Asia : Tiny Bites

Bites of Asia Series: all that glitters in Macau

1 Comment Karen HamiltonJanuary 12, 2009

This post is part of the Bites of Asia series – a set of posts I wrote in December 2008 before we left for 27 days of exploring the Philippines, Macau, and Hong Kong. If you’d like updates of our trip as it happens in real time, subscribe to my Twitter feed or better yet, follow me on Twitter.

Last time I was in Macau, my uncle took me on a sleepless tour of the casinos from midnight till dawn. Neither of us was much of a gambler; we hopped from site to site in search of a place that offered sustenance at an ungodly hour. The verdict? It seemed that everyone else up that late needed only alcohol, cigarettes, and the thrill of victory to keep them going.

This time around, I’m travelling with my husband, who does a fairly decent job of supplementing our monthly income with his online poker winnings. He is itching to tour the poker tables at the new Venetian: the largest casino in the world. It presides over Macau like a bloated monarch, oozing decadence onto the wide colonial boulevards that surround.

I am more interested in capturing all that shiny-shiny with my SLR. My point and shoot photos from last year didn’t come close to doing the glitter of Macau any justice.

In the day, we plan to tour the city’s architectural and culinary facets. I’d like to take Kurt to food faves such as EOD Cafe and try out some of the places that Rick Green of BC Brews suggested:

For all the times that I went to Macau when I was living in Hong Kong, I never went gambling; I have no interest. I occupied my time during the day walking through the streets, touring the historic sites, seeing the gardens, and visiting museums. In the evening, it was eating, eating, eating. Macanese food is absolutely essential — Fernando’s, Litoral, Riquexo, Sol Nascente.

Categories: Asia, Beyond Vancouver, Food, Macau, Restaurants, Travel

Bites of Asia Series: luxuriating in the waters of Bohol

2 Comments Karen HamiltonJanuary 8, 2009

This post is part of the Bites of Asia series – a set of posts I wrote in December 2008 before we left for 27 days of exploring the Philippines, Macau, and Hong Kong. If you’d like updates of our trip as it happens in real time, subscribe to my Twitter feed or better yet, follow me on Twitter.

Rather than roughing it for a few days in the Bohol interior, we chose to ensconce ourselves for the full week at Bohol Beach Club, one of Panglao Island’s favoured Philippine beach resorts. We don’t plan on doing much besides playing in the water and getting 3 shades darker (redder in Kurt’s case). Here’s a bit about the place we’re staying at plus another agricultural point of interest that I hope to make time for.

Bohol Beach Club (+63 038 411 5222)

RoughGuides: “Spacious cottages with big verandas right on beautiful Bolod Beach, a short distance to the north of Alona Beach. A range of five-star facilities and services.”

Our impressions: After the run-down “resort” we stayed at on Lake Taal, we worried that Bohol Beach Club would be less than what its website promised. Happily, our concerns were unfounded. Beautiful estate with plenty of pools and white sands for days of sunbathing and relaxation. Staff are attentive and well versed in English. Not a note of over-enthusiastic karaoke to be heard, even though the karaoke room available for rent is in the Games Hall far, far away from any of the suites.

Good food despite being a little too buffet; you can usually ask for the menu and order a la carte. Wifi is not advertised but you can buy 1-hour cards at P90 a pop from the front desk. Much cheaper than the P200 they charge at the business centre on their computers that seem to run at a snail’s pace.

Bohol Bee Farm (+63 38 502 2288)

True to its commitment to promote organic farming, Bohol Bee Farm is evolving a unique, eco-friendly line of food products that contributes to the health, integrity and dietary balance of the body. Home baked bread, squash muffins, pure honey, honey spread and bee pollen are some of the products being produced by the Bohol Bee Farm.

Organic foods, originally uploaded by lolay.

Visitors to the Bohol Bee Farm are also immersed in various farm activities. Well-informed staff will demonstrate and give inputs on the process involved in each activity. Farm activities include:

Farm tour
Raffia making
Furniture making
Sewing/craft
Paddling
Basket making
Organic farming

I read a recent article in Smile Magazine, the in-flight reading on Cebu Pacific Airlines, that describes Bohol Bee Farm as “Best Breakfast” and “Best Dinner Experience” when travelling to Tagbilaran (Bohol). While we had already planned to visit this farm before coming across this article, my eagerness to dine there has now increased by threefold.

Bites of Asia photos now available

Would you like to see highlights of our trip thus far? Visit the newly created photoset on Flickr, which I will attempt to update as we jump to Macau and Hong Kong.

Categories: Asia, Beyond Vancouver, Food, Philippines, Restaurants, Travel

Bites of Asia Series: roughing it in the jungles of Bohol

1 Comment Karen HamiltonJanuary 5, 2009

This post is part of the Bites of Asia series – a set of posts I wrote in December 2008 before we left for 27 days of exploring the Philippines, Macau, and Hong Kong. If you’d like updates of our trip as it happens in real time, subscribe to my Twitter feed or better yet, follow me on Twitter.

Floating Restaurant (Loboc River, Bohol), originally uploaded by hulagway.

Now for a truly South Pacific experience: hiking amid the jungles of a remote (well, not really) tropical island!

If we have a bit of time in the city that we fly into from Manila, we may check out Payag Jo’s, Bacolod Barbecue, and Miravilla: three Tagbilaran restaurants that high school buddy Meryl adores.

Before we boarded our flight from Vancouver, my grandfather had sent us a reassuring message that our desired Bohol pit stop, the eclectic Nuts Huts, should have space for us despite not taking reservations. I hope that this day finds us safely settled there. Here’s some background on this intriguing accommodation alternative.

Nuts Huts Retreat (+63 038 525 9162)

RoughGuides: “The Nuts Huts Retreat makes an excellent base for exploring the river and Bohol’s untouristy interior. The resort presides over sweeping views of the surrounding hills and is run by two charming Belgians, Rita and Chris, who seem to know what every traveller wants: great cooking, well-chosen music and the option to do nothing at all in several different locations – a shady terraces, a library, or a herb-infused sauna. The outdoor restaurant is magic, perched on a hill with views down the valley across a dense green canopy of rainforest.”

Lonely Planet: “Nuts Huts is a truly unique place ensconced in the jungle on the edge of the Loboc River 3km north of Loboc town. An exception in the Philippines, Nuts Huts is completely integrated into the environment to the point that the 16 separate cottages are difficult to spot from the river. All have balconies, sweeping views and the occasional 8-legged roommate. The friendly Belgian couple who run the place offer excellent travel advice and great food – lots of vegetarian and Euro-Asian delights (meals P40 to P130) served up in the wonderful dining room / lounge area a few hundred steps up from the cottages.”

During our stay at Nuts Huts, we plan to tour these spots in the Bohol interior: