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Showing posts from September, 2017

PHI: SM Mall of Asia & SM by the Bay

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J. W. Diokno Boulevard, Manila, the Philippines Mon-Fri: 11.00am - 10.00pm Sat-Sun: 10.00am - 10.00pm SM Prime Holdings is the largest mall chain owner and developer in the Philippines, managing a total of more than 70 shopping malls. SM Mall of Asia is the fourth largest shopping mall in the country and the 11th in the world. Nearby is SM by the Bay for some exhilarating amusement rides.

PHI: Manila Cathedral

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Santo Tomas Street, Intramuros, Manila, the Philippines The full name of what's commonly known as Manila Cathedral is the Minor Basilica and Metropolitan Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. Established in 1571, the church was raised to a cathedral eight years later and is dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary as Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, the principal patroness of the Philippines.

PHI: San Agustin Church

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General Luna Street, Intramuros, Manila, the Philippines Known to be the oldest Roman Catholic church in the Philippines built by the Spaniards, San Agustin Church that resides within Intramuros has been designated as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. It's one of the most popular churches for wedding consecration.

PHI: Intramuros

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Manila, the Philippines Intramuros (lit. Within the Walls) is the oldest district of the capital city of the Philippines. It covers an area of 0.67 square kilometres, surrounded by stone walls and fortifications that almost completely surrounds the entire district.

PHI: Manila Ocean Park

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Independence Road, Manila, the Philippines Daily: 10.00am - 8.00pm Opened to the public in March 2008, Manila Ocean Park houses approximately 14,000 sea creatures, most of which are indigenous to Southeast Asia. It includes other attractions, such as Birds of Prey Kingdom and World of Creepy Crawlies.

PHI: Hotel H2O

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Independence Road, Manila Ocean Park Complex, Manila, the Philippines Located within the vicinity of Manila Ocean Park, Hotel H2O (4*) is an aqua-themed hotel with eight different types of rooms available. One of its kind in the country, the hotel isn't far from Rizal Park.

BRN: Royal Brunei Airlines BI822 & BI683 (Business)

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[BI822] BKI-BWN (40m) Airbus 320 ETD: 8.50am (GMT + 8)  ETA:  9.30am (GMT + 8) As mentioned previously, I'm going to combine the trip report onboard BI822 from Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia to Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei, as well as BI683 to Manila, the Philippines into a single post. That was my second time being airborne for around 20 minutes only. Still, that's not the shortest commercial flight in the world.

BRN: Sky Lounge @ Brunei International Airport

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Brunei International Airport, Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Daily: 5.00am - 12 midnight Booking a seat each in the Business Class cabin of Royal Brunei Airlines' Airbus 320 granted my BFF and I access to the one and only lounge at Brunei International Airport . Having been in operation since 2004, the Sky Lounge has a seating capacity of 120.

MAS: Plaza Premium Lounge @ Kota Kinabalu International Airport

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Level 2 (Near Gate B3),  Kota Kinabalu International Airport, Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia Daily: 6.30am - 1.00am I wonder how many Plaza Premium Lounges are there across the globe. The independent airport lounge group operates two separate lounges at Kota Kinabalu International Airport, one at level 2 for domestic departures and another at level 3 for international departures.

MAS: Kota Kinabalu International Airport

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Jalan Lapangan Terbang (Baru), Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia Located approximately 8 km away southwest of the city centre, Kota Kinabalu International Airport is the second busiest airport in the country. It was originally a military airfield built by the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II known as Jesselton Airfield.

MAS: Kota Kinabalu Downtown

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Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia Kota Kinabalu, formerly known as Jesselton, is the capital of the state of Sabah, Malaysia. As one of the major and commercial centres of Malaysian Borneo, it's no surprise that Kota Kinabalu is one of the fastest growing cities in the country. All the pictures taken in this post, as well as those in the previous post on Signal Hill Observatory Platform , were taken within less than 24 hours.

MAS: Signal Hill Observatory Platform

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Jalan Bukit Bendera, Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia Daily: 8.00am - 12 midnight Upon returning to Kota Kinabalu from the mountainous region, my BFF and I immediately put some of our belongings at Dreamtel Kota Kinabalu before starting our exploration since we only had one full day there. Our journey began with a short trek from Padang Merdeka to Signal Hill, which is the highest point in the city.

MAS: J Residence

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Jalan Ranau - Tamparuli, Ranau, Malaysia As my BFF and I would be catching the earliest minivan back to Kota Kinabalu the next morning, we decided not to spend the second night at Sutera Sanctuary Lodges . Instead, we booked a room at J Residence (2*), a humble property surrounded with greenery that's approximately 300 m away from the entrance of Kinabalu Park .

MAS: Kiau Gap View @ Kinabalu Park

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Kinabalu Park, Ranau, Malaysia To end off the series of posts on Kinabalu Park, I'm going to write about Kiau Gap View to commemorate the victims of the 2015 Sabah earthquake. My BFF and I visited the monument on 9 June this year, just a few days more than two years since the earthquake of magnitude 6.0 struck the region on 5 June 2015.

MAS: Kinabalu Natural History Gallery @ Kinabalu Park

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Kinabalu Park, Ranau, Malaysia Daily: 9.00am - 4.00pm After stuffing ourselves at breakfast at  Balsam Buffet Restaurant , my BFF and I decided to check out the Kinabalu Natural History Gallery. It's a small, yet informative museum that gives a good introduction to the geology, flora and fauna, as well as ethnology of the regions surrounding Mount Kinabalu.

MAS: Sutera Sanctuary Lodges @ Kinabalu Park

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Kinabalu Park, Ranau, Malaysia Sutera Sanctuary Lodges (3*) offers a number of accommodation options, from hostel to villas, inside Kinabalu Park. Upon seeing a good deal online, my BFF and I decided to stay for 2D1N in the two-storey Liwagu Suite, inclusive of dinner and breakfast the next day. 

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