bule

Jakarta

2011-04-15T03:57:00.000-07:00

Hey folks, time for another in depth report on beautiful Jakarta. Just keep in mind- get up late in the afternoon to explore what Jakarta has on offer as traffic get worse and worse. Lately it took me about two hours by car from Menteng to Kemang on a friday night. So be prepared and plan carefully where you go. Dinner options are plentiful but if you are looking for a decent pizza, pasta or even a steak the all time favorites Pepenero and Trattoria are the place to go. Booth have branches in Kuningan area. Not new to the club scene, but popular nowadays is Immigrant in famous Plaza Indonesia. New to me was a visit to Domain club and bar in Senayan City. This seems to be a rustic alpine style venue. Its more a bar than a club. A little boring music wise and no real dance floor available. One of my new favorites is 365 This is also more like a bar, but offers very good music and people are dancing.
If you are seeking some up to date party information and pictures about Jakarta nightlife, check out ILOVEGLAM
Jakarta is the upcoming New York!

Yangon

2011-04-15T03:06:00.000-07:00

Yangon is on the the most interesting cities I had been to recently. The burmese junta is asking for a visa, so keep in mind that you apply for one before you take a very cheap Air Asia flight bound for RGN airport. Flight time from Bangkok is about one hour, but hurry up when leaving the aircraft as passport control takes ages. As there are no ATMs available in whole Myanmar, you have to carry all the money you need in USD with you. Credit cards are not accepted or just at a very few places. People tend to be very fuzzy about the bank notes- so just carry sparkling clean and new ones, as they might not accept older ones. I stayed at very popular Traders Hotel downtown. Its a little old but it is indeed a good choice to explore the city. Besides the very famous pagodas you should think about a train ride with the circle line. The round trip takes about 2 hours from the main train station, which is within walking distance to the Traders hotel. Foreigners have to buy a ticket at a special desk and have to register with their passport. The ride is simply amazing as you see a different side of the city and many beautiful smiling faces. Be prepared to be the only western guy!
If you wanna relax in style, go for the tea time at very famous Strand Hotel
Night life is limited but there are some local beer bars with entertainment. Just stroll around the streets in little india or china town.

Bangkok

2011-04-15T02:17:00.000-07:00

Besides Jakarta, Bangkok is one of my favorite places world wide. Like in most asian mega cities you will enjoy the lifestyle most likely at night. If you are one of the lucky ones and able to stay longer you should think about one of the many serviced apartments. I had recently stayed in Somerset Suanplu
for a couple of times and admit that this is a very good alternative to a boxed hotel room. For sure its not luxurious as most of the five star hotels available in Bangkok, but offers a comfortable place to stay indeed. For "ONE NIGHT" in Bangkok or if you need just a shower before leaving back to the airport, there is a pretty decent Four Points by Sheraton.
Don't be late for the night out in BKK as many clubs will close quiet early. My favorite place to go out is still famous RCA area. Thats an entertainment area with lots of bars and clubs. Check out 808

Even if the webpage looks a little boring you should give Tapas a try. Thats a multi storey bar/ club within the gay area next to Sala Daeng station.
If you are looking for a decent place for lunch or dinner you should look out for Secret Garden restaurant on sathorn road. They do offer delicious thai food and yummy cakes from their bakery!
When you missed you breakfast or you are looking for a very special place to go, you should consider the diner @ THE ATLANTA - eggs and bacon served with style!

Bandung

2011-04-12T07:15:00.000-07:00

Paris van Java- or even the City of Love. Bandung is not Paris for sure and Paris is not the city of Love for me, but Bandung is! Sometimes it is complicated, but thats how it is. For me is Bandung very special because of a very special person, so I am not really sure if Bandung is the place to be or not. Compared to Jakarta, Bandung is like a small village, but indeed its worth a visit. I would suggest to go there during week days as on weekends it gets crowded by many visitors from Jakarta. Most convenient way to reach Bandung from Jakarta is to take a plane. Susi Air offers a daily service from Jakarta Halim. If you are not fuzzy about flying you could easily take a minibus service. I can recommend Cipaganti which offers multiple departures daily with quiet comfortable mini vans. Depend on traffic, it takes about 3 hours including one stop on route. Once I took the train, but to be honest I am not a fan. The service from Gambir station should last about 3 hours as well, but delays are "daily business" if you take "kereta api".
My favorite place to stay is the Hilton Bandung. The Hotel is very new, modern and comfortable- located in the city center near the train station. Try to get an executive room on top floor for an amazing view over the city. The staff in the lounge is simply outstanding and the service received is top notch. What I really like is the pool- big enough for some laps.
If you don't have somebody to show you around, ask the concierge for one of the many restaurants in the hills around the city for a dinner with a view.
If you wanna go around I would recommend to rent a motor bike. The concierge now knows where to get one, as this is not common in the Hilton Bandung. There are some hot spring resorts about 20 kilometers outside of Bandung. Its a scenic ride, but the public hot spring pool is pretty basic!

Even if you don't fell in Love you might enjoy your trip to Bandung!

SUSI AIR

2011-04-12T06:57:00.000-07:00

Air traffic in Indonesia is often an adventure or even dangerous. I never had flown with the cheap ones like Batavia Air, Adam Air or Lion as they seem all not safe compared to international standards. So the only option used to be Garuda Indonesia. During my recent trip my friend from Bandung told me that there is an alternative to the time wasting train or car service from Jakarta. Susiair offers charter or private Jet service on this route, so no doubt I had to get a ticket with them. Booking is not easy as I had to call them several times to confirm our flight, but finally we made it and got a private jet up in the air on route to Jakarta Halim Airport- thats more or less like Tempelhof in Berlin. Flight time is less than 30 minutes but the view over Java and later the skyline of Jakarta is worth every Rupiah you paid.

Stay tuned for more in depth reports on traveling Asia!

Citadines Quartier Jakarta

2011-02-28T23:20:00.000-08:00

Jakarta is always good for a surprise as it is my place to stay during this time.
I do have a nice studio @ Citadines located right in the heart of the city in Menteng neighbourhood. This serviced apartment Hotel is pretty new and kind of stylish which give you the feeling to be in NYC rather than in Indonesia.
Its not a posh place to stay but it offers the basic services you might need. The roof top pool is big enough for some laps and the view is simply amazing. Lobby level has a cafe and snack bar where breakfast is served. To be honest you can skip that, but its a nice touch! Internet access is free and works well, even by the pool.
Stay tuned for more in depth reports on Jakarta!

Barber brothel

2011-02-09T07:31:00.000-08:00

The day I arrived I was in urgent need of a manicure. As I had a motorbike already I simply drove onwards to Monivong, finding a barber shop/ beauty salon. I went in and was received a warm welcome and a women took my hand taking me into the back part upstairs. There I told here, that I am just looking for a simple manicue- nothing more. She was kind of confused, but took me down again into a private room with two girl on each side doing my nails. The worked really hard but I run out of time, so I left them without the intended extra service by the mama San...Welcome to Phnom Penh!

Phnom Penh

2011-02-09T07:03:00.000-08:00

Its a couple of month ago since I had been in Phnom Penh, but now I am back and its kind of strange. I am not sure why, but it seems that the development of this beautiful City in beyond my expectation. I am sitting in Boeang Keng Kong 1 (BKK1) in "my" street. Its st.278, which used to be a small residential street with serviced apartments serving the NGO crowd. But nowadays it seems to be the favorite hang out place for "volunteers". The apartments are still available and as always a good choice if you are on a shoestring. I am staying normally at "Golden Bridge"- most places are golden anyway. Its a very basic chinese run place, but clean and very friendly staff assisting you wherever they can.
The former pretty relaxed hang out place Elsewhere moved into the street and it looks like it is the favorite hang out location for some sorry to say, fat and ugly volunteers relaxing in the pool from their very hard daily life out in the "real cambodia"...
To be honest- there aren't many places in the world where such people could behave like that- this bar is one of them.
To be fair- the passion nirwana ist still sooo yummy!!!!

Stay tuned for more reports on traveling asia!

Travel Asia

2010-12-15T07:09:00.001-08:00

Its time for a change. Meet me around Asia from january until end of march. Be prepared on in depth reports on traveling Hong Kong, Bangkok, Yangon, Phnom Penh, Jakarta, Yogyakarta, Bali, Bandung, Tokyo, Beijing and Shanghai.

Stay tuned!

Exciting

2010-10-14T02:47:00.000-07:00

London

2010-10-10T05:20:00.000-07:00

London is always worth the travel even so you had been there many times. Yesterday I celebrated 15 years returning guest with a traditional Cider @Piccadilly Circus. I used to have a couple of drinks there, during my first trip as a teenager. Long time ago, but still a very good feeling to return. London at all is best if you are slightly drunk. Just stop by any of the hundreds of pubs on your way and have a pint. Well to be honest the first one taste like pee..but you well get used to it very soon. Next weekend I gonna give you a in depth report on driving drunken throughout United Kingdom- so stay tuned!

Bucharest

2010-09-23T03:52:00.000-07:00

I am going east!!! Its a long time ago I had been to romania. So keep in touch on my in depth reports on travel the east!

Sofitel Beijing Wanda

2010-09-15T07:51:00.000-07:00

I stayed @ Sofitel in august for 4 nights. It was my first time to Beijing and I have to say location of the hotel is pretty good. Taxis are cheap but keep in mind that there is a lot of traffic jam during the day. At night its not a problem at all. You are able to reach the nightlife and entertainment area of Sanlitun in about 10- 15min. Next to the hotel are some local restaurants. Been there a couple of times, as these places are quiet nice to taste some local flavor. The overall style of the hotels is slightly "golden", maybe a little bit to much for my taste, but our Suite was very nice and the view facing the CCTV building was incredible. The Suite comes with a great bedroom, with a comfy bed, a huge bathroom with tub and extra shower. We had 3 TVs an Espresso-automat and fast Internet access- what else do you need? Well maybe a guest restroom, good room service and cool front office staff. I was quiet happy to stay @ Sofitel and will consider it for sure for my next trip to beijing!

Travel the world

2010-09-10T06:37:00.000-07:00

My upcoming travel plans are more or less fixed. I will get in depth reports on travel St Petersburg, Tokyo, Seoul, Geneve and London. Can't go to United States again but might be able to check out Romania.
Stay tuned for more reports on travel the world!

Lantern Beijing

2010-09-10T06:22:00.000-07:00

Beat Off Party - Beijing/China- at Lantern Club from Dorothée Sorbier °DOTHY° on Vimeo.

Lufthansa Beijing sucks!

2010-09-10T04:00:00.000-07:00

After a great stay in Beijing, we left the Grand Hyatt right on time for the around 1 hours lasting journey to the airport by taxi.
Flight should have been a day flight leaving Beijing at 13.20pm and arrive @MUC in the evening same day. So we opted for LH Business Class, knowing well that there are better products in the air, but as premium costumers it shouldn't be a problem. Check in was a swift but security and passport control took ages as there is no priority lane. Still 30 minutes before flight we opted to check out the Air China Lounge which was more or less a nightmare as it was fu**ing hot at the airport. The Lounge offer free Internet access which is a plus. Just before heading to the gate I got told that there might be a minor delay. No problem so far, but I don't trust these guys and went to the gate to check. I asked Lufthansa staff at the gate about the delay and they said something about an hour and that we could go back to the Lounge again. i asked for the reason and they told me it is a "technical problem" with the aircraft. Well if you fly a lot you know, that technical issues won't be resolved within a couple of minutes. I went back to the Lounge to check my other option to reach my destination on that day and went back to the gate to request a rebooking to another flight or another night in Beijing. They refused and said that I will be fine as they intend to leave very soon. What a rubbish, got a text message right in this moment stating the flight will be delayed by another 4 hours! After long discussions with the flight manager, I got the OK from the immigration to leave China on another flight, which is not that easy, but besides there had been several more options he offered me to fly on my own cost to HKG and connecting on another LH flight to FRA. I refused as they should been in charge to make sure that I reach my destination on time. Later on I contacted the LH Station manager, a chinese Lady not willing to assist and lying to the costumers. She told me, that I am not allowed to leave the country on anther flight rather than the booked LH flight. That was the time I started to laugh even so it wasn't funny. I pointed out that I got the OK to leave already a few hours ago, she got really pissed off, why her flight manager was such a helpful person. End of the story- we left Beijing about 6 hours late, I missed my connecting flight in MUC and had to stay overnight. Did not got my luggage in MUC and had wear the same stuff again and again...
On top of that Lufthansa refuse to compensate us for the delay of around 14 hours and all the trouble caused!
Be aware as there is better way to fly!

Beijing

2010-09-10T02:59:00.000-07:00

My recent trip took me to the chinese Capital and I must say I got flashed during my time over there. Besides people tend to promote Shanghai as the place to be in China I gonna let you know a secret- they are all wrong. Beijing is well worth the trip and even more exciting than Shanghai. For first timers to Beijing you will have to visit all the main tourist attraction like the Great Wall, Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square e.g. For the day trip to the Great Wall I would recommend to use a private Car, as it is more flexible and comfortable as most bus tours will stop by some fabrics to buy some expensive rubbish. I did the tour with John - he is a very kind person and did a great job.
For inner City attractions you can easily take the subway or the plenty available cheap taxis. Just keep in mind that you need directions in mandarin, as the taxi drivers do not speak a single word english. Beijing is very huge and the traffic jam during the day is exhausting- so choose your place to stay carefully if you need to travel during rush hours.
My personal favorite is the new Sofitel Wanda, We had a very nice Suite facing the CCTV building! Location is great, as there are some cheap chinese restaurants near by and Sanlitun area is just 10 minutes by taxi. Another great option is the Grand Hyatt which is within walking distance to the Tiananmen Sqaure and Forbidden City. Its a very huge hotel with an amazing Pool and Spa area. The Hyatt is not really wow, but everything is solid 5 Star and the staff is very professional. Even if you don't stay there you should consider to indulge yourself to a traditional Beijing duck @ Made in China!
For a good night out you should head to Sanlitun and the streets around. There are plenty of bars, clubs and restaurants around.
My favorite is Lantern Club. Simply go for it!
If you need to relax and recover from your night out Dragonfly is a very good place to unwind. Its not posh at all, but quality is very good and prices are reasonable.
I did not try Herborist Spa but it seems to be a very nice place. So give it a try and let me know, as I gonna be back soon.

Stay tuned for my upcoming report on Beijing in winter!

Travel is Entertainment

2010-04-14T06:15:00.000-07:00

Being in many places worldwide its not easy to find something really "new". Anyway traveling keeps me busy and entertained even so I am a regular guest to places like New York, San Francisco, Hong Kong, Jakarta. The upcoming month will be surprisingly new. I will head twice to all time favorite european destinations, namely Barcelona and Malaga. New places to explore will be Marrakech and Beijing. Yeah guys- I gonna explore the hot maghreb lifestyle and get spanked in the desert! If you wanna join: Hotel du Tresor!
And if you wanna dance the whole night you might check out Beijing nightlife:
You might find myself @White rabbit, Propaganda, Hei Hei or Suzie

Moscow

2010-03-23T04:13:00.000-07:00

Moscow is a really huge city and could be hardly compared to any other place I had been to. First of all its not easy to get a permit to join the russian party crowd for a weekend. Its complicated and expensive at its best. I would strictly recommend to use an Agent to apply for the necessary visa documents. They charge you a relativly small fee and you do not have to struggle with the russian officers at the embassy. I used this Agent in germany and it worked well. Keep in mind to apply early to avoid extra charges. You should try fly into Domodevo Airport as the Airport is quiet modern with pretty good Star Alliance lounges offering nice views on the tarmac, free wifi and a relaxed atmosphere. But main plus is the so called Aero Express train. Offering train service for 250RUB, which is about 6 Euros or 8 Bucks. Train runs at least every hour and the journey takes about 45 minutes to Paveletsky railway station, where you have access to the metro network.
Places to stay:
Well as I told you already it is very expensive in moscow. If you are on the cheap side go to Berlin or spend some money that you are able to afford your stay in moscow in style. There are some hostels available, but I not sure about the quality. Please keep in mind, that you need to register while you are staying in moscow. Most bigger hotels will do arrange that for you free of charge, but the cheap places will charge you extra for that service. If you are seeking a "cheap", clean and safe place you should consider the pretty new Ibis ,
located about 10 minutes walking from the Paveletsky station. The hotel offers affordable small rooms with ensuite bathroom and double beds. Wifi is free of charge and staff speaks english. There is a Starbucks on the way to Dobrininskaya station where you can grab a coffee and watch very sexy boys and girls having a rest from studying.
If you are not a penny pincher and looking for a place with charm you should stay at the Hilton, which is nestled in a heritage building. Rooms, breakfast and service received is to notch, but its pricey. Internet access is about 960RUB per 24hour, which is around 24 Euros!!
If you wanna stay in style go for the Park Hyatt.
Enjoy:
Entertainment is a huge topic while you are staying in moscow. There are so many places to choose from, but even if you have a enough money, keep in mind that they do have Face Control to keep places very special!
My favorite place for a relaxed dinner and a few drinks afterwards is Krizes Zhanra. This place turns into a club late at night, offering mostly life music or even electro parties. Its a place for the younger, hip, gay, sweet and beautiful crowd. Well don't worry- guests are mostly very nice and its a good place to start your night out in moscow. If you wanna dance all night go for Propaganda. A small club offering mainly electronic music with top Djs experienced world wide. I did not have to pay a cover charge and drinks are not to pricey.

Getting around:
Московский метрополитен- the moscow metro network is the main form of public transport in moscow. Its not only safe, fast and cheap its also on of the main tourist attractions of the russian capital. So get your sight seeing trip started in the underground! There are a few official taxi companies offering their service in moscow but they are not reliable if you don't speak any word russian. Try the "lokal" ones. Just wait a few seconds on a bigger street for a private car to stop by and tell the driver where you wanna go, fix a price and enjoy your trip. Its easy as far as the driver knows the place you wanna go to. You should get anywhere within the city center for about 200RUB. At night it might be more expensive- so bargain hard or wait for another car.

Moscow Baby!

2010-01-21T02:52:00.000-08:00

Well folks I gonna be in Moscow in march. Hope to see you there and stay tuned for my in depth report on moscow nights.

Gulf Air Sucks!

2010-01-19T07:52:00.000-08:00

My upcoming travel plan included flights on Gulf Air from Cairo via Bahrain to Bangkok. I booked my First Class tickets with them already in december. A few days ago I checked my schedule online to recognize that they canceled my flights, but didn't inform me so far. I did some research on the web to recognize that GF will stop their First Class service. I called them and they mentioned that they canceled my flights due to some fare mistakes and what they offer is a refund or fly Business Class for a much higher prices instead. I opted for the money and have to reschedule everything. F**ck- I hate these unprofessional guys!!

Same Same but different!

2010-01-18T14:15:00.000-08:00

This is a movie about my "first" contact about Cambodia! Very impressive story....

BMI Number One Heathrow

2010-01-11T03:35:00.000-08:00

London Heathrow is a nightmare if you need to transfer, but indeed even in on of the worst airports you might find something worth a visit. One of the first things you might need after a long haul flight is a refreshing shower. BMI "Number One" lounge offers what you are seeking for: shower facilities with private restroom, free wifi, snacks and drinks on the house with a nice view on the tarmac while you are waiting for your connecting flight.
You will have access to the well done lounge when flying on one of the Star Alliance Carriers no matter which class booked in, if you are Star Gold or on LH and LX flights if you are FTL.

Florida

2010-01-11T01:38:00.000-08:00

I grew up in Europe and when i was a teenager it was very common to travel to Florida as it seems to be a big dream come to true during the early nineties. Well as I do many things not "on time" I decided to give it a try during my recent stay in California as First Class Travel on United is nowadays a different story to cattle class the "dream come true guys" where on. As I had some flights in and out of Tampa International so I opted for the very nice Intercontinental Tampa , as they do offer free of charge Airport transfer. The Hotel is located in an office building, so not a resort like place you might think of, when going to Florida. But the service received was very nice. Rooms where comfortable and they do have free Wifi. I you are in a hurry in the morning, I would recommend the Illy coffee shop on lobby floor. During the weekend we had two days off- perfect for a road trip to Miami! In my opinion Florida is famous for jewish grannies, the gay community, white dressed and black skinned guys and of cause Florida Rolf. So what do you think what car I opted for at Avis counter- right! A huge white convertible car!!! Perfect for cruising around Miami Beach and hunting for an alligator in the Everglades.

After a day of driving via Orlando, West Palm Beach and Fort Lauderdale we finally arrived in Miami, but make sure you have the right address in your GPS (the Avis one sucks) as we first stopped at a "spaniocal" Hyatt before heading to our reserved Hyatt Miami
If you are seeking some more entertainment besides some beers at the bar and a final "Presidente" beer before going to sleep you should consider one of the following places:
White Room

Bella Rose

BLACK SUNDAY ft TROUBLE & BASS from Alexis Mincolla on Vimeo.

Merry x-mas and a happy new year

2009-12-24T09:22:00.000-08:00

Dear fellow reader,
I wish you all happy holiday and a good start into the upcoming new year. I am already excited about my new destinations and you will kept up to date with my in depth reports on traveling New York, Brussels, Shanghai, Cairo, Bahrain, Bangkok (all are fixed already) and hopefully many more. Keep in touch and all the best- your Bule!

Mandarin Oriental Jakarta

2009-10-11T01:52:00.000-07:00

Could you imagine a nice night out in Jakarta with some casual cute western guys? Well I do , so that's the story. We where hanging out, went to Kemang to have some proper dinner in an indonesian restaurant called "payon", but they where closed due to private matters. So we went next door to Kemang food fest to catch up a portion of Nasi Goreng and a Bintang- good combo. Afterwards we thought of leaving back home, but while in taxi I remembered that MO Bar might be open this night. I called our Concierge at Le Meridien to make sure that the Bar gonna be open. They wasn't really sure, but said they might be open tonight. When we reached the Mandarin Oriental we realized a lot of very posh cars in line to drove up to lobby level. The crowd looked very sophisticated and not casual at all. It was our turn to get off our very cheap looking taxi. Taxi stopped at front door, they tried to open the doors, I advised the driver to go further. He stopped again a few meters ahead, staff followed, I opened the window and asked one of the female staff, if the Bar is open already. She was kind of confused as the ongoing party was the Grand Opening of MObar Jakarta! So we jumped out of the taxi, left our Bintang cans, I even went in without security check. So here we are- two casual cute western guys joining the most sophisticated event of the night in Jakarta. The elegant crowd consist of the Who is Who of Jakarta's society. A little boring and old, but free flow of Champagne and any other drink you might wish. We ended up directly in the middle of the bar, watching people and people watching us. To be honest I liked the old style of the bar more, but the staff is indeed amazing. Very professional, stylish and beautiful at all and at its best they where chatting with us which turns into flirting..lol.
When we left, a women waiting in line for a taxi with us, asked us where we are from and why we joined the party cause we looking so casual. I said we are casual indeed and even without invitation card, people are waiting for us!

Stay tuned for more in depth reports on Jakarta nightlife!

Shanghai

2009-10-01T01:29:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned already Shanghai is simply an amazing City and I would rather say a must for a smart traveler nowadays. But go ahead and try yourself. Trust me its worth it.
Travel:
This time I flow in from Europe- so I would recommend to use Swiss for your flight as it is still the best option, even they use the "old version" of their C Class.
You will arrive in Pudong International Airport, which is a fairly huge and modern airport. Nothing special, but they do offer free Wifi in public areas. Keep in mind that some sites are not visible while you are in Chine- you will need a special program to enter some of the blocked sites. Before entering China you need to apply for a Visa back in your home country. There is no Visa on arrival service at the moment. The Airport is located far outside of the city, but there is the Maglev, a high speed train running between Pudong Airport the city within a couple of minutes, depending on how fast your train runs. Check schedules to speed up, but at least train will run with 300km per hour. Keep in mind that you have to change for the Metro or Taxi to reach you final destination. Travel between airport and city center will be at all around 1 hour, depending on traffic. Taxis are cheap and go on the meter. A taxi between the airport and the city is about 150 Yuan, depending on traffic and your loction. The Maglev is about 40 Yuan plus subway fare.

Place to stay:
As always in fairly huge cities you should choose your hotel, depending on where you need to go. In shanghai you have to deside if you wanna stay on Pudong side or in the city center in Puxi ( Bund area ). Pudong is the modern high rise building area, which is more the business district. nevertheless there are some very nice hotels around. First of all you should consider the Park Hyatt located in the highest building at time of writing. The hotel is top notch and the view over Shanghai is best. Next to it, in second highest building, the Jin Moa Tower is the Grand Hyatt located. For sure also an alternative if Park Hyatt is fully booked. On Puxi side I can recommend fairly priced Swissotel located in Jing an district, next to famous Jing An temple and to a subway station ( line number two connecting to Maglev train ).
Enjoy:
Shanghai do offer so much place you should consider to visit. As most of us lacking time I will give just a few hints.
Most of the action is on Puxi side- so came over for a long night out or start your evening with a drink in Park Hyatt's bar on 89th floor- well worth it!
Later you should consider Logo, Dada for a few drinks and even a good party and for dancing all night one of the Muse Clubs.
If you wanna hang out on the Bund you can drop in all time favorite Bar Rouge, but to be honest, I guess it is boring.

Shanghai

2009-09-29T12:31:00.000-07:00

Well, I just returned from a fucking cool weekend in Shanghai and to be honest this City is amazing. So much fun- buy your tickets now!
When I have some more time left, I will leave an in depth report right here for place you should check out.

Zentralflughafen

2009-09-14T06:40:00.000-07:00

Berlin is the City of Change. Nothing is finished, nothing really started. Its in between- Transformation. There are people coming and leaving with great Ideas for often bigger projects. But to be honest- Berlin is not the place for the "big" things. Zentralflughafen Tempelhof is such a project with a long history of transformation in the middle of the City. Even so constructed as one of the largest buildings in the world, the airport shouldn't have been used as in airport that long. Planned as a modern airport with an event area, where thousand of visitors are able to watch the air shows from the roof top. Well to make a long story short- the airport was in use until end of 2008. In between as one of the busiest airports in the world and later as a small city airport with the most charming departure hall with a coffee shop serving "Bruehkaffee"! But that wouldn't be a story from Berlin if there wouldn't be more stories to talk about. The building "Zentralflughafen Tempelhof" has never been finished and has never been used just as an airport. It used to be a basis of the american army, the C.I.A., german police, central lost and found berlin, hundreds of offices and of course entertainment areas for erotic shows and dancing classes.
The U.S. Air Force constructed an indoor basket ball field, bowling centre, bars as well as a sauna.

Well the airport is closed- what's next? People in Berlin hoping that they will be able to use the airfield as a green recreation area as promised around 80 years ago- a long transformation you might think, but thats not the end for sure. As this is one of the biggest development areas in berlin for the upcoming years I am looking forward the visions of this "new" area. Indeed they are different, but don't worry- there is no need to hassle as there is a in between use already with bread&butter for the next ten years. Maybe they are able to develop an integrated concept during this time for a sustainable "transformation" into one of berlin most famous city centers. The guys from Graft work on it- but there are also politicians, allotment farmers, the berlin dog association and of cause the possibility of another "Ringcenter".
Maybe Berlin need some more time for the really big things, but in between we should think about the "transformation"- there is a lot of space left for some kinky fun..

Stay tuned for more in depth reports!

What happen to Jakarta my well loved City?

2009-07-17T06:25:00.000-07:00

Today I went back home and checked the recent news on BBC:
At least nine people have been killed, including two suspected suicide bombers, in two blasts at luxury hotels in the Indonesian capital Jakarta.
Sometimes life simply sucks! This was not the first blast of a hotel in Indonesia and to be honest I don't think it will be the last one. Indonesia is a country with a vast variety of culture, religion and ethnics- a huge country with many different point of views. Especially in Jakarta the mix of modernity, western influences, javanese culture and moderate muslims as well as the gap between poor and rich people gives you such a special feeling while strolling around the streets which simply blows you away. For many people Indonesia is out of the way. On the other hand people should keep in mind that Indonesia is due to the recent history of developing a democratic, tolerant and moderate muslim country, the place where we are able to explore if there is a chance getting things together between the western and the muslim world!
The development is to fast that such a few people could stop the move. There are millions of people in Indonesia are not willing to follow the way of death for a religious country where they don't wanna life in. Keep in mind the majority of the muslim community in Indonesia is not on the bomber's side. Its not religion, its not in the name of the people of Indonesia- these people are simply murderer!

My thoughts are with my friends in Indonesia, who are "living" daily the indonesian way of a hearty religious and cultural rich country. I am with you and looking forward my next trip to Jakarta!

Travel the world

2009-07-14T03:23:00.001-07:00

Time is passing by and my recent stay in Berlin sucks- not just because its Berlin, its more about Me, Myself and I. So what's the best way to escape- right, I need a change!
As my plans are fixed for London, Shanghai, Istanbul, Jakarta and Singapore I do need something new for november. This time I will do a traditional mileague run in the states: LAX, ONT, ORD, CLT, TPA, PHL and as it might be my last trip for this year I will add a sidestep to Vancouver and Hong Kong!
So if you are around- drop me line and stay tuned for my upcoming reports on traveling the world!

Intercontinental Jakarta

2009-06-27T04:08:00.000-07:00

I had been many times to Jakarta, but this was my very first time @ the Intercontinental Midplaza and I have to say I am quiet impressed. I did got a very good deal online with a travel agent on a room only base in a standard room. During Check In I upgraded on the spot to Club Floor for a nominal fee. Room was in a good layout and comes with a huge flat screen TV, comfy beds, a huge bathroom with bathtub and shower stall as well as complimentary internet access, breakfast, snacks and drinks in the lounge during the day. Staff is very friendly and helpful. The Location of the Hotel depend on where you have to go in Jakarta- I found it very convenient as taxis are cheap and the Trans Jakarta has a stop next door. Pool, Gym and Sauna Area are well done. I will return in a few weeks!

Conrad Bangkok

2009-06-27T02:06:00.000-07:00

A vibrant city like Bangkok is always worth a visit even so it is just for one night on your way to your final destination. The hotel market in Bangkok is as vibrant as the city, so there are many place to choose from. This time I opted for Conrad a classy hotel in the heart of Bangkok (Wireless Road). As I arrived late and planned to fly out early I opted for a standard room rather than preferred Club Floor. Check in was a swift and I had been escorted to my room immediately. To be honest I did not expected much, but the service received and the layout of the room was indeed nice. Very comfy bedding and the bathroom was inviting enough to think about taking a bath. The breakfast buffet at X2 is alright- but nothing special as I do not like the overall layout of the venue. There is enough to choose from for most people, but it was indeed not my cup of tea in the morning. After breakfast I checked out the "flyers" in the hotel room and found an advertisement for an "old school" barber shop in the lobby. Right when I entered the venue I was simply impressed- as it is a mix of a cigars lounge, a whiskey bar and of course a barber shop!!! If you are seeking for a special service the gentlemen's should think about a brief visit.
Right before taking a few laps in the pool I asked for a brief viewing of the club lounge. Michel, a very friendly women from FO showed me around, explained everything and even offered to show some more accommodation options in the hotel. From my point of view I would opt for a deluxe corner room on club floor. The room gives you not such a boxed feeling (Michel's words) and while taking a bath you can enjoy the amazing skyline of Bangkok as the bathtub is next to the window.
Conrad will be my place of choice when I need my next hair cut in Bangkok!

NU Hotel Brooklyn

2009-06-25T09:31:00.000-07:00

As I stayed last time in Manhattan I was looking forward something special with a certain kind of NYC vibe for my recent stay in New York. After some research on the web I thought Brooklyn might be a good option and indeed it is! I felt in love with the area and the hotel from the very first moment. The hotel is easy to reach from LGA by taxi for about 30USD- from JFK you could easily take the MTA. The subway is within walking distance- just 5 minutes and it will take another 3 minutes to downtown Manhattan!
Check In was a swift- Justin even recommend a diner across the street, called New St.Claires (its worth a visit) and helped me out with a dental set. Staff at all was very friendly and kindly helped with every request. The whole property is a boutique hotel- which is well done for people who know how something like that should look like!
We stayed in a Standard Queen room on the third floor- very quiet with a view to the backyard. Bed was very comfy as the whole ambience of the room. Wifi was included in the room rate as well as the continental breakfast in the morning which is a very good start as the coffee, freshly baked pastries, juice and fresh fruits are delicious! If i wanna a huge buffet breakfast- I would choose a Shangri La e.g.!
If they keep the quality on this level I will return for sure!

I am getting older

2009-06-25T05:09:00.000-07:00

It has been a long time since I went out at night for so called party in Berlin. My stay over in Berlin is longer than expected, so I followed the invitation of my little princess Copacabana Else to join her for a party in Kantine @famous Berghain. So far so good, as I do like Panorama Bar and the whole location indeed. Due to the fact that Niki and I where a little tipsy thanks to the Champagne in another "cool" venue in K-Berg, we took a taxi to be dropped at the main entrance of Berghain. I never had been to Kantine before so Niki asked for directions and to bad we couldn't join the crowd as we had to meet up with the others @the fairly empty Kantine party on left hand side of Berghain.
The location is not bad at all as there is a kind of outdoor area in front to chill out an a rather medium sized dance floor inside. Personally I would rate the party as interesting as a Beck's could be. People tend to rate places or situations as sexy or not- this was definitly unsexy at all. If you are seeking for a sexy night out- join the "main" crowd at Berghain next time!
To be fair its not about the music at all, as it is always interesting to listen, but people makes the difference indeed. I am not sure whether it is due to the fact that all these guys know each other, even me or they are all as stiff as a poker.
The so called party could be described as a get together with people you know since your childhood, standing around and having a drink! Its not to bad to meet up and have a chat, but its pain in the ass if you are seeking for hedonist nightlife. Copacabana Else tried really hard and found a dancing queen in form of her power shopper.

Stay tuned and join the "main" crowd at Panorama Bar/ Berghain next time!

Hot Spots

2009-06-25T04:59:00.000-07:00

View My Saved Places in a larger map

Stay tuned for updated versions!

Bar Contest

2009-06-25T03:28:00.000-07:00

Last night I had a couple of Singha, my well loved refreshing drink besides Bintang. Today I recognized that Singha in cooperation with Lonelyplanet is seeking Your favorite spot to hangout and cool down. So vote for your favorite watering hole! To bad that the "erotic knucklebone lady" from the night hawker in Sala Daeng Rd. is not listed.

Get ready for some fun!

2009-06-18T07:54:00.000-07:00

To Niki

2009-06-17T02:23:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday!

Travel the world

2009-06-07T07:41:00.000-07:00

I completed planning so far for my upcoming trip. If you are around for example in Shanghai, London, Istanbul, Jakarta or Singapore please drop me a line.
Stay tuned for my fresh reports on traveling the world!

Shanghai soon!

2009-05-28T10:24:00.000-07:00

Well Guys: Get ready for Shanghai in late september!!!!

Stay tuned for my report on traveling China.

Beijing

2009-05-24T17:21:00.000-07:00

Well anybody in the mood for Beijing in late august?

Las Vegas

2009-05-14T03:05:00.000-07:00

The desert, the Mustang, Punsch and me! Well after 3 days of driving around 1500 Miles from SFO to LAS onwards to LAX and returning on Highway number one to SFO I must admit that the part throughout the desert was the most spectacular one. Even if you prefer to take a plane for every route this one should be done by car to get the right feeling. The only Problem is the lack of DJ Dizzy after a couple of hundred miles leaving SFO, as this is dam cool shit!!

Places to Stay:
Las Vegas is full of huge Hotels and Casinos, so you are able to get a very good deal during the week in off seasons. Hotels like the Wynn, Mandalaybay or the Bellagio are available for under 100 bucks often including resort credits and redemptions on shows, so shop around. If you are on a budget check out Hyatt Place.
Enjoy:
During your stay in Las Vegas or on your onward journey to Los Angeles you should stop by @ famous Hoover Dam which is on the border to Arizona. Nearby Boulder City is good for quick bite in between- stop by @ Mel's Diner for a great atmosphere and tasty american food.

From my point of view there is nothing really cool on offer in Las Vegas, besides you are into gambling. You might visit one of the many available shows, go out for dinner (if you are into draught beer try Gordon-Biersch) or double your budget in a Casino. Have a look to the old City Center of Las Vegas- stroll around the little alleys and enjoy the heat.

During your stay in Las Vegas or on your onward journey to Los Angeles you should stop by @ famous Hoover Dam which is on the border to Arizona. Nearby Boulder City is good for quick bite in between- stop by @ Mel's Diner for a great atmosphere and tasty american food.

San Francisco

2009-05-13T08:27:00.000-07:00

I am not yet sure why San Francisco became one of my well loved places. Maybe because of the liberal, gay, straight, Asian , American, European vibe? Or is it the structure itself: the location by the sea, the hills and the architecture? It seems to be the mix indeed. You really don’t get the feeling that you are in a huge urban city, but you will find everything an urban guy like me need.

Transportation:

Compared to other American cities, San Fran is one of a few with an excellent public transportation system. To and from the airport one could use the bart train service, which is cheap, fast and reliable. For every visitor is a ride on the cable car a must. One way tickets are 5USD but you can opt for a day pass (one day is 11USD) for unlimited rides on busses, cable cars and subways within the Muni system.

Places to stay:
There are plenty of options from cosy boutique hotels to large Chain Hotels downtown or posh options on Nobb Hill. If you are on a budget trip and don’t really care about a certain Hotel you should consider Priceline.
I stayed recently in Parc 55 -which is next to Union Square and right at Powell Station. Well its not cool but indeed a solid option if you wanna explore the city. Other places you should consider are the Intercontinental, the MO or Craigslist.
Next to the airport I would strictly recommend the Hyatt!

Enjoy:
Besides strolling around the city, walking across Golden Gate Bridge and taking a ride on the famous Cable Car there are many different districts to explore. Well worth a visit is The Castro- home to the famous gay area. It’s a lifely area with lost of bars and restaurants where you even can have a drink midday without being looked at. For the different neighborhoods you should have a look @SFO Gate.
After dinner go for some drinks in The Castro and later to one of the many clubs or event locations like the 111Minna, The Endup or Werd for dancing.

California rocks!

2009-05-13T07:20:00.000-07:00

My recent trip was a usual a mix of work and fun- it is always good to get some new inspirations for upcoming “placemaking” projects. California is simply amazing and San Francisco is in my personal top 10 list. Las Vegas is not that bad as the way through the desert is an amazing ride if you have the right car. I had- so the fun was indeed huge! Vegas is good for a marry on the spot- so I did, but the well talked about first night was a little uninspiring. But the next morning was indeed maximum success- could you believe how amazing the Hoover dam is and how beautiful the desert is?!
Well Los Angeles sucks- as traffic is hell and Americans are poor drivers. I got lost thanks to my GPS and need to pee, stopped at one place what ones could tell a ghetto…so I quit the idea of leaving my Mustang and used the turbo boost to escape.

Stay tuned for my in depth reports on traveling California!

Jakarta for a weekend in october?

2009-05-03T16:50:00.000-07:00

Anybody wanna join me for a brief trip to asia? Final destination would be Jakarta for a weekend. Its dirt cheap- so let me know quick.
If you choose to join from europe- routing could be like this:
LHR-IST-HKG/SIN-JKT-SIN-IST-LHR
Connecting flights to anywhere in europe possible as well as sidesteps to BKK, JOG, PNH..

Stay tuned for this amazing weekend offer!

Park Hyatt Seoul

2009-04-08T04:07:00.000-07:00

During my recent stay in Seoul I had chosen the Park Hyatt for the pretty short layover before heading back to Europe. To be honest I totally regret not to stay longer in this amazing Hotel. I flow in from Hong Kong in the evening and took the limousine bus to city air terminal. After arrival at the Hotel I was escorted to the Lobby on 24th floor for very friendly and professional Check In. My room was on 22nd floor- highest available floor in the hotel! Room was simply fantastic and the view outstanding. The bathtub was right by the window, if you are not as good looking as the hotel and the staff you can easily drop down the automatic window shades for privacy. The Bedroom comes with floor to ceiling windows, comfy chairs, a dinner table, flat screen TV+DVD and an absolutely heavenly bed with ultra soft linen. The whole concept and design of the room is top notch as the service provided by the staff. I had a late night supper with wine from 24/7 room service- the wine was outstanding delicious. Due to my early flight out of ICN I had just a coffee in the room. The Wellness area on the upper floor comes with a fully equipped fitness centre, a small pool- that is good for a few laps as well as sauna and hot/ cold tub in the locker area. All with the same outstanding view as in the rooms- a very relaxing start into the day.
Simply well done- looking forward my next stay in Seoul @ Park Hyatt.

Paris

2009-04-03T07:56:00.000-07:00

Hey guys- I gonna go to Paris!!!! Yeah you are right- the City of love. I guess I should try something more traditional after my recent experience in the Phillipines- no love at all. But indeed people there are well relaxed- there is always a last minute wedding possible, so keep your eyes open. I am out and about to seek real love in Paris in mid of april. If you are around and want to help to help my "dreams" become reality you should drop me a line.
I could easily understand that Paris is to old school for most of you- so you can join me on my love boat trip to Vegas in mai.

Manila

2009-04-03T07:42:00.000-07:00

Today I did a tour around the City of Manila. Its always good to use public transport to get a better feeling for the vibe of a City and of cause one could smell the sex in the air- or not! Well first of all I thought people in Manila are not that sexy- I mean one could think that the mix of latin american and asian lifestyle could create a certain super sex modus, but to be honest I proofed it to be wrong. At an interchange station a found this magnificent vendor and thought I could push myself with local viagra into the right vibe.

Well the taste was awful and I did not feel anything happy afterwards up to the point I spotted this lovely advertisement:

I finished the leftovers from "happy balls" and shop around for the stylish watch!

Stay tuned for more happy reports on traveling the Phillipines!

California

2009-04-03T07:14:00.000-07:00

Anybody around in mai?

Bohol

2009-03-27T05:19:00.000-07:00

I just returned from my recent trip to bohol- even so flying Cebu Pacific I am still alive. The flight was alright and dirt cheap. There is a certain kind of inflight entertainment as the flight attendants are sweet and play little games during the flight. The only reason you might die during such a flight is the food on sale. I ordered something like sandwich and it was disgusting.
Nevertheless the trip to bohol was simply amazing. I stayed on the small island panlao in a tropical cottage resort located in a rural village. The cottages at Alumbung are cheap and clean and give you right away a tropical feeling.

Staying by the beach, having a few SMB and some fresh fish keeps me busy for a few days, but the main reason why returning to Manila was the lack of island sex.

Stay tuned for more in depth reports on traveling the Phillipines!

Cebu Pacific

2009-03-18T18:31:00.000-07:00

Today is a good day to die- its bright and sunny and I am in the tropics. If not I will let you know later about my recent trip to Bohol on Cebu Pacific.
Stay tuned!

Clio Bali

2009-03-17T23:05:00.000-07:00

If you are seeking for a cool place to stay on Bali you should consider Clio in Seminyak. This small apartment complex is ideal for the urban traveller as it gives you the feeling of a downtown apartment beamed right out of NYC into the tropics. The Studio room come with an open all in one room concept. Sleeping, preparing dishes, relaxing and showering within the same room. There is just a flexible wall to separate the "bathroom", but its still open, so you need to adjust urself. Sorry for the not so nice picture of the bathroom, but it will give you an impression. Its stylish at all and the staff is very kindly. Rent a motorbike to circle around!

Jakarta nightlife

2009-03-17T22:29:00.000-07:00

Minister calls for closure of Buddha-Bar Jakarta

Religious Affairs Minister Maftuh Basyuni has urged the Buddha-Bar Jakarta management, the France-based George V Hotels and Resorts, to close down its local branch following protests from local Buddhists over the bar’s name and use of Buddhist icons.

“If they don’t close this place down, I am afraid we could see other bars emerge like a ‘Christian Bar’ or an ‘Islam Bar,’” Maftuh told Antara state news agency after a meeting with religious leaders in Jambi.

The Jakarta Representatives Council (DPRD) had also asked for the management to halt their operations to keep peace between followers of different faiths.

Previously, Indonesian Buddhist representative Budi Setiawan said George V had promised to change the name of the bar and remove all of its religious symbols.

Jakarta

2009-03-17T21:59:00.000-07:00

Times go by so fast- my trips to Jakarta are just to short and I should consider to relocate business to this magnificent City!
There is always something new to explore or even the places you always liked before are still keep on the very same vibrant level. For a certain lifestyle this is simply the place to be. There is everything you might dream about and this mix of everything is all about for a progressive City. While having breakfast in the Lounge you can have a brief look into "the peak" to explore what you should have to buy next. This magazine is simply a different mail order shopping catalogue for the upper class in Indonesia. The difference is, that you can't order directly online with them, you need to shop around as they "just" give you advise what to buy. But the sweet life will be off as soon as you are back on the street level. Simply take a ride on Trans Jakarta and you know what I am talking about. For dinner you meet up with your friends in one of the many wonderful restaurants and bars- gosh food is so fucking delicious in Jakarta. The latest add to Jakarta nightlife entertainment is Buddha Bar. The Jakarta outlet is located in the old "kantor imigrasi" building and gives you a certain colonial feeling. One of the main reasons why I recommend this venue is because of the outside setting in a lush tropical garden- very nice indeed and not often found in Jakarta. Drinks are well done- a perfect place to cover the time gap befor leaving for one of the many clubs. For a late night supper I would recommend a traditional nasi goreng on the street. There are several Warungs around serving cheap and fulfilling meals, recommended if you wanna dance all night until sun comes up or even longer in famous Stadium.

Stay tuned for more reports on Jakarta nightlife!

Manila

2009-03-17T05:22:00.000-07:00

After a while living and traveling throughout Asia some days off in Manila let me set back with mixed feelings. Manila is indeed different to any other place in Asia. I would rather say it is a mix of a certain latin american lifestyle with an asian touch.
Thanks to the very ambitious taxi driver from the Airport to the Hotel the very first impression set Manila on top of the list of my favorite "huge" city escape places. The journey took about one hour and now i am here- not sure what might bomb up next, but i will let you know.

Stay tuned for my upcoming in depth report on Manila!

New York City

2009-01-27T06:25:00.000-08:00

There is no place like NYC on this planet. One could easily say that they would never travel to North America as they might think it is boring. Indeed most places within the States or Canada aren’t interesting at all, but NYC is not America- NYC is an Urban Agglomeration of the World. If you aren’t able to move there you should at least came by to get an impression of the very special lifestyle. Skip the stuff what is recommended in your guidebook. Just stroll down the different parts and you might be able to realize what’ s all about!

Places to stay:
NYC is not cheap at all, but due to economic crises and the weak dollar you will find a places which suits to your budget.
For good offers check out Travelzoo or bid for a room on Priceline. I am not a fan of chain hotels and New York is a good place to look for something different than a Mariott or Hilton.
If you are on a shoestring but would like to have a little bit more comfort try Pod Hotel in Manhattan. This venue offers rooms with and without private bathrooms. Boutique Hotels are very famous in NYC and prices are sometimes out of the world, but there are options if you are willing to stay for example in Brooklyn. Sure you have to travel to Manhattan, but depending on the area you like to go it might takes just a few more minutes. Try Nu Hotel on Smith Street. This is a very new design oriented hotel in a very hip area.
Getting around:
There are three main airports- JFK, EWR and LGA. If you can choose I would strictly recommend to use La Guardia as this is the smallest airport of the three, located in Queens. Flying in and out is amazing as you have a very nice view on the city. There is a bus service connecting to the MTA, but its worth to think about a taxis to your hotel. A taxi to Nu Hotel in Brooklyn will cost about 30 bucks all in and if your traveling together with somebody its a bargain for the 25 minutes ride.
Organizing travel during your stay is pretty easy as you should use public transport! A ride on the subway will set you back 2 bucks. You have to buy a Metro Card at the vending machines within the stations. Buy a 20USD card which is worth 23USD- you need to walk a lot anyway as a first timer. Keep in mind that you can use the Metro Card also for two people.

