Published Works

Articles 

Expat Travel and Lifestyle magazine 

Expat Travel and Lifestyle magazine

Beautiful Borobudur

by Regin Reyno

Visiting and exploring old infrastructures is one of my interests in my travels. They never fail to amaze me. They reflect the ingenuity, creativity, strength of the people before-their intelligence as well. They also portray the country’s culture and history.

In my travels to Southeast Asia, I always make it a point to visit famous, old temples-Angkor Wat, Shwedagon, Wat Arun, to name a few.

So in May 2013, when I was invited to the 2013 ASEAN Bloggers Festival in Solo, Central Java, I immediately ask the organizer to extend my stay there and move the date of my return trip, because after the festival, I will visit one of the most amazing temples in the world, Borobudur.

early morning

Must-Try Thai Food When You Visit Thailand

by Regin Reyno

One of the many reasons why a lot of people visit Thailand is because of their food. Thai food is regarded by many as one of the best, tastiest cuisines in the world. There is no wonder there are lots of Thai restaurants all over the world, and people are embracing it. 

Its taste is a mixture of different flavors; spices with a touch of different herbs. It's basically a combination of salty, sweet, sour, and spicy. Its ingredients are mostly fresh. 

I also noticed that Thais put emphasis on the presentation or plating-whether you're eating on the streets or in their cozy restos, excellent food presentation can be seen.

Here are some Thai food that I recommend you to try in your visit to the Land of Smiles.

1. Somtam 

Overnight Bus Ride to Bagan

by Regin Reyno

Going to Burma or Myanmar, most tourists visit the so called Big Four. Yangon (Rangoon), Mandalay, Bagan, and Inle Lake.

These are the places where beautiful attractions are located. So when I visited Myanmar, I made it a point to visit at least two of these big four.

I landed in Rangoon then planned to go to Bagan as well. The rest, I’ll just leave it for my next visit, as I prefer a slow-paced travel, rather than trying to cramp all places in a short period of time.

After visiting Shwedagon Pagoda-thus ticking it off in my bucket list- and spending a day in Yangon, I planned to go to Bagan and spend most of my days of my solo travel there as I prefer to relax in countryside and not in a big city.

So I asked my guesthouse where can I book a bus going to Bagan, and they pointed me to an agency near my guesthouse.

I opted to take an overnight bus, to save for guesthouse fees and travel time.

TIP 1: If you want save on hotel/hostels fees, take the overnight bus. By doing that, you'll not only save hotel/hostel fees, but your travel time as well. Instead of just sleeping in your hostel/hotel, you are actually moving while sleeping, thus have more time to explore places in your travels during the day instead of spending it on the road.

Upon realizing that the bus fare offered by the agency is quite pricey, I opted to just buy my bus ticket in the terminal.

One of things I love about Myanmar is the kindness of the locals. This is the country where I encountered the friendliest, most kind, most helpful locals in the world. Touts, scammers, robbers are almost non-existent. Yes, it's very safe in Myanmar. 

I asked the locals for instructions and price on how to go to the bus station, and they helped me.

So the next day, I took a taxi form my hostel called Ocean Pearl Inn and went to the bus terminal.

Taxis in Yangon are old, and most are not air-conditioned-but I didn't mind, I wanted to experience how it is to live a a country shut down from the outside world for many years. And riding those taxis is an experience.

Yangon taxi

Top Trips in Tenerife

guest post by Alex Siborn

There's so much to see and do in Tenerife, the only problem you'll have is fitting it all in. If this comes as a surprise, perhaps it's time you dragged yourself away from the pool and went exploring!

As you'll see from Wikipedia's guide on Tenerife, Tenerife has the third largest volcano in the world and a peak that's taller than any other mountain in the Canary Islands, and in Spain. It's home to several World Heritage Sites, and its capital city - Santa Cruz - hosts a fantastic carnival every year that's said to be second in size and stature only to the world-renowned Rio Carnival.