Macau: Guia Hill, Penha Hill, Mandarin’s House and Macau off the beaten track
Macau has a lot of heritage that few tourists visit. Many of them are even UNESCO World Heritage Sites. During one of the days, we did an off the beaten track exploration of Macau. That included shopping for fresh ingredients at Macau's Red Market.We started our morning by trekking up to Jardim Luis...
Source: Philippine Travel Journal | Ivan About Town
Macau: Historic Centre of Macao 澳門歷史城區, a UNESCO World Heritage Site
The Historic Centre of Macao 澳門歷史城區 was inscribed in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2005. Later that year, I made my first trip to Macau. And I literally walked the whole Macau Peninsula visiting all the 25 sites included in the UNESCO inscription. I was glad to be back again last week...
Source: Philippine Travel Journal | Ivan About Town
Ilocos Sur: Where to stay in Vigan (Hotels & Accommodation)
The Historic Town of Vigan, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is one of the popular tourism attractions of the Philippines. Here is a list of Vigan hotels and accommodation within the heritage district of Vigan:Aniceto MansionPlaza Burgos, Mena Crisologo Street(077) 7222383 to 84 / 7221242Aircon rooms from...
Source: Philippine Travel Journal | Ivan About Town
Ilocos Sur: Historic Town of Vigan, a UNESCO World Heritage Site
The Historic Town of Vigan was inscribed in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1999. UNESCO inscribed Vigan in the World Heritage List because it "represents a unique fusion of Asian building design and construction with European colonial architecture and planning," and "is an exceptionally intact and...
Source: Philippine Travel Journal | Ivan About Town
Ilocos Norte & Ilocos Sur: Road trip from Pagudpud to Vigan (Day 2)
The drive from Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte to Vigan, Ilocos Sur was an interesting one too. After breakfast and checking-out from the Kapuluan Vista Resort in Mairaira Cove (Blue Lagoon), we drove down to Laoag to catch lunch at Saramsam Restaurant.On the way, we made sure to stop at the Pasuquin Bakery to...
Source: Philippine Travel Journal | Ivan About Town
Ifugao: Trip from Mayoyao to Banaue
Ifugao's roads may be rough. But the scenery is bliss. The trip is about five hours. But passing through the different villages makes you feel no doubt that you are in Ifugao. We left Mayoyao at about 10 a.m. for our journey to Banaue. Along the way, you get to see other Mayoyao villages and rice terrace...
Source: Philippine Travel Journal | Ivan About Town
Japan: Buddhist monuments of Horyu-ji (Ikaruga, Nara)
Our plan was to go a little further down the road to the town of Ikaruga to visit another UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Horyu-ji Temple (法隆寺 or Temple of the Flourishing Law). The full name of the temple is name is Horyu Gakumonji (法隆学問寺 or Learning Temple of the Flourishing Law).From...
Source: Ivan About Town
Japan: Feeding deer in Nara, Japan
The next day, we headed to Nara, Japan, another UNESCO World Heritage Site (Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara), and another former capital of Japan. Train tickets are free seating so it didn’t matter what time we boarded but we made sure to get a train as early as we could so we could see more attractions....
Source: Ivan About Town
Japan: Kyoto, Japan and its historic monuments
Autumn in Kyoto, Japan attracts throngs of tourists every year to its temples and other historic monuments. And we're lucky that our conference coincided with the vivid colors of Japan's autumnal foliage. We arrived in the evening so we did not get to see those autumn colors and Mount Fuji while on the...
Source: Ivan About Town
Malaysia: George Town and Penang’s British colonial heritage
The cities of the Straits Settlements represent various periods in Malaysia's history. Melaka covers the period from the 15th century Malay sultanate to the Portuguese and Dutch periods beginning in the early 16th century. George Town on the other hand is a testament to the British era from the end of...
Source: Ivan About Town
