holiday provides little room for me to reach out to the people, mainly because the focus had always been rest and relax - rather than mix and interact.

As a traveler, catching up with fellow traveler friends means bumping into each other along the road as well. Although I know few travelers who are based in the same city as mine, often we will end up meeting at a random destination. I must say, with the help with the technology, it is easier to track fellow travelers and allow me to have a 30 minute coffee chat in Hanoi with them.

For the next couple of weeks, I won't have to travel outside the my home city because the awesome women travelers will be flying into Malaysia for #aweasia13. It will be an exciting gathering and I really hope that I could strike more new friendships during that event.

If you all are wondering why am I so excited about AWE Asia '13, check out the stories on the 'sure-come' speakers >> Do I need more reasons than these?

Lois Yasay
Anis Ibrahim
Nila Tanzil

So, if you are free from 8-10 November 2013 and happened to be in Kuala Lumpur, why not join us. Click on the link to the AWE conference (above) to register.

"It's never too late or too old to learn something.." 

Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Empowering Women in Asia - AWE '13 is here for us!!!

Breaking away from the stereotypes of being an Asian woman is probably the hardest challenge of to date for me. Ever since I decided to drop everything that was so-called important in life, I have been constantly critiqued for that choice. 

I enjoy life in my own way nowadays - still single at this age and without employment commitment to worry much. Whenever I feel like exploring a new place, I would just pack and leave. Every moment I encounter will be an opportunity for me to write and tell. 

It is never easy to choose this kind of lifestyle, though. Over the past couple of years, painstakingly I have been searching for information and knowledge so I could supplement this so-called 'unconventional lifestyle of mine'. When I first stated out as a solo female traveler, I must admit that it was not an easy journey. Although Mr Google is there to provide, I could not find anything sufficient to help with the decision made. Of course, over the years I have met with few other female travelers from Asia who shares the same passion as mine.

So, when I was introduced to AWEAsia, I was happy. In less than a month, AWE '13 will take place in Kuala Lumpur. Not only I would like to be inspired, I wish that the event would be a platform for me to build a better network as well as to find people of same interest - I am looking for someone as a consolation to this challenging path.

If you are asking this question, "How could you choose to become an independent traveler?" then I would recommend you to come and join me (and many other successful women) in the quest to finding the right answer!!!
******
Are you a freelancer, world traveler, non-profit starter, blogger, creative mind,
and mostly, woman with a passion to make change in your world?

AWE ‘13 is here for you!



If you are seeking for inspiration, here’s your change. With the lead of fourteen inspiring speakers, AWE ’13 will help you to find the missing key in your life to happiness. 

Purpose of AWE conference
AWE ’13 is for empowering Asian women to follow their dreams and thrive in an independent lifestyle. Breaking the mold, and standing out is tougher for Asian women in a male-dominated society. We are restricted by culture, religion, and social convention. Many ambitious women have been going abroad, where it’s easier to follow their passions in an unconventional path. The world is changing, and Asia is slowly participating in the movement. While it is still difficult to choose your own path in Asian society, there are more inspirational Asian women who are impacting our global world. AWE Conference will present models of successful Asian women, and discuss participant’s current life goals through workshops while designing the roads to success. 

Who is this conference for

AWE Conference is designed for Asian women and expatriates in Asia who want to:

✦ Thrive with unconventional life choices
✦ Acquire ideas of diverse ways of success
✦ Belong to a community of inspiring women
✦ Seek more opportunities in life
✦ Get inspired to achieve their dreams
 
How to join
     Save your seat at this link: Online Registration
Regular Registration: US$42  (Student discount is available)
a.      PayPal
b.     Bank Transfer (email info@aweasia.org for the bank detail)
  

What do you get from your ticket


✓ Two Meals and Beverages
✓ Pre-AWE KL Food Tour
✓ Attend All Sessions
✓ Keynotes
✓ AWE Organization Community Pass
✓ Official Party
✓ Access to AWE Members Profile

AWE ’13 Program


What we want to achieve
To spark inspiration, initiate action. Ideas will simply remain ideas if not connected to action. Through the AWE Conference I want to not only spark inspiration from successful cases of Asian female trailblazers, but also initiate action by offering practical information. Support systems for Asian women who want to step aside from the common path do not always exist. Freelancers, world travelers, non-profit/ngo starters, and creatives are struggling with the lack of support. 

Furthermore, women from underprivileged backgrounds are not encouraged often enough to be involved in society’s hierarchical system. Against all these odds, there are women who have followed their passion, and have achieved enormous success. I have invited some of the most inspiring of these women to my conference. They will share their story of success with participants. They will share their stories of struggle and success with participants, providing real-world guidance and inspiration. They will also answer questions and offer practical information to participants so they can begin creating their own unconventional success stories.


Our speakers





Official sponsors


Silver Sponsor

Giveaway Sponsor

EXPO Sponsor

Special thanks to:


✦ Official Website: http://conference.aweasia.org/
✦ Contact: info@aweasia.org


Thursday, October 3, 2013

[TIPS] Immediate journey at superb LOW price by Malaysia Airlines

Years of flying with Malaysia Airlines teaches me of how to set a standard for comfort and value for money at choosing the right airlines. Be it a short domestic journey or long haul international destinations and even after flying with so many different airline, Malaysia Airlines never fail me to delivering the best service (at least to me). 

I recently received a newsletter from them on their latest promotion, which is really superb. For those of you who wonder, "WHY?", here is the reason:

Book and fly immediately at an insane airfare for a round trip journey, and you'll get;

  • to choose your dream destination (the promotion is valid for more than just domestic routes)
  • at least a 30kg baggage allowance
  • full board services (this is not a budget airlines, ok!)
  • comfort and convenience of managing your booking and check-ins 
Click the purple box below to see the current promotional airfares that was sent personally by Malaysia Airlines. Go fill in your annual leave forms and fly immediately in this next few days. I would probably choose one destination myself and you may be able to catch me onboard. 

HAPPY TRAVELING (OR should I say, HAPPY HOLIDAY)!!!



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Monday, June 24, 2013

[TIPS] Avoid outdoor activities while traveling in Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia

Every year about this time, the dry season will begin in the South East Asia region. This dry weather and condition usually last until September with August being known to be extremely hot and dry.

Unfortunately this year, the dry spell began a little bit too early affecting Indonesia the hardest - when hot spots are now seen widening in many parts of the Sumatera. Hot spots usually induce fires, especially to the forest or agricultural lands. In addition to this massive burning condition in Indonesia, the changing season brings in strong winds that will definitely affects its neighbouring countries, mainly Singapore and Malaysia.

At this very moment, not only Indonesia is suffering from a crazy HAZE condition, Singapore and Malaysia are also suffering badly. Since summer has already begun, these three countries will definitely see a surge of travelers and tourists.

With limited visibility, travelers are advised to be alert about the Air Quality Index due to this crazy haze condition. The southern part of west Malaysia is already in nature emergency order - that means NO OUTDOOR activities including schools immediately being closed. From the Central to the South part of West Malaysia, it is highly advisable to limit outdoor activities until further notice. 

If you happened to be in Malaysia or Singapore or Indonesia for your summer holiday, these are some of friendly advise:

  • Keep tab on the news about the haze condition (especially PSI or API readings)
  • Drink a lot of water (really, really a lot more than your usual intake)
  • Wear a mask when you are outdoor
  • Avoid outdoor activities and places
  • Try to work with your travel operator to change your travel itinerary so you could go to places with better air quality
  • If you experience any symptoms (i.e. difficulty in breathing, sore throats, watery/ itchy eyes, etc.), immediately seek for medical help.

Stay and travel safe everyone.