Stay tuned- Will be continued!

Yogyakarta

2009-01-21T04:01:00.000-08:00

Yogyakarta, also known as Jogja used to be more or less my second home. I used to life there for a longer period of time on two occasions and whenever I am in the region I also fly there for a brief visit. The good thing about returning to places where you used to life is that you can just come to visit friends or drive around with your motorbike. Nevertheless time is always to short to do everything you wish before for example to visit all the restaurants where you used to eat before. But for First timers coming to Jogja this is a different story as Jogja refers as the Cultural Centre of Java or even of whole Indonesia.
Places to stay:
If you are on a shoestring you might stay down town in the "Backpacker" street named Jl.Sosrowijayan. This small street is a cluster of western oriented guesthouses and restaurants and a good spot to explore everything. I do stay always in Bladok Losmen- which is the most famous guesthouse in this area. Most people in this Area know me in person so it is very convinient for me to organize daily life. Bladok runs also a restaurant which serves food in a decent quality. The rooms might be slightly more expensive than other guesthouses around, but rooms are clean and the staff is lovely. Cheapest single room with a Mandi (indonesian bathroom) and fan is around 80k IDR. They do have also a tiny pool in the backyard!
If you are seeking something more calm I would recommend to stay in the north, but keep in mind you need to organize your transport- no problem so far as taxis are cheap!
In the north there are two options- The huge Hyatt with a well done landscape pool area and a relaxed garden atmosphere or Rumah Mertua, which is a small indonesian hotel with a good restaurant.
Booth place are next to each other out of the city center- by taxi it will takes you around 20 minutes and by motorbike around 10 minutes.

Enjoy:
The most impressive Highlights within the Area of Jogja are the buddhist Tempel Borobudur and the hinduist Tempel of Prambanan. If you are short on time your should rent a car with driver or a motorbike to reach booth within one day. I would recommend to visit Borobudur in the morning, have lunch in the very impressive and expensive Amanjiwo Resort and go for Prambanan during the afternoon. If you are in Jogja during dry season, there is even a kind of nighttime show near Prambanan which is worth a visit as you will be able to see the temples at night.

Most people du visit the famous Kraton in Jogja, but to be honest I never been there and I guess its not worth a visit. You should check out the Tamansari- know as Water Castle.
For exhibitions check out Cemeti Art House. There is even a "Yogyakarta Internasional Film Festival" which is pretty interesting and of cause they do organize good parties!
If you just wanna hang out and maybe watch a movie you should look out for Kinoki, this is kind of independent place with a small coffee shop serving drinks and snacks.
Night time entertainment is limited in quality but still you will find something what might make you happy. Just check out my other reports about Jogja. I strictly recommend to start your evening in Bintang Resto in Jl.Sosrowijayan, have a couple of Bintang and a Club Sandwich. Later you should take a taxi to Embassy.
Ask some locals or expats where to go or just join them.
If you are seeking a place for your sunday roast i would recommend the all time favorite in Jogja- the Gadjah Wong, try the home made Ice cream! Or the expat choice Hanis. Gadjah Wong does have live music including Gamelan!
One of the all day favorite spots for the young expat crowd is Parsley on Jl.Kaliurang. Behind the famous bakery shop is a relaxed restaurant which offers tasty international dishes and free Wifi- sometimes slow, but it doesn't matter if you stay a couple of hours to get rid off your last night headache!

Distro

2009-01-20T07:29:00.000-08:00

A good friend of mine is starting to sell clothes from Indonesia in Singapore!
Have a look on his online distro shop!

Bali

2009-01-20T04:00:00.000-08:00

Bali is a very special place in Indonesia. It took a while until I hit this island even so staying in Indonesia a couple of times before. To be honest I still would rate Bali not as an indonesian island as the culture is different at all not only on the religious side as Bali is Hindu and Indonesia is a mainly Muslim country. Bali is a typical beach resort island with a nice landscape, well done hotels and spas as well restaurants providing food from around the globe.
The main reason for me to travel to Bali is because its the most convenient place to reach within one hour from Jogjakarta and two hours from Jakarta, to have a swim in the sea! Sounds strange, but there is no quality beach nearby Jogja or Jakarta and flights are not that expensive.
Places to stay:
It depends what you are looking for. I do prefer to stay as far away from other tourists as possible, but indeed for a weekend its not worth to travel that far. The main tourist areas are in the south "nearby" the airport namely Nusa Dua, Legian, Kuta, Sanur and the up market Seminyak. Ubud is another option if you wanna relax in the padi fields and use one of the many Spa's.
Here we go with my ideas for your Bali Trip. Sanur is an old school beach resort, nothing special, but alright if you rent a motorbike to drive around. Nusa Dua is a gated comunity for tourists from all over the world- at the moment a lot of russians I guess. Not a place where I would like to stay. Kuta is the same- no way! Seminyak seems to be a good option as it is a little bit more up market, no as many hotels as in the other areas. People here tend to own or rent a villa or an apartment. Clio for example looks nice.
If you are looking for a villa to share with some friends I would recommend Canggu Area or Echo Beach. Last time I rented Villa Padi which includes everything you need as well as a car with a driver during the day.

In Ubud I would strictly recommend to use one of the Alam facilities- I did stay in Kebun Indah in the Padi room- the perfect place for a "real" balinese feeling!
They do run a Spa as well, its not posh at all but the full body massage was one of the best I ever received. Its a little bit like Fantasy Island if you can still remember the TV show?! They do provide free of charge transfer within Ubud with a white car and a tiny driver...Go for it- you won't regret!

Getting around:
Most people arrive on Bali by Plane. If you are not on an international direct flight or you life in Indonesia you might need a domestic flight. As all indonesian Airlines are not safe at all, due to high competition on low cost market I would strictly recommend to use the national flag carrier Garuda. Btw this is the only full service airline left. Tickets on GA are generally more expensive than other carriers, but still quiet cheap. The main lack is that one is not able to reserve online. You need a local agent for the cheap domestic fares if you don't wanna book @ international prices.
Nevertheless if you gone through the whole process of "e-travel by Garuda" you will find yourself pushed back into the 80ies while on board a Garuda plane- this includes even the flight attendants.
If you haven't organize a pick up service from the airport you could buy a voucher for a taxi inside the airport or bargain hard outside- but therefore you need to know prices and speak Bahasa indonesia to get a good price. Keep in mind that prices are slightly higher compared to the rest of indonesia as this is a tourism destination.
Traveling around Bali by motorbike is relaxed and one could even rent a car with or without a driver if you to spoil yourself.
Motorbikes are available from 35k IDR per day!

Enjoy:
One of the main reasons to fly into Bali is to relax by the beach, nevertheless I believe the beaches on Bali are not that special, but still fine. I do like Echo beach in Canggu Area- the beach is black sand, but quiet empty, just some surfers and the famous Beach House- the place to be for a sundowner or B.B.Q by the beach! Another option, if not the most famous one, for a sundowner is Ku De TA in Seminyak. Compared to Echo beach and The Beach House Ku De Ta is the hip spot and very crowded. It is recommended to spoil yourself with a spa treatment after a day by the beach as the Spas on Bali are cheap and the overall quality is pretty good. If you are into late night entertainment you probably have to go to Kuta- but keep in mind that this might result in meeting many drunken foreigners. To be honest I skip Kuta at all and still enjoy myself.

Stay tuned for upcoming reports on beach resorts all over the world!

Fully booked

2009-01-20T03:47:00.000-08:00

Right after a couple of days into the new Year I am already fully booked until april! Amazing destinations as well as the chance to meet you all again. I am straight looking forward to meet you in NYC, BKK, JKT, DPS, JOG, JKT (yeah- twice!!!!), SIN, BKK, MNL, TAG, MNL, HKG, ICN, PAR and who knows where else. Stay tuned for my upcoming reports on this destinations.

Bangkok

2009-01-16T02:47:00.000-08:00

Well how should I start- Bangkok is one of my favorite places to be in south east asia and for you fellow travelers a very good starting point to explore the region as it is also the hub of Thai Airways (good C-Class service from Zurich). If you are on a shoestring- Bangkok is perfect for a cheap and amazing stopover and one could easily organize onward travel on one of the plenty low cost carriers like AirAsia to most south east asian destination. But please hold on- Bangkok is worth a longer visit and of cause you could easily spend a lot of money to enjoy yourself.
Places to stay:
Accommodation in Bangkok is compared to other places around generally cheap. I do have several options for you depending on what you are looking for. If you are seeking top notch service compared with amazing views from well done Suites I would recommend the Banyan Tree.

For the guys of you looking for something special, not the typical tourist stuff I have the following places on offer.
Reflections Thai is a arty place- all rooms are done by a different designer but please keep in mind that they don't have a pool anymore on the new location. Their restaurant near Ari Station (old location) is not bad either. For River a place next to the river go for Ibrik. This is a tiny hotel with just three rooms, so reserve well in advance!
Other options for the design fans would be the newly open Tenface or the Luxx on Decho Road. Hotels from the "past" would be the next category. Colonial charme starts right with the Jaguar old timer pick up service from the airport followed by afternoon tea in comfy leather chairs and a soaking bath in a copper tub- if thats what you are looking for you should try to get a room in The Eugenia. Cheaper and a little "younger" the old time favorite The Atlanta is a very good option to smell the former times. Its a little run down and reservations are not that easy done but you should stop by to have a look while in Bangkok, maybe for a very good vegetarian lunch.
The hospitality market in BKK is in general really vibrant, so keep your eyes open for the upcoming places to stay or just stay tuned for my next update for Conrad Bangkok.
Nightlife:
If you are in PORN business Bangkok is the place to be. Since the Vietnam War- the US troops developed Bangkok as a huge brothel for the soldiers and still the opportunities in BKK are growing. On the other side the "regular" entertainment market is growing as well. So don't think Bangkok is just full of prostitutes. Many people enjoy just them self and don't wait for a stupid western guy to paid them a drink. In general the party ends early as most places will close at least at 2am- so come early and drink fast! If you found a local on the dance floor who is attracted to you, he or she might show you around even after 2pm.
So be kind and enjoy yourself in the following places. There is one area called RCA- kind of nightlife Cluster consisting of several bars and clubs. My favorite is Club Culure. Other options are the famous Bed and Supperclub or Glow.
Shopping:
Shopping is a must in BKK- there are so many Shopping Centers to keep you busy for several days. Besides worldwide known brands I would recommend you to shop by @ Greyhound.
If you have plenty of time check out the area at Soi Sukhumvit 55 (or Soi Thonglor). There you might find also some nice shops, but take a cab to stroll down the road to find something as shops are coming and going.
Smart shoppers will have to stop at Propaganda to find everything they might never need while in BKK.
Food:
Wherever in Asia- eat on the Street! There are several hawkers around so keep your eyes open and smell the taste of Thailand. Even late at night the best option to get in touch with the people while having a late night supper and a Singha before leaving for bed.
Getting Around:
To and from the airport take a taxi. Depending and on your destination and the traffic you should be able to reach most places within 40 min using the toll road for a maximum price of 500 baht all in.
Within BKK you should consider to use the Skytrain as this is the most convenient way to circle around the city. Its easy to use, cheap and safe! Another option are boat trips on Chao Phraya river. You can buy a day pass or if you just wanna use the service a few times single tickets on the boat. At night take a taxi- if the driver do not wanna go on meter bargain hard!

Stay tuned for more in depth reports on world wide travel!

