Photoblog: Swiss Cuckoo Clocks

Swiss is renowned for its expensive watch makers, but even when you want to buy a cuckoo clock at Swiss for souvernir, the price for this wooden clock (doubt it is made in China) is as expensive as one Tag Heuer watch.

Browsing through a Casagrande store in Luzern selling …

Photoblog: Zurich

Zurich is the largest city of the Swiss Confederation (Switzerland) by land area and population. It is the financial center of Switzerland and houses the stock exchange and the headquarters of a large number of national and international companies. National and international media agencies as well as most of the national TV channel companies are also located here. Because Zurich is the central node of the Swiss-wide train network and also runs the biggest and busiest international airport in the country, it generally is the first place where tourists arrive. Because of the city's close distance to tourist resorts in the Swiss Alps and its mountainous scenery, it is often referred to as the "portal to the Alps". Source: Wikitravel

DK Travel Guide versi Indonesia

Saya mempunyai sejumlah koleksi travel guide books versi English. Mencari travel guide versi Indonesia yang informatif bisa dibilang saat ini tidak ada, yang ada cuma buku-buku catatan perjalanan orang ke luar negeri yang mau irit sehingga terkesan miskin di rumah host.

Untunglah saat ini tersedia edisi terjemahan. Beberapa waktu lalu saya ke toko buku Gramedia, takjub menemukan 3 seri DK Eyewitness Travel Top 10 dalam bahasa Indonesia yang diterbitkan Penerbit Erlangga. Ada Top 10 Hong Kong, Beijing, dan Roma. Setelah saya Google, sebenarnya telah diluncurkan 5 seri buku ini pada April lalu, selain 3 yang disebutkan tadi masih ada Top 10 New York dan Bangkok.

Saya adalah penggemar buku travel keluaran DK Publishing, sejumlah koleksi seri Eyewitness Travel saya beli murah lewat Internet dengan harga USD 4-7 per buku. Jangan kaget mengapa saya beli begitu murah, kategorinya adalah used books. Walaupun namanya bekas, sebagian besar saya terima dalam kondisi 99% mulus. Sedangkan harga buku ini kalau dibeli baru adalah USD 15-40 tergantung tebal dan serinya.

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Finding Peace during Traveling

I was inside a church, it was an old church built around 1670-1680 and located adjacent to Santa Lucia Stazione at Venezia, Italia. That morning, I woke up early to prepare everything for my tour group and still had some time to spare before starting to explore Venezia (or Venice in English). When I walked thru that church, I realized that a mass had just begun, so I entered and sat on the last row bench.

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In Italian, it is called Chiesa di Santa Maria di Nazareth, literally Church of Santa Maria of Nazaret, also locally known as Scalzi. As similar to other churches I had ever attended in Europe, mass like this is never full of people. But in Italy, churches are more popular since almost all Italian are Catholic. But weekday mass is as usual, mostly empty.

Tune Hotel in London

One of the brave moves from AirAsia Group is the plan to operate Tune Hotel in Central London, UK. Scheduled to open its door in August 2010, this Tune Hotel will operate just like its chain in Malaysia and Indonesia: compete in low price.

Just like low-cost airlines, room rates are offered in different price levels. If we book well ahead, we may get cheapest rate compared to last-minute booking. Hotel amenities are basic, room only. Air con is optional and can be purchased in slot of 12 or 24 hours. Towels are optional, too, if you bring your own towel (which I don't prefer) then you don't have to pay for towel rental fee.

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New Travel Series: Thailand

After writing the articles for 3 weeks, finally I can now officially publish my latest travel guide: Panduan Jalan ke Thailand.

As you might know from my previous post, I went to Bangkok, Krabi, Phi Phi Islands, and Phuket on late March 2010. So this is my pleasure to write …

Say Goodbye to Viva Macau Airlines

Like a thunder in the bright sky, that's how I felt when reading a news about Viva Macau Airlines (ZG). Government has suspended Viva Macau operation due to several issues.

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Viva Macau cancelled all flights from March 28, 2010 because unable to pay fuel bill to their supplier. Crisis has hit hard on airlines industry, and Viva Macau is one of them although it has support from Macau Government. This will hit Macau Tourism pretty hard because Viva Macau brings a lot of tourists to Macau by its budget flights.

Out of Office: Going to Thailand

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Surprise for me when I was selected and invited to go to Thailand by TAT (Tourism Authority of Thailand) Jakarta Office (www.wisatathailand.com). Invitation to attend TAT's Golden Jubilee Grand Reception as well as to join tour exploring Bangkok, Phuket, and the Phi Phi Island. As this is my …