Sunday, June 2, 2013

[Travel Asia] Backpack and Indochina


For anybody who loves traveling but still are thinking about “how-to-do-it” without burning their pockets, you can now easily find information via reputable travel websites as well as reliable travel bloggers who shares more than their experiences about traveling. 

In 2011, I began a journey that is one of the most memorable to me. Immediately after I resigned from my job, I packed my bag and began a two months exploration trip across the Indo-china route. Starting from this post, I will share (more likely continue) the story behind that travel.

I went to seven countries via land – alone. It is true that I did not have anybody committed to the traveling route from day one next to me. However, later along the solo journey I realized that I was not completely alone, I was able to meet with so many interesting, friendly and awesome people. 

The backpacking trip was my first adventure. I began in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. For the next two months, I had managed to discover:

1. Thailand (Ayutthaya and Bangkok)

2. Cambodia (Siem Reap and Phnom Penh)

3. Vietnam (Ho Chi Minh, Danang, Hoi An, and Hanoi)

4. China (Nanning, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and Fuzhou)

5. Hong Kong

6. Macau

7. Taiwan (Nankan and Taipei)


Along the trip, I had actually written the journey and experience. Due to certain circumstances, the entries halted half way. Now that I am fully recovered, I shall continue the story and republish a freshly view of the existing entries of the said journey.

To begin with, why not go through the original posts made for the first part of the said journey? Below are the entries of the places I discovered after I cross over the starting line:



Subscribe to my Facebook Fan Page to get the latest update when I publish new entries here. Also, check out my Youtube channel to watch the previous and new episodes of “Makiko Travel Journal Series”.


Friday, May 24, 2013

[TIPS] Fly to Busan and Seoul Cheap

I have been planning for a trip to Korea for many months. This would be a great opportunity, actually.

Air Asia, the low cost Malaysia airlines is having another awesome promotion for the next quarter's travel planning. This promotion runs until 2nd June 2013 for those traveling between 1 June to 30 September 2013. Obviously this promotion is mainly for the summer holiday coming up soon. 

For a budget airlines, usually promotion price will be offered way, way, way much earlier than the season itself. However, believe it or not, Air Asia is actually giving an almost last minute opportunity for you to buy the ticket at a very low rates. Plus, the price is all inclusive - so there is no need to fear for the hidden cost.

Just in case you have no clue of what to do in Korea (aside from KPop stuff), why not check out this website by Tourism Korea - Korea be Inspired. Here you will have the chance to check out places and things to do in Korea as well as customize your trip. 

So, why wait? Go and start booking on the official Air Asia website.

PS. For those who are skeptical of this too-good-to-be-true offer, recently I actually flew with Air Asia to Indonesia at a very cheap price (4 persons, all inclusive, return flight only at US$200). 

Thursday, May 23, 2013

[EVENTS] Colours of 1Malaysia

For many years, Tourism Malaysia has been organizing this event in view to showcase the magnificent touch of the richness of cultures in Malaysia. Since I was in school, it is one of the most anticipated event for me to attend. Especially since I used to do traditional dance together with my friends, back in the days.
Picture source directly from Tourism Malaysia event page
For those who are in Kuala Lumpur, this weekend, mark you calendar. Come down to Dataran Merdeka to experience the sound, the sight, the colours and the excitement of Colours of 1Malaysia. 

Details of this event can be obtained straight from Tourism Malaysia website. Nonetheless, just ask any of the hotels in town, they would definitely know about this event.

Venue: Dataran Merdeka, Jalan Raja Laut, Kuala Lumpur
Date: 25 May 2013

Friday, November 2, 2012

[Travel] Tanjung Lipat in Kota Kinabalu

Kota Kinabalu is a famous city facing the sea. One no need to travel far to enjoy the sea breeze of Kota Kinabalu. About 20-25 minutes driving from the city center heading towards the biggest university in the state is Tanjung Lipat beach. I had the opportunity to join a barbecue party in early October 2012 there. 

