Ode to Hoan Kiem Lake

Lyrical poem by : Gan Yung Chyan
                          / KUCINTA SETIA
Distributed to All Travel Professionals

Home where travellers belong
On the waters God's tower enfolds.
Heaven's Will enriched Thanh Long --
Orient's gem, Rafetus swinhoei.

The waters uplift faith --
Brevity, bravery
Of a horse and a dragon
The waters embrace fate --
A pilgrim, bright city
Of the jade mountain dragon.

Honour the ages' lake --
The Huc is the new haven.
Come, see the crimson lake,
The heart of every element.

Written in remembrance of the first media trip to Hanoi's Hoan Kiem Lake, Hoan Kiem District, on 12 April 2013.

Notes : Rafetus swinhoei is the name of the endemic turtle species found in Hoan Kiem Lake. Locally, it is named Rafetus leloii, in honour of the founder Emperor Le Loi that named the lake Ho Hoan Kiem in Vietnamese. The Huc is the Vietnamese name for the Chinese bridge of Hoan Kiem Lake.

Travel to Hanoi : Vietnam Airlines, Tiger Airways, Jetstar Pacific Airlines, VietJetAir, Cambodia Angkor Air, Dragonair, Hong Kong Airlines, Singapore Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, Thai Airways International, China Eastern, China Southern, Sichuan Airlines, China Airlines, Mandarin Airlines, Eva Air, Uni Air, British Airways, Finnair, Aeroflot, Korean Air and Lao Airlines fly to Hanoi on a scheduled basis every week.

Hanoi is 1003 years old this year

Report by : Gan Yung Chyan
                 / KUCINTA SETIA
Distributed to All Readers 

Hanoi is 1003 years old in 2013. It is a progressing capital city of Vietnam. It has a vast countryside. Its street traffic is not as chaotic as it appears to be even when after fat traffic policemen were not allowed to direct traffic on Hanoi's streets and roads under a new law legislation which went effect early this year.

It is safe to walk on Hanoi's streets as long as a traveller's cash and digital camera are in pouches worn in front of him. Taxi is the most comfortable transport to travel with in Hanoi but travel in Hanoi with reputable taxi companies, names which you can find on Wikitravel, to avoid fare scams. Avoid motorcyclos (motorcycle taxis) whenever one can as riders will try to befriend and rip tourists off later.

Hotels and guesthouses in Hanoi and other Vietnamese cities and towns keep one's passports after checking-in and they return the passports to travellers when travellers check-out. No room deposit is required.

To visit Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and other Vietnamese cities with international airports and harbours, ASEAN travellers are no longer required to fill in any customs and immigration forms. This practice paves way for Vietnam to accept the ASEAN Open Skies policy in the future more willingly and quickly.

The following pictures were shot in Hanoi in one day as part of my debut trip on 12 April 2013 to this Capital of the Soaring Dragon whose ancient name was called Thanh Long.  They will be uploaded in several reports.

 

 

 

Next : More pictures of Hoan Kiem Lake, Hanoi.

Sriwijaya Air begins daily flights to Dili from Denpasar from 10 May 2013

Report by : Gan Yung Chyan
                 / KUCINTA SETIA
Distributed to All Press and Travel Professionals

Sriwijaya Air, one of Indonesia's private airlines, begins daily scheduled flights to Dili from Denpasar, Bali, from 10 May 2013. Dili is Sriwijaya Air's third international destination after Singapore and Penang.

On 10 May 2013, Sriwijaya Air departs for Dili from Denpasar at 9.50 am and arrives in Dili at 12.40 pm under flight code SJ270. At 1.25 pm, it takes off for Denpasar from Dili and touches down in Denpasar at 2.15 pm under flight code SJ271.

The Denpasar-Dili-Denpasar routing was previously operated by the now-defunct carrier Batavia Air.

SilkAir flies to Semarang and resumes flights to Makassar

Summary by : Gan Yung Chyan
                    / KUCINTA SETIA
Distributed to All Press and Travel Professionals

According to local press reports, SilkAir flies to Semarang directly from 29 July 2013. It will resume direct flights to Makassar on 1 August 2013.

Low-cost flight between Kalibo (Boracay) and Singapore begins on 18 July 2013

Report by : Gan Yung Chyan
                 / KUCINTA SETIA
Distributed to All Press and Travel Professionals

Changi Airport will celebrate a new destination link when SEAIR South East Asian Airlines, the Philippines affliate of Tiger Airways, begins low-cost scheduled flights between Singapore and Kalibo International Airport in Boracay, the famous resort town of the Philippines on 18 July 2013. It will fly the route three times a week.

On 18 July (Thursday), SEAIR's Airbus A320 aircraft departs from Kalibo at 8.10 am for Singapore and touches down in Singapore Changi Airport Terminal 2 at 11.55 am under flight code DG8802. At 12.25 pm, it leaves Singapore under DG8803 for Kalibo and arrives in Kalibo at 4.05 pm, providing convenience for passengers who wish to fly directly to the paradise town of Boracay which has the cleanest white-sand beach and five-star resorts in the Philippines.

SEAIR flies between Kalibo and Singapore on Thursdays, Saturdays and Mondays. It currently flies daily between Clark and Singapore.