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M A G A Z I N E F O R C E B U P A C I F I C • N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 4
One more night in BangkokWHAT'S NEW AND WHAT'S COOL
IN THE THAI CAPITAL
Saigon to marketRETAIL MANIA IN
VIETNAM'S BIGGEST CITY
One more night in BangkokWHAT'S NEW AND WHAT'S COOL
IN THE THAI CAPITAL
Saigon to marketRETAIL MANIA IN
VIETNAM'S BIGGEST CITY
OU
R IS CO
MPLIM
ENTA
RY • NO
VEMBER 2014
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Our crew this issue
THE USUAL SUSPECTS
KRISTINE FONACIERWriter
The editor of travel mag GRID and Entrepreneur knows an urban movement when she sees it — and for this issue it’s all
about boomtown Bangkok
LESTER LEDESMAWriter and photographer
Follow Lester on a shopping adventure across fi ve of Saigon’s markets
RUBEN V. NEPALESWriter
For this issue our Hollywood correspondent talks to multi-talented
Neil Patrick Harris
Shaira LunaPhotographerFor this issue shot our cover and cover feature (in between
meals!)
Manila-based Shaira has shot magazine covers, numerous fashion
editorials and lifestyle photography for most publications in
Metro Manila and various brand campaigns. She is self-taught
and is booked mostly for fashion editorials, magazine covers and
food photography. Her spare time is devoted to dreaming up,
producing and shooting her own little cinematic stories with her
brother Von.
Navin Kala and Luisa DorrPhotographersFor this issue took photos of people taking photos (of
themselves)
Luisa is based in São Paulo, Brazil; Navin stays in Varanasi
in northern India. Luisa branched into photography from
the design world three years ago while Navin, from the art
world, began shooting professionally fi ve years ago.
Dave TaconWriter and photographerFor this issue walks us through a hairy (crab) situation
Based in Shanghai, Dave has worked with some of the most
prestigious publications in the world, including Rolling Stone,
Wall Street Journal, Newsweek, Stern, GEO, Der Spiegel
and ELLE. Some of his photos appear in the permanent
collections of the National Portrait Gallery of Australia.
Simon OstheimerWriterFor this issue makes a quick getaway to Sabah
Simon is a former editor at The Phuket News, Bangkok
101, Vision KL and Time Out Hong Kong. He regularly
contributes travel stories to a number of publications
including Condé Nast Traveler China, Condé Nast Traveller
India, DestinAsian and Dwell Asia.
David TerrazasPhotographerFor this issue captures the essence of trendy Bangkok
David, who is based in Bangkok, regularly shoots fashion
portraits and travel coverage for magazines including Fah
Thai, Jetstar and Dusit Thani’s Eight.
Now that's a loving gaze from
a cat to her human
008 CREW(JE).indd 8 20/10/2014 17:45
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This month in Smile
Enjoy a drink at The
Alchemist
Street regalFind out what makes Bangkok a top
destination for travelers from
around the world
Life’s a breezeLearn about the history and
legends of Sabah,
the Land Below the Wind
Siem Reap delights
Discover why the city has
become a favorite foodie spot
p90
p100p35
p40
NEIL PATRICK HARRIS
TALKS
ABOUT
GONE GIRL,
THE MEDIA
AND HIS
MARRIAGE
hong kong
010-011 CONTENTS.TS(JE).indd 10 20/10/2014 18:20
www.cebusmile.com / 11
Wait, there's more...
If you can't beat them, join them!
Heading for any of the
28 international or 33
Philippine destinations
on the Cebu Pacific
network? Get some
recommendations from
the locals.
Read the latest news
from the airline and get
updates on destinations
and routes. Plus: find
out the latest seat
promotions and score
great deals.
Check out the onboard
menu for the latest food-
and-beverage offerings.
Trip journal, p131
Airline news, p183
Hungry?, p188
Pride of plateWe make our way to the heart of
Bicolandia and into the province of
Albay for a culinary tour
p58
All things big and stallScour fi ve of Ho Chi Minh City’s
best markets for bargain hunters
Autumn harvestShanghai’s hairy crab season has begun.
Find out why some are willing to shell out
big money for this delicacy
Selfie syndromePeople of all ages head to Hong Kong’s Avenue
of the Stars to take photos — of themselves
p113
p80 p70
ong
011 ONLY CONTENTS.TS(JE).indd 11 21/10/2014 11:31
LIFE’S A BREEZEOn a quick tour of Kota Kinabalu by train, in a speedboat and on foot, Simon N. Ostheimer discovers the life and legends of
Sabah, the “Land Below the Wind”
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Amazing escapes
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Clockwise: Speeding past a fl oating village; seafood at the market; steamboat dinner; inter-island transport
Whoever came up with the phrase “the Land Below the Wind” must have been a
genius — the wording conjures up a magical, tropical idyll, a serene place where palm trees sway in the barely-there breeze, and exotic smells and spices tease you from the beach. The evocative description is most commonly attributed to ancient seafarers, who were referring to the territory that lay beneath the typhoon belt, and so was safe from the terrible storms that assault much of the rest of South-East Asia. For a long time this place was called North Borneo; today it’s better known as Sabah, the easternmost state in Malaysia.
On our fi rst morning in the capital of Sabah, Kota Kinabalu, we joined a cultural tour with local Grace Leong, a third-generation Chinese who is the founder of KK Heritage Walk (www.kkheritagewalk.com). Grace is on a mission is to educate tourists about the colonial history of the city and that morning we were happy to trail her around here.
“You’re probably wondering why we were meeting here,” she asks rhetorically as we stand under the shade of a large tree, while people in sports clothes stand close by
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and eat them on the go. After a stroll down the street — pausing to pop our heads in the colonial-era Jesselton Hotel (69 Jln Gaya; tel: +60 88 223 333; jesseltonhotel.com), where the door is manned by a slight, helmeted bellboy, and the bartender Aji has been pouring Bloody Marys since 1959 — we head back to Yee Fung (127 Jln Gaya; tel: +60 88 312 042) for a bowl of their famous Sarawak laksa.
Almost every part of Malaysia has its own take on laksa, from the creamy coconut Nyonya variety found in historical Malacca to the sour Assam style most popular on the island of Penang. Malaysian Borneo — which includes Sabah, Sarawak to the west and the tiny island territory of Labuan — shares one style, the Sarawak laksa, which consists of a laksa soup base covered in bee hoon egg noodles, hard-
stretching on a small fi eld. “Well, this is where Sabah declared the end of colonial rule!” In one of the quirks of history that dot the region, the British North Borneo company ran this corner of Borneo as a corporate possession from the late 19th century up until the Japanese arrived in 1942 to occupy the island. Reclaimed by Britain, it became a colony in 1946 before joining up with a newly independent Malaysia in 1963.
As Grace explains, due to waves of Chinese immigration encouraged by the British, there is a preponderance of Sino-style cuisine in KK, as locals call it. Amazing steamed dumplings are to be found at Keng Wan Hing (80 Gaya St; tel: +60 16 849 4708), including the Hainanese Polo Bun made with pineapple marmalade, and the sang nyuk pau, a fi lling, rich blend of pork and egg. We order takeaway
Clockwise from top left: Urban graffi ti; the famous pau with pork and egg fi lling;
a local coff ee shop
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boiled egg, shredded chicken, a handful of bean sprouts, a sprinkling of cilantro and locally caught prawns. Once your steaming bowl is served, squeeze half a lime over it, and add a spoonful of sambal belacan (shrimp paste) for taste. It tastes excellent, especially when washed down with a hot glass of their signature drink, teh madras — layers of evaporated milk, black tea and foam.
The next day, we make our way down sleepily to the lobby of The Pacifi c Sutera Hotel (1 Sutera Harbour Blvd; tel: +60 88 318 888; suteraharbour.com), a sprawling 384-acre property, with two onsite hotels (the other is The Magellan Sutera Resort), a 27-hole golf course, and a marina from where you can explore the surrounding islands. The sound of a bell ringing across the marble interior snaps us awake. The source of the commotion is a shy young man wearing khaki shorts, a starched white shirt and a pith helmet adorned with the logo of the North Borneo Railway (www.northborneorailway.com). It is
From top: Diners pack
the local laksa restaurant;
Sarawak laksa; cooking big
batches of noodles. At
right: Downtown KK
Sarawak laksa tastes excellent, especially when washed down with a hot glass of their signature localtea, teh madras
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time to take the tropical express.With fi ve carriages, each named
after one of the stops, the train is hauled by a British Vulcan steam locomotive fuelled not by coal, but by wood. While the carriages were actually built in the 1970s, they have been renovated to re-create a train journey in the early 1900s, when the line provided a vital link between the interior and Jesselton — now Kota Kinabalu — transporting goods such as rice, tobacco, sugar, silk, and pineapples for export. Now almost 120 years old, the North Borneo Railway, a collaboration between the state government and the Sutera Harbour Resort, provides a nostalgic experience for tourists.
After an amazing train trip through stunning scenery, we are on the move again, this time aboard a speedboat heading north-west to Gaya Island. This small isle 15 minutes off the coast
of KK had housed the fi rst settlement of the British North Borneo company, before it was razed to the ground in 1897 by a local folk hero by the name of Mat Salleh and the British set up shop on the mainland instead. As Kota Kinabalu thrived and expanded, the villagers on Gaya Island maintained a simple life, until it was declared a national park in 1974. These days, Gaya is a central part of the state’s eco-tourism push, and is home to the Gaya Island Resort (tel: +60 18 939 1100; www.gayaislandresort.com), where luxury villas peek out between lush jungle, and tropical fi sh swim in abundance right off the hotel jetty. Looking around, it’s easy to understand the importance of preserving the area’s natural beauty. It’s a green message that’s further driven home the next day by the resort’s resident naturalist Justin Juhun.
“I was raised in the jungle,” says
From top: Experiencing the romance of 1900s train travel; onboard food in tin cups
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Cebu Pacifi c fl ies to Kota
Kinabalu from Manila.
www.cebupacifi cair.com
pointing out wildlife, swapping photography tips, and sweating in the jungle’s sweltering heat. A few hours later, after a refreshing swim, we make our way along the beach, where a young Australian couple strike up a conversation with Justin . “I was having a drink at the pool, when I saw something in the water — a python!” the tourist tells us.
They whip out photos of snake fi ve feet long, swimming in the water we’d only just left. Just then, a wild pig emerges from the bushes. Justin seemes unfazed, and the rest of us can only laugh at just how much normal life in Kota Kinabalu seems intertwined with the wilderness that surrounds it. This Land Below the Wind truly is a magical place.
Justin, when I ask where his passion for the wilderness comes from. “My dad worked on a plantation some 60km outside of Tawau, a small town on the south coast of Sabah,” he tells me. “As a young boy I remember seeing injured animals and wanting to help them. Soon, people were bringing me all sorts of creatures — hornbills, monkeys, squirrels, wild pigs — and our home became like my own personal zoo!” We’re walking along a narrow track through deep bush in the hills above the Gaya Island Resort, part of a series of tracks that Justin himself created. “I spent two weeks up here by myself looking for the best routes. I’d hack through the jungle during the day, and camp at night.” What’s meant to be a 45-minute walk becomes a two-hour odyssey as Justin pauses to point out wildlife we would have otherwise have missed. “Thankfully no cobra or python today,” he says.
Our guide’s knowledge and passion are infectious, and soon we’re all
Clockwise from top: Sunset views from Gaya Island; one of the restaurant
attendants; the island jetty; and one of the more colorful residents
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