6 Best Things to Do in Perak, Malaysia During Ramadan

Posted on July 24, 2017

While Malaysia is a multicultural country, more than 60 percent of its population practice Islam – the country’s official religion. The most important celebration among Muslims, the fasting month of Ramadan is a solemn time to reignite the faith, a season of self-discipline, introspection and compassion for others. The ninth month of the Islamic calendar lasting at least 29 days, it commemorates the first revelation of the Quran to Muhammad. For visitors to the country, particularly in Perak, which is only aRead More→

Blood Red Clothing Opens First Concept Store in Cebu City

Posted on July 20, 2017

Ahoy there! The long wait is over. Sailing-inspired clothing brand Blood Red finally opens its first concept store in Cebu City on July 24 (Monday). While the brand has been sold nationwide through retailers in the Philippines, Hong Kong, Thailand and Canada and via their online store, this is their first standalone concept store, since they started out in 2007. In celebration of this milestone, a big sale will be held on the store’s opening day – with 70% offRead More→

TRAVEL GUIDE | Kalanggaman Island in Palompon, Leyte

Posted on July 20, 2017

The revelry of the Sinulog Festival still throbs in our head as my friends and I board a pump boat in Palompon, a laid-back mangrove-fringed town, an hour’s drive northwest of Ormoc City. A rowdy weekend of partying has taken a toll on us, and we badly need a beach getaway — a healthy dose of “Vitamin Sea” so to speak — to recuperate from festival fever. The weather was inviting: the late morning sun beamed, accompanied by the saltyRead More→

The World’s Tallest Jesus Statue in Tana Toraja, South Sulawesi

Posted on July 19, 2017

Our last day in Tana Toraja started with watching the sea of clouds in Lolai village, followed by breakfast at Toraja Heritage Hotel before checking out for our journey back to Makassar. Along the way back, we stopped by Makale, the capital of Tana Toraja regency and the commercial center of Torajaland (versus the cultural center of Rantepao, capital of North Toraja). Makale is also an important gateway to this region, since Pongtiku airport is located here. Lording over MakaleRead More→

Tana Toraja’s Best Sunrise over the Sea of Clouds at Lolai Village

Posted on July 19, 2017

I wasn’t particularly excited about waking up at 3AM, especially when it took us nearly nine hours to get to our accommodation, Toraja Heritage Hotel, all the way from Makassar. This was followed by a packed one-day itinerary ticking off the must-see sights of Tana Toraja, the cultural heartland of the Torajan people known for their dramatic architecture and extravagant funeral customs. But the idea of catching Toraja’s best sunrise over a sea of clouds at Lolai, a mountain village 20Read More→

7 Must-See Places in Tana Toraja, South Sulawesi

Posted on July 17, 2017

One of the most fascinating cultural destinations in Indonesia is Tana Toraja, literally “Land of the Toraja”, in South Sulawesi. The word Toraja was derived from the Buginese phrase to riaja, which means “people of the highlands”. Nearly half of the 1.1 million Torajans live in the mountain towns of Tana Toraja, 300 km north of Makassar, the biggest city and gateway to Sulawesi island. Despite the distance, travelers are still drawn here, owing to the uniqueness of Torajan cultureRead More→