Although the weather was unpredictable throughout the week, we were lucky that the rain stopped just in time when we all had arrived there. I didn't take any picture but had made a video instead to show the area of the open beach. The city council had made the open beach area beautiful and prepared basic necessities for families and groups to enjoy the sea while doing fun activities.




Wednesday, October 10, 2012

[TIPS] AirAsia X launches premium flatbed deals

For no-frills airlines travelers in Malaysia, you may want to check out the latest promotions from Air Asia for selected Asia travel routes. As reported on The Star - AirAsia X launches premium flatbed deals - Nation | The Star Online, special fares on premium flatbed are available for travelers.

Budget savvy travelers (like me) usually fly with no-frills airlines while putting aside comfort and flying luxury aside. Nonetheless, I'm sure while traveling longer hours flight (i.e. more than 4 hours journey), individuals flying would prefer to have a choice for better comfort to complement their traveling needs. While normal carriers do provide choices on economy class seats at promotion rates, travelers may only receive a simple upgrade on comfort and utilities compared to no-frills airlines at a higher price.

If you are flying to China, Taiwan, Japan, Korea and Australia from today until January 2013, you may get lucky and fly with business class treatment with Air Asia X. Online promotion is available from as low as RM799. At this kind of price, you can only get basic economy travel with the normal airlines. 

I flew Air Asia X from Taiwan back to Kuala Lumpur before and I must say, the services and comfort flying with Air Asia X is comparable with other normal air carriers, at a fraction of the normal price I usually pay.

So, if you are planning for this year-end travel...why not give Air Asia X a try? However, with Air Asia one needs to be extremely smart and lucky while making a purchase online. Warning!!! You may need to stay up at three in the morning (3 am) in order to see the promotion price availability, AND need to decide there and then on buying (because if you want to think first before purchase, is definitely a good idea!!!)

Note: Picture above is from Air Asia website. It is for reference purposely only, readers are to visit AirAsia website directly to get more details.


Wednesday, April 18, 2012

[Hotel Review] Beringgis Beach Resort and Spa

At the end of March 2012, I had a chance to join an activity organized by aspiring students of International Business Club from UMS. It was a two days and one night 'rendezvous' session at one of the most beautiful resort that I have ever experience while I am in Sabah. 

Located in Papar, it is actually not so far from Kota Kinabalu. However, you would need to hire a transport in order to reach the place. It was my first time driving alone, so naturally I ended up going the wrong way. However, after making a u-turn and finally found the place, traveling time by car from the city center of Kota Kinabalu is estimated to be about half an hour to 45 minutes. Please take note to those who is driving, do not take the old road heading deeper to Papar. 

Resort Name
Beringgis Beach Resort and Spa

Website Address
http://www.beringgis.com

Facilities Review
There are several types of rooms available. The one I had was spacious and very comfortable. Each wing has several rooms on both levels. However, because the building materials are mostly wood, do take note that you may be mildly disturbed by sound either from outside or from your next door neighbours.

There is no internet or wireless available in rooms and other areas, but there is internet facilities provided in the lobby. Since I wanted a quiet time, no internet access is just what I needed ^_^. 

I am sure the restaurant served delicious foods. As I joined a group of people, we were served at the open deck area. From breakfast to dinner, the dishes served were tasty and just nice for my appetite. 

The swimming pool, which is located at the center where all the rooms are, is a nice place for you to do sun bathing and of course take a dive. However, please be aware of safety since there is no lifeguard stationed at the pool. 

...AND of course they have awesome beach. I could not swim in the water since the wind was strong and the waves were pretty rough. Nonetheless, there are small benches and huts for you to sit or lie down and relax while enjoying the sea.



Room Rates
Please refer to the website.

Personal Rating
4 stars

Pictures from the scene




(Photo Credit to UMS IB Club)


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