Category Archives: _Asia_

All U Need is Tea … Darjeeling that is!

Posted on by

If your association with Darjeeling is more on the (Special Finest) Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe side of things – well, it was finally time to have a closer look at camellia sinensis during a visit of a tea estate.

First we had to make our way back to Darjeeling (once more through horrendous traffic) and through town for us to get to the Happy Valley Tea Estate. After a downhill walk through the tea garden, we had a guided tour around the small estate museum, followed by a tour through the tea processing facility (no photography here). While the tour was informative, there was mostly not too much to see (this was very different during my visit of the tea factory in the Nilgiris).

After the visit we made it back up to the main road for a transfer into town for a proper tea tasting and an opportunity to buy some of the dried and fermented leaves.

Well – and as it is a short walk from tippy to tipsy, we continued straight from the tea tasting to yesterday’s restaurant for more great food and the best G&Ts of the trip. I call that appropriate behavior in a former hill station of the empire.

Tiger Hill Sunrise

Posted on by

Today was a very early morning, with us leaving the hotel around 4am to make our way to the Tiger Hill viewpoint – a drive of about one hour. We were here to see the sun rise over the Eastern Himalaya and break its light over some of the giants to the North-West, with Khangchendzonga (at 8586m the world’s third highest) being the most prominent here.

This obviously is a major tourist attraction and the place was packed with other tourists (and per our guide this was not even a too busy day) – it was nevertheless a good thing to do – and the traffic jam the way down probably is just part of the quintessential Indian experience.

Back to India – incredible India

Posted on by

It’s been a bit less than a decade since I have last been to India – a trip I remember as an action-filled and fairly intense one (read: sensory overload) … It was now indeed time to head back and explore another region of the subcontinent – now focusing on the North-Eastern states of West Bengal and Sikkim – continuing on into Bhutan.

Air India once more got me from Frankfurt to Delhi (on a fairly run-down 787) and on to Kolkata. We made it here in the afternoon and were picked up by the tour leader at the airport. The trip to the hotel tool a while through the Kolkata traffic – and we made it to the hotel after sunset. After dinner in the hotel, some of us ventured out to get a taste of the local beer.

Back to Manila

Posted on by

I left Puerto Princesa around midday of the 28th and got back to Manila in the late afternoon. This time I had picked a base in another area of Manila – in the city of Pasay, close to the Mall of Asia.

Originally I only had planned a night here, but with my return flight being canceled, I had to extend my stay by a further night.

With the weather on the rainy side, my options were kind of limited … and I pretty much spent my time either in the hotel or in one of the malls in the area. With the Mall of Asia one of them (currently the 12th biggest mall in the world) there was certainly enough to see and do – including the fireworks (ever Friday and Saturday at 19:00) or the little amusement park (a ride in the Ferris Wheel surely was a must). Otherwise I concluded my packing, got some last minute souvenirs, did feast on the famous jollibee spaghetti 😉 – before making my way to the airport midday of the 30th to catch my flight home.

In retrospect I have to say, the second part of the trip was different from the first. It turned out less active and less involved (which was probably not a bad thing, given my ankle condition). Yet, I thoroughly enjoyed the activities done, though – after a perfect first part – it felt as if something was missing, also as there were no real options beyond the activities already covered – despite the time still available.

In any case, it was a good thing, that I had seen and experienced both parts of the trip and as such also the two extremes on offer in the Philippines. Overall I have to say, the Philippines are really a country of options, there is literally something on offer for anyone and for any interest – add the friendly people, good food and there is everything necessary for a great holiday destination. And with me just having touched about six islands of more than 7000 – who knows, I might well be back …

Puerto Princesa Impressions

Posted on by

Today we made it back from El Nido to Puerto Princesa. With breaks the 270km trip had taken us about six hours (including another visit of the Palawan elephant).

We got into Puerto Princesa in the early afternoon, so enough time for a bit of exploration in Puerto Princesa.

First stop was at the local craft brewery – the Palaweño Brewery – literally down the road from the hotel, to try the local IPA from tap. A solid IPA with citrus flavors and yet the to-be expected bitterness – – certainly an interesting and unexpected find 😉

From the brewery we continued to the town center, got to see the cathedral and the City Baywalk Park (complete with Christmas decorations) – to then make it back to the hotel.

Later in the day the whole group made it back to the baywalk park. A boat was waiting for us here, to get us over to the other side of the bay and then (on a smaller boat) into the Iwahig river. The sun had set by now and it was dark, so we were able to see the fireflies (or rather their lights) and see them react on our sounds (seems, the chicken sound was not that impressive for them).

The second final dinner did follow after our return, though turned out less involved than the first one (not unexpected though).

More Island Hopping

Posted on by

Today was basically a copy of yesterday – spent island hopping again – though this time only up until the early afternoon.

We were first heading out for Ubugon Lagoon – with more snorkeling for me.

We continued to a nearby beach – and this time an empty one – with no other boats around. The reason for that was simple: big waves (two+ meters) were coming in and making the beach accessible to strong swimmers only. I spent most of the time in the water, playing in and with the waves.

We continued for a further beach; this time with the usual sun bathing and snorkeling option – – and made it back to town in time for a late lunch.

In the afternoon it started to rain – so it turned out a lazy one … reading, walk into town for an espresso and really nothing more.

El Nido Impressions

Posted on by

We made it into El Nido in the early afternoon and in time for lunch. The rest of the day was at our liberty – – and I spent my time, exploring the little town. Below some impressions from El Nido’s beach.

In the evening – this was Christmas Eve at last – we had a group dinner in a restaurant at Lio beach – sea food and fish galore … yummy.