Happy New Year

2008-12-30T05:37:00.000-08:00

Dear fellow readers!
I wish you all the best for the upcoming year and hope I might see you somewhere around!
Lets play a little catch me if you can: If you know where this picture is taken you know my first destination.

Happy new year and stay tuned for more amazing reports on world wide travel.

ON THE RUN

2008-12-16T09:15:00.000-08:00

Next Year starts soon and I might be around your place. Drop Me a line if we could meet in:
Bangkok, Singapore, Jakarta, Yogyakarta, Manila, Hong Kong and Seoul!
As I found this serious documentation the main task will be to recheck if it is trustworthy! I still wondering if Copacabana Else will wear also kind of a bunny outfit?!

Stay tuned for in depth reports on my upcoming destinations!

Anyway- its done!

2008-11-26T06:00:00.000-08:00

The Great Schlep from The Great Schlep on Vimeo.

The girl from Ipanema

2008-11-26T03:46:00.000-08:00

One of my very good friends- Copacabana Else asked me recently to point out the very special way of german lifestyle or what I might think about it.
When I arrived during my recent stay in Berlin I was really afraid what might happen and to be honest- its worst case!
Not only that it is fucking cold, the peoples behavior is more than rude, but one could say that this is the very special charm of the city- so never mind. As I still own a small place in one of Berlin's so called hip quarters (by the way- if you wanna rent it, please drop me a line) I should have the "back home" feeling, but I do felt uncomfortable. I just dropped my stuff and went for a walk through the small streets around to see what might changed and how people behave in their environment. It seems to me that people especially in "my" area reached a certain level of lifestyle which one could call bourgeois, but indeed these peoples understatement creates a new form of well educated, family oriented, organic food buyers ghetto guys. Yeah you got it right- these people create their very own ghetto- even so people just thought ghettos are exclusive to jews or poor people!
The funny thing is that people in poor areas pretending to be rich when buying Dolce and Gabana copies and in famous ghetto Prenzlauer Berg they do buy rough looking outdoor clothes (fucking expensive!) for their next big track to the coffee shop around the corner. People here are not extraordinary rich (compared to other areas in the world for sure yes), but even within Berlin the ghetto guys of Prenzlauer Berg are mainly middle- class oriented and they arranged them self in their small world. I guess none of them took once a train coming from the suburbs in the morning. Their point of view is "straight" through in depth reports on real life in newspapers and magazines like Spiegel, Faz, or Sueddeutsche. The only "real" contact to the outside world is for example to get in touch with the vendors in the bakery shops or your dry cleaning.
My mum told me once while she visit me in Jakarta: "you can just understand peoples lifestyle if you feel the dust, the air pollution and the heat with your body!"
There is no heat, no air pollution and no dust in Berlin any more- so what should I feel?

Stay tuned for my upcoming in depth report on "sternburg"- ghetto Berlin Friedrichshain

Saigon

2008-11-15T11:43:00.000-08:00

Love Circle:

Hanoi

2008-11-15T11:01:00.000-08:00

This year I used to stay my very first time in Hanoi and I have to say I am kind of impressed. The vibe inside the City is really relaxed, besides the masses of tourists within the old quarter there are several areas around which you might explore while driving around with your motorbike. On weekends there is a "love circle" in the late afternoon. The youngsters driving side by side around the Hoan Kiem Lake downtown to get to know each other- kinky he?
So if you found somebody on the "love circle" you can go onwards to the West lake to rent a swan- this is real love baby!
Again- to rent a swan in Hanoi used to be the only reason for me to fly into Hanoi.
Many fellow travelers come to Hanoi to see "uncle Ho" but as I had vacations he went also on a spa trip to his russian friends- rest and relax uncle Ho!
Places to stay:
If you are into names- you should definitely stay at the Ritz. The Ritz is located in a small alley just one minute from Hoan Kiem Lake and around 5 minutes away from all the other tourists in the old quarter.
Nightlife:
Is there any real nightlife in Hanoi besides drinking beer on the street or the love circle on weekends? I guess not as the communists have to learn how to have some late night fun.
The main thing you could do after the sundowner is to have an amazing dinner as the food is fantastic. If you into vegetarian delights you should consider to visit the Com Chay Nang Tam restaurant. I never had so tasty tofu and saitan dishes- everything was so delicious.

Singapore

2008-11-14T07:01:00.000-08:00

Recently I checked my flight statistic and as I have to trust my own numbers, I realized that Singapore is one of the places where I am quiet often even so just for a brief stop over. So what's so cool about S'pore? Right- its mainly the worlds best airport and the base of my favorite airline. Besides that fact I do like the City very much as the vibe is a mix of western and influences all over asia. If you wanna see an efficient and clean City have a look what Singapore has on offer.
Places to stay:
I got the chance to stay in many different hotels around Singapore. Due to my last stay and value for money I would recommend the Pan Pacific Club Floor in Pan Pacific Orchard. If you are on the cheap side there are plenty of other options around, for example Hangout Hostel or if you are looking for something special, go for s'pores red light district Geylang in one of the many Hotel 81. There you can have rooms for just a couple of hours and even the whole night. Design hotels are on offer as well- namely Naumi , which is the most expensive and newest one, midrange New Majestic Hotel and the "oldest and cheapest" option Hotel 1929.

Relax:

If you are looking for an urban retreat- Sentosa is your place to be. You always thought "Strandbad Wannsee" in Berlin is artificial, than you never been to famous resort island Sentosa. Take the monorail from Vivo City mall near Harbour Front mrt and you will be in a few minutes at the tropical beach in between one of the busiest harbour's in the world. I do go there always before leaving or the airport to catch some sunshine and have a last swim in the sea. Sentosa is not only a beach resort it is also home of famous zoukout party.

Nightlife:
Nightlife in s'pore is not as hedonistic as in Jakarta for example, but still there are several options to hang out for a couple of drinks. A friend of mine is living in S'pore at the moment and he recommends Supperclub. Other options are Homeclub at Riverwalk which is near the entertainment area Clarke Quay or Zouk. The famous Ministry of sounds is closed.

Berlin

2008-11-14T03:22:00.000-08:00

Hi folks! I might be back in Europe for some appointments very soon. I am afraid as I found this online. Its german, but indeed simply right from my heart.
"Alles ist unglaublich sauber und super verarbeitet, poliert, massiv, wertvoll und in Schuss - es ist beeindruckend. Unheimlich, was hier an Werten herumsteht. Die Menschen fahren ihre teuren und geputzten Autos über teppichgleichen einwandfreien Straßenbelag, Kleidung ist gewaschen und gebügelt. Alles sitzt und steht, Organisation ist alles.
Dagegen besteht der Rest der Welt aus Pappmaché, Sperrholz und irgendwie zusammengeschusterten Notlösungen. Nur sieht das dort keiner.
Aber gefällt’s mir hier? Nein. Langeweile macht sich breit. Wenn ich den Fernseher anmache, wenn langsam die Erinnerung wiederkehrt, wie schlecht deutscher Humor und Umgangsformen sind und was die erschreckende Sprachunfähigkeit angeht bekomme ich Angst!
Deutschland im Herbst ist das Land ohne Himmel. Können sich das Menschen in anderen Ländern überhaupt vorstellen? Hier wird es morgens “hell”, aber der Himmel bleibt eine graue Suppe ohne Tiefe, ohne Fixpunkt- Deprimierend. Nicht, dass ich nicht nachvollziehen kann, dass der Herbst seine Reize hat aber in der Kombination ist mir das hier alles viel zu viel."
Stay tuned and keep me up to date if you are around.

X-mas in Hong Kong

2008-11-13T01:23:00.000-08:00

In certain areas I try to be a little traditional or develop a kind of tradition. One of my new "traditions" is to stay in Hong Kong during the x-mas holidays. To be honest I do like the idea to meet up with some friends and enjoy the days off together. Hong Kong is a perfect place to do so as the climate is kind of cold, but you are still in an asian metropolis. Even so you are not able to join every year the x-mas trip to Hong Kong the city has enough on offer during the whole year.
Places to stay:
In most cities around the globe I do have "my place" where I use to stay always, but I try to give you an idea what is on offer, which mainly depends on your budget. My favorite place in Hong Kong is Langham Place- this is a 5 star skyscraper hotel located in bustling Mongkok district. Mongkok is more "traditional" than the tourist areas around the harbour front and trust me, you will have excellent views from the 36th floor on all over Hong Kong.

If you wanna indulge yourself go for the Mandarin Oriental- you can't do anything wrong besides paying a certain amount of HKD. For Design oriented guys I would recommend the Jia by famous Phillipe Starck. If you are on a shoestring go for
Chungking Mansions on Nathan Road. This is kind of an institution in Hong Kong- great location but dirt cheap!

Nightlife:
Besides x-mas eve, where you might stay with your friends in your hotel room and let the room service prepare the late night supper and a bottle of wine, Hong Kong is an amazing place to go out for dinner or just to a bar.
If you are looking for a place with a view I would recommend Aqua Restaurant Roma/ Spirit on 30th floor located in One Peking Road in Tsim Sha Tsui. Even if you don't wanna spent so much money for dinner- simply go there and enjoy the view with a drink in the bar, which is well worth the HKD. Another cheap option to have a nice view is to pee somewhere.
Best toilet with an amazing view is still found in the well known restaurant Felix in the Peninsula hotel.
If you are looking for the James feeling check out a bottoms up bar, but I guess its not easy to find one nowadays. The entertainment district is on the "other side" in Lan Kwai Fong. Check out Yumla for dancing.
Sex:
I found this video online which is kind of a running gag in Hong Kong- but have a look by yourself.

The story behind is pretty funny, as a guy went to a park in Hong Kong at night and used one of the exercise machines for a kind of sexual workout. One of these workout machines look like a table with a hole in the middle. So it was late at night, nobody was around and he was horny. But the poor guy got to be stuck in the hole for about 4 hours before calling the police to rescue him. The rescue workers even pulled in a injection to pull him out- thats why the guy is crying and you can see the blood, but it doesn't work. So they had to buck the whole fitness table!
Transport:
Public transport is easy to use, cheap, fast and reliable. Do buy a rechargeable Octopus Card to pay for your rides on boat, mrt, bus, tram and even for your grab and go stuff at 7 Eleven. To and from the airport use the very fast and comfortable Airport Express Train.

Jakarta

2008-11-11T02:08:00.000-08:00

Jakarta is one of the most amazing places I used to be. For most of you fellow readers the city has nothing on offer- its just a dirty huge city. Most of you might watched the movie "the dark knight"- jakarta is more or less the same- you never know what happens next and its not easy at all to draw a line between good or bad. This might be the fact why Jakarta is so exciting. On the other hand living conditions like air pollution, flooding and all day traffic jam could be kind of exhausting after a while- nevertheless Jakarta's beauty could be seen during night time. Especially on weekends the hedonist crowds escaping their daily business- even so they don't do anything besides shopping.
Places to stay:
Since my first stay over in Jakarta I use to return to the very same place as always, namely to Alila Jakarta. This is not really a posh place, compared to the other options available in Jakarta, but indeed value for money and nearby famous club Stadium.
Please be careful when choosing your place to stay as traffic jam in Jakarta is highly time consuming- so choose your place to stay near the place where you have to go daily on business. For long term you might check out "Kemang" area- but you have to be Bule! This area is also very popular for dining and bars at night.

Nightlife:
First thing to keep in mind- besides this is a mainly muslim country everything you might wanna see or you might wanna experience is possible!
To prepare yourself for an exciting weekend in Jakarta- relax before leaving for dinner or the first bar as the party starts late in most places. There are several options:
Last time a very cute person took me to a very nice italian restaurant and I was really impressed by the quality of the food. Bars are plentiful- so check out Kemang area, or look forward the re opening of the Mandarin Oriental. Other options would be Blowfish or Dragonfly- these a places "in between", kind of restaurant, club and bar. If these places are out of your budget or you just seeking for something down to earth head for any street hawker- i can strictly recommend the night "Warungs" on Jl.Pecenongan.
Last bar before leaving for your first club should be Red Square. This is Jakarta's first russian vodka bar located in Senayan area- right across the parking lot for the entrance to X2, where you might go later on.
There are many clubs around- so I will name just a few as I simply just spend the time until I will head to Stadium.
For example go for Embassy, Retro, X2 and there is even a queer venue called Heaven.
To be honest I am seeking for real hedonist nightlife. Therefore I head to Stadium Jakarta- one of the most famous clubs in town. Most people will tell you they won't go there, but this is indeed the place to go! I guess the place is run by the indonesian army and it is full of everything a "dark night" has on offer: prostitutes, drug addicts, queer, business people, some western people and for sure a huge crowd of people seeking for entertainment for the whole weekend as this is a 24/7 place.
The dance floor is on level 4- on the other floor you can drink, sing and fuck. Nightlife in Jakarta is up to you!

Transport:
To and from the airport i would strictly recommend to take a taxi- they are cheap and reliable! If you are a first timer go for Blue Bird. Outside of the arrivals hall there are several companies waiting for costumers. Just ask for Blue Bird and tell the guy where you wanna go- he will organize a taxi for you and will hand you over a paper with the taxi number for your record. Please have small change ready as you have to pay the toll fee. If there is no traffic jam or flood you should be able to reach most places in jakarta within one hour.
During the day i would recommend to use the Trans Jakarta bus service whenever it is possible- as it is cheap and often much more faster than a car during the rush hours- which is more or less the whole day!
At night be careful when using a taxi and ask for using the meter.

Track me!

2008-10-30T19:43:00.000-07:00

There are a few of you trying to track me around the world- no its getting much more easier as I will give you the chance to follow up by these pictures. To be honest the world is fucking huge I give you a little advice- i am in Asia- but where?
Stay tuned- maybe I will let you know later!

My Parents

2008-10-19T06:57:00.000-07:00

I am gonna meet my parents very soon. Please don't get me wrong: I love them a lot, but you might understand that it is not that easy show them around your places, for example if they will ask you in your favorite hotel: "Massage like always Mr. Rew?"

Vietnam transport!

2008-10-19T06:05:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I would like to add some serious stuff as my profession is certain kind of "structure". During my recent stay in Vietnam I was able to take some pictures of different modes of transport. This might be not as interesting for fellow traveller's as for some homie's, but nevertheless take a look.

One of the best options to explore the cities of Hanoi is to rent a swan. To be honest this was the only reason for me to travel to Vietnam- renting a swan!

Stay tuned and follow the swan!

Communists are a little strange!

2008-10-16T08:21:00.000-07:00

Just a brief first impression from Hanoi- communist ladies seem to be high rollers with a touch to be a little "technical orientated", but guys: Where is the love?

Last night in Bangkok

2008-10-16T07:59:00.001-07:00

This morning I woke up to find this strange guy in my bed- gosh I thought I just had some Singha, but maybe I went on with some other stuff. Anyway, I had a bad hang over and even my newly opened outdoor pool could not give me a relaxed feeling. I am still thinking where I picked him up?! The strange thing is that he has not the typical hot thai butt and he is drinking Asahi. Anyway after a few laps I went on dreaming my upcoming trip to vietnam where I will meet some friends. A very good friend of mine talked about someone looking like Jude Law. Besides this I am not sure what might happen, but I know that I will get the chance to go to Cambodia as well as I have some appointments in Phnom Penh. Happy endings in Phnom Penh are guaranteed!
I will keep you up to date if the communist ladies cycling around are real beauties or just propaganda! Stay tuned for more hot reports around Asia!

Upcomming Jakarta trip!

2008-10-05T08:36:00.000-07:00

i hope to see you all again in end of october in jakarta as i have some days off and booked me into stadium for some hedonist fun! lets enjoy the time together. i will keep you up to date and you are invited to add your ideas for our next 24/7 weekend.

stay tuned!

Lost my mobile!

2008-10-05T08:30:00.000-07:00

just wanna let you know that i lost my hand fon. so please send me your contact details as i lost all the data as well. during the next time you can contact me via my vietnamese number( +8404076039 ) as my thai number is a secret!

Stay tuned folks!

Bangkok

2008-10-05T08:22:00.000-07:00

dear monney penny- james is back to bangkok! thai royal orchid service is always a pleasure- so i am back to this wonderful city. singha is available 24/7 as well everything else you might need during the night. within the next days i will keep you up to date about my recent stayover here. i will attach some images as well as some in depth reports on traveling vietnam and cambodia.
stay tuned!

From Russia With Love

2008-07-14T11:43:00.000-07:00

From time to time even I get surprised. This is indeed quiet difficult and I am not talking about big gifts or the wonderful feeling when I go shopping with Corcovado Jack. Shopping in Europe is often disgusting. People mostly hate me, but even while using my golden credit card the shop vendors (mostly frustrated and superficial) tend to be unfriendly. I thought this is capitalism and people have to be friendly as they wanna sell something?! But maybe this is the concept of social democrats- capitalism yes, but no fun please! Anyway shopping in most places of the world is a lot of fun and you might be able to paper over the cracks in your personal lifestyle while spending a few bucks. But back to the topic- so if shopping in Europe will not fulfill the personal needs of not been hated there is a need to hope that people might be lovely to yourself. This is indeed very difficult as I am not lovely at all and most people become just lovely, with the manner in their face "i am so sorry" if I mentioned that I am a jew.
As I said before sometimes I get really surprised by people. Last sunday morning (well around 2pm- but I had a few glasses of Cremant) the new russian cleaning lady started to do her work. I woke up went to the kitchen to pick up a glass of water and said good morning to her. She smiled at me and simply handed over a few russian candies. Wow- to be honest the taste is awful but the gesture was just amazing. She mentioned that she will head to Kazakhstan in a few weeks and will bring me some local products. Don't get me wrong- there is no need to do that for me, but I guess she is indeed just lovely to everybody.
If you wanna surprise me just ask for my bank details, send money or simply stay tuned!

Flight Tracker

2008-06-29T02:55:00.000-07:00

Last weekend a very good friend of mine from Singapore came over and he used the ultra longhaul by Singapore Airlines to New York. As I used to fly by myself a couple of times with SIA I would strictly recommend to spend a few extra bucks on their service. My friend was really enthusiastic about the service received. The world famous Singapore Girl in the typical Sarung makes the difference. It would be a pleasure if one of the girls slop a Singapore Sling over my trousers just for "the" sorry on her lips. The Kosher meals provided are produced by the kosher caterer Hermolis and are not bad!

Phnom Penh Love

2008-06-28T09:52:00.000-07:00

Phnom Penh is a city of beauty and degradation, tranquillity and violence, and tradition and transformation; a city of temples and brothels, music and gunfire, and festivals and coups.
But for many, it is simply an anarchic celebration of insanity and indulgence. Whether it is the $2 wooden shack brothels, the marijuana-pizza restaurants, the AK-47 fireworks displays, or the intricate brutality of Cambodian politics, Phnom Penh never ceases to amaze and amuse. For an individual coming from a modern Western society, it is a place where the immoral becomes acceptable and the insane becomes normal.
Have a look to this german article I read before I went first time to Cambodia.
Places to stay:

The main tourist area is around the Riverfront. This is indeed quiet nice, but if you are looking for an area with less tourist stay in any place around the city as its not far away anyway. If you are not on a budget I would recommend the Raffles Le Royal Hotel. This is indeed the place for all of you searching for the colonial feeling and its not that expensive anyway. For the guys who are searching for a cheaper option I would recommend the 278 street- there several places and some restaurants. Try out "Golden Star"- these are serviced apartments. The area is prefered by the expat community.
Nightlife:

For a sundowner I would recommend the FCC, there you will have a perfect view over the Tonle Sap. If you wanna drink with style you should head to the Elephants Bar for the happy hour.
Home to the city’s infamous first Friday bash where literally hundreds of people cram into the garden and around the pool, with some ending up in the pool as the night progresses, is Elsewhere. This place is pretty popular with the western expat community- no Khmers at all. But try the Mojito!
Another venue is the River House Lounge even so famous with the expat crowd but there are some Khmers around.
If you are interested in Khmer nightlife you should have a look to Sparks club- this is indeed huge and loud! Last but not least there is the very famous Heart of Darkness or simply The Heart. This is a small bar with a dance floor full of khmers, expats, tourists and prostitutes, but nevertheless the place to be late at night!
When you escaped the hell you could decide two have a late night supper or go for a massage. Booth is worth a try. For late night supper there are several restaurants open or have a seat on the street in front of the palace near the river. The other option is a healthy khmer massage at La Cigalle Bleue near Wat Phom.
Food:
There is always something to eat around. Even if you don't love asian food you could easily have food from most regions in the world without leaving Phnom Penh. I had traditional russian, european, american and all sorts of asian food in Phnom Penh but one the most special dining experience is for sure the North Korean Restaurant. This restaurant is run by the north korean embassy and is for sure not famous for the food, but indeed for the presentation as the staff has to sing and dance during the evening.

Sao Paulo Love

2008-06-28T06:05:00.000-07:00

Since the end of the 50's, when Brasilia became Brazil's capital, São Paulo replaced Rio de Janeiro as the cultural capital of the country. Bands, journalists, authors, everybody comes to São Paulo to see and to be seen. They say São Paulo is a city that can never stop, but that's not the whole truth. It's the people of São Paulo that don't want to stop. That's why this city has so many clubs, bars, restaurants, theatres and thousands of other attractions open 24 hours. There must be something in the water. Or it's the polluted air... Who knows? The fact is that São Paulo gives you an unquenchable thirst for pleasure. And that's why there's always something to do and somewhere to go, especially at night. São Paulo is an ugly city, be aware. But for those who LIVE this city, ugliness is actually part of its beauty. The crowded streets, the prostitutes and brothels and the decadent aspect of its streets and buildings in downtown - this and much more can make this city even more delightful if you're not afraid of taking a walk on the wild side.
Places to stay:

Hotel Fasano, Hotel Emiliano and Hotel Unique are indeed the places you should think about while staying in Sao Paulo. Nevertheless these Hotels are quiet expensive. As a perfect alternative I would recommend the Grand Hyatt. Go for the Club rooms as they are worth every "Dinger" spend extra. The rooms are simply nice decorated and the bathroom is just amazing. The service received in the Grand Club lounge is top notch. This is indeed a very good place to hang out and eat and drink (free of charge!) before leaving for your night time program.
Nightlife:

I would recommend to start with a couple of drinks in one of the many bars in Vila Olimpia and Vila Madelena. One of my favorite places is indeed the Skyebar located on top of the well known Hotel Unique. The Service is pretty slow and prices are more on the higher level but the view is just amazing.
Later on I would recommend to go out for dancing in one of the many places like d-edge, Clash Club, A Club or Milo Garage. There are many more, so keep your eyes open!
Shopping:
Simply the whole area of Rua Oscar Freire! For sure this is a posh area, but nevertheless a lot of fun and simply wonderful to walk around even so you might not buy anything. To be honest- shopping in Hong Kong, Singapore or Bangkok is a better idea as you will safe a lot of money!
Places to See:

If you have some more time I would recommend to have a brief look into the MAM while stroll down Avendia Paulista. If not have a look from outside as the many other wonderful buildings for example the Copan building and Edifico Italia. The Edifico Italia offers a restaurant and a bar on the top floors with perfect views, but they do ask for a cover charge for the bar!
The Sao Paulo Jockey Club is the best option for a relaxed sunday. It is free of charge, but even if they would ask for money the atmosphere is worth every penny spend. Grab a beer, coffee or on of the delicious snacks at one of the bars in the main hall and take a seat on the tribune to watch the race and the people. If you are looking for a substantial meal go for one of the restaurants.
If there is no race there is another outdoor option- the Parque Iberapuera. This is a very similar Park to NY's Central Park. Besides the recreation areas there are cultural events and exhibitions halls like Auditorio Niemeyer.
Transport:

If you wanna use public transport, Sao offers an extensive subway and bus network where you pay per use. In general I would rate the subway system as reliable, cheap, safe and clean. During weekdays you might need hours if you take a bus due to the traffic jam. Taxis are a must at night and if you share the price with your friends its not that expensive. The service is always good but most of the taxi drivers won't speak any word english and they seem to have problems with the queer crowd.
Money and Costs:
Sao Paulo is indeed not cheap compared to other places in Brazil and worldwide, but there are much more expensive places around. I would say it depends on your budget and how many Cremant you need while staying. Some of the small bars and cafeterias offer some small finger licking dishes, beer and coffee for just a few bucks. So you won't be hungry or thirsty. Nightlife is as elsewhere more of less expensive. Bring your credit card for Skyebar.
Keep in mind that Sao Paulo is not a tourist place to hang out, but you will find everything a urban guy might need.
If you are on a shoestring try out Couchsurfing. Even if you don't need a place to stay- most people are really helpful.
Stay tuned for more in depth reports on Sao Paulo

Flight Tracker

2008-06-28T02:54:00.000-07:00

As you might recognized the global travel market and especially the airline industry is rapidly changing. For my next trip from NYC I planned to use the ultra longhaul direct service to Bangkok using Thai Airways. But fuck it- they canceled this service due to high oil prices. Thai Airways introduced a Premium Economy worth the extra Bucks compared to regular Economy Class if you don't wanna fly Business Class. So I thought it is a very good idea to use their service on a regular base on my way to Asia. My other favorite options Singapore Airlines offers a all business class direct service from NYC to Singapore using the well known new business class cabin, but indeed seat availability is restricted. Other options would be flying through Europe or using ANA via Tokyo. Any other ideas?

Stay tuned for more reports on global travel market!

Berlin The Upcoming Sylt

2008-06-26T02:24:00.000-07:00

I mean it sounds maybe a little ridiculous, but Steffen asked me to drop some lines about the future of Berlin. Anyway it is a pleasure indeed! I do write this lines from another point of view as I am not part of the vibe in Berlin, but even in Sao Paulo it is possible to get an Idea about the current situation over there. First of all I would like to describe the situation as first part of a scenario for the future of Berlin. The question is- how does Berlin looks like at the moment and how could it looks like in a few years? Many people like Berlin very much, during the recent years the hip crowd flooded into the City as rentals and general lifestyle (Cremant) is dirt cheap compared to other places worldwide. These musicians, artists, architects, bohemians and hedonist e.g. are the Berlin vibe as nothing really substantial is left in Berlin. I mean what I am trying to say is- Berlin as a whole is pretty poor- the capital of famous Germany is like a small village lacking any financial background. People, even within Germany earn their money in Frankfurt, Dusseldorf or Hamburg. A couple of days ago I met a guy from NYC- settling down for two years in Berlin to enjoy his life! I asked him how he earns money- his answer: "If I need money I would go back to NYC!"
So what is the conclusion for Berlin- In my point of view it is just a holiday resort for the In crowd- nothing substantial!
Coming back to the the title of this brief report- "Berlin the upcoming Sylt" and to the next step of a scenario.
Sylt is a small german island and a holiday resort for the rich and famous Germans (nothing to write home about). Do you see any parallels? I do- people there do not generate any value- they just relax! As you might know Sylt won't be there anymore in a couple of years as the island is shrinking. For Berlin I have following scenario: What happens if the In crowd is leaving as a result of economic crisis, world war or just because Sao Paulo is the new place to be? Maybe shrinking as Sylt!
Stay tuned for more in depth reports on worldwide travel!

Oh, gosh! I’m so happy to live in New York!

2008-06-26T01:58:00.000-07:00

Nestled among meatpacking plants and hard-core gay bars, Florent was an anomalously egalitarian enclave beloved in equal measure by celebrities on the A list and hedonists on the edge, and a prism through which certain aspects of the city’s evolution could be seen with unusual clarity. There is a menu of French stalwarts and American interlopers that were available virtually round the clock: onion soup, mussels, pâté, steak frites, hamburgers, cheeseburgers. And he created an institution that became both a timeline and a time capsule of downtown life. Anyway- On June 29 Florent will close. Its rent was to rise to more than $30,000 a month. It started with paying $1,350. The neighborhood, the city and the people who felt it belonged to them were different then.

Have a look to the special movie, linked in the title and stay tuned for more melancholy stories worldwide

Brazil Matters

2008-06-25T10:28:00.000-07:00

Germans are small sausages and Brazilians tend to have big dicks. Thats how I intended to start this report, but wasn't sure if this would be a little to explicit. I called my very best friend in the south side and he said I should rethink as it would be superficial and not as scientific as some other reports of mine. As you might know I am on the sporty side and go every day for some laps to a hotel health club. But yesterday the hotel gym was closed due to reconstruction so I went swimming down in brooklin. While showering, one of the brown skin guys in a good shape joint me. Gosh- after he drop his swim pants he showed me his very huge cock. He smiled at me to show me that he is ready for some more action. But dear reader- trust me, you won't get fucked with such a large dick! I ignored him to do a little brain storming. First of all I thought about all the samba- ladies. Now I know why they bounce their boobs in such a way- they still feel the vibe of their last fuck with a brazilian cock. Second- Food! I tried to eat as many "Rocher" (German Chocolate) with "Byzantium King Nuts" as I thought I will get premium balls (to be honest- it didn't work). On the other side- my Brazilian friends eat a lot of baby beef. This is delicious and efficient as I could proof under the shower! As this is a scientific report I would like to mention a third example, but I had to stop the brainstorming, because...(this would be to explicit for sure). Tomorrow I will be back to the "real" world, but nevertheless I will have baby beef for dinner!

Stay tuned for my next report on my recent Manila trip with Jaromil, Niki and Ipanema Fred!

German Small Sausages

2008-06-25T09:25:00.000-07:00

It is obviously- Germans are small sausages! But this would be indeed superficial without proof. So the questions is- what makes most Germans small sausages? Lets do a little brainstorming: First of all- you are what you eat. German meals are more on the hearty meat side, pork shops, meat balls, knuckle of pork, thousand of different cold cuts and all time favorite sausages. Boiled or grilled- they are served simply everywhere! Germans eat them as a kind of snack- a meal in between. During my last stay in Berlin it was pretty hot, but even in public transport people eat their sausages on the run. Believe me the smell is disgusting! So I would rather say- First proof!
As a second example I would like to discuss how germans life. Besides most international guys living in urban areas in lovely and charming historic buildings, most germans life in housing developments in the suburbs. I saw many of these housing developments worldwide and to be honest, the German ones are ridiculous. But they are planed by the very same guys who life in the arty quarters downtown. Anyway- thats not the matter why Germans are small sausages. The inhabitants are dreaming to escape their stupid life buying one of the many one single houses even more far outside of the city. So what do you think are they doing right there? Right they grill sausages. Second Proof! Third one would be??? Third? right -"third reich"- but I should not always focus on the history, as many Germans would say to me! Be funny be happy- ah you are a jew?! Oh sorry! Anyway lets talk about a recent example. Football is a very good one. People in Germany wanna be someone- they are "Papst", economic successful, with a vast history (but please do not mention the third reich..) and of course they are world champions in simply everything. But as you could imagine not every unemployed guy from the suburbs is economical successful or "Papst" there is a need that everybody feels like a hero. Football is pretty easy for german viewers as there are pretty simple "rules" to follow up. You buy some German flags, drink and lot of beer and of course eat at least two sausages. There is no need to follow up the match as there are many Germans with you to enjoy the party. So thats how every German could feel like a hero- be part of the mass (third reich?- oh sorry) drink beer and eat sausages. For most of them its better than being "Pabst"! I would rather say this is the third proof?!
There are many more Examples- feel free to add some.
Stay tuned for my next report on Kim Jong Il- the asian small sausage!

Global Food

2008-06-23T03:51:00.000-07:00

Is anybody of you interested in buy in my franchise system for global food? You might be able to be partner of one of the most famous food vendors worldwide. Hurry up to be first to open one of the stylish shops for the hip crowd. The offer ranging from tasty fast food from all over the world presented in a relaxed atmosphere and drinks worth waiting half an hour to be served. Products are mainly asian oriented, but have a look for some sample dishes. Please keep in mind that all dishes will be served Halal and Kosher!

Urban Recreation

2008-06-23T02:43:00.000-07:00

Yesterday had been sitting, for my lazy sunday program, the whole day by the beach because the weather wasn't that nice but still perfect to think about stupid stuff like this.
Urban lifestyle is different indeed, but how does urban recreation looks like worldwide? The structure of a city as well as the inhabitants have huge impacts on what people are doing and what they are doing to enjoy their life.
I will give you a couple of examples:

This is charming Brussels- indeed a little old school!

This is Athens- a little on the rough side, but sunny!

This is Rome- also a little bit old school and far to touristy!

This is South Eeast Asia for Germans- to early for the towels!

This Is Kuala Lumpur- relaxed vibe!

This is Jakarta- religious indeed, but thats not all!

This is Kyoto- ancient, quiet, but you can feel the vibe of the people!

This is Indonesia- Urban fishing in the sewage channel!

I Fucked The French

2008-06-19T11:03:00.000-07:00

Gosh- today I woke up from some hard rocking days- still with the beat of the night in my body. Niki celebrates his birthday in such a wonderful way and of course it was a pleasure to hang out with the family: Corcovado Jack, Ipanema Fred, Copacabana Else just to mention a few. Even some Germans, Italians and Guys back from NYC joint our Hustler Party. Niki introduced us to the italian lifestyle called "aperetivo"- this is simply fresh garlic and old roasted bread. To be honest he said afterwords he changed to the regular fare of Cremant, Spritz and finger food as garlic and old roasted bread is not what everybody is looking for especially on a Hustler party.

Anyway- well done and thanks for the last Cointreau- it gaves me the wonderful tasty orange feeling while licking the nipples of the french guy I crashed into on my way back to "brooklin". But this would be the story about fucking "a" french, this is the story about fucking "the french"! A few month ago I took a train back in Europe (yes your are right: I took a train!!!!) and due to a little mistake I got charged a second time in the train. To be honest I hate french train staff!!!! Because he lied to me I got angry and done what I always do- I complaint and today they excused for their stupid behavior and I will get my money back!!!!
Stay tuned for my next report on Jewish guy fucks Nazi with a large dildo!

To Niki

2008-06-17T04:52:00.000-07:00

Its not always easy- but a pleasure to have you with me! The Cremant is on your tap. Enjoy

Indonesia on the run

2008-06-14T23:56:00.000-07:00

This is a band from bandung, i know them since a couple of years. They are pretty famous now.
Have a look and stay tuned!

Khmer

2008-06-14T05:08:00.000-07:00

There is always a lot more around you might think.

Stay tuned for more well picked stuff around the globe!

Rent my place!

2008-06-13T11:12:00.000-07:00

I still have a small flat in the centre of Berlin. It is located in a lovely small and quiet street in one of Berlin's most famous areas called Prenzlauer Berg. Just 2 minutes walking to the next tram station which will bring you to "Mitte" within 10 minutes. Around the corner is the pretty nice "Helmholtzplatz"- a square with decent restaurants, bars and shops. Everything you might need is within walking distance- and the public transport system in Berlin is really sufficient. There is one living room (with a huge bed, desk, tv and hifi...), a toilet and shower compartment and a small kitchen with a table to have dinner with some friends (oven, fridge, espresso machine, washing machine and everything else you might need to prepare a dinner or just breakfast).
From time to time I sublet this place as an all inclusive package (rental fee, bills as well 24/7 high speed internet access) from 200 Euros per Week, 500 Euro for one month and long term prices on request!

Feel free to contact me at: d.r.j.teitelbaum@googlemail.com

Visit Indonesia

2008-06-13T05:26:00.000-07:00

It is more or less fixed- i will be back in Indonesia in october!!! For sure it will be just a brief visit, but I can't wait to see you all again soon. Our upcoming nights will be amazing! Jakarta is booked at least for two weekends. Does anybody know when the Mandarin Oriental will re open again?
Stay tuned for my reports from Indonesia!

Wanna join?

2008-06-13T03:40:00.000-07:00

There are marked the stations of my recent trips. Indeed I will return soon- so it would be nice if I could catch you up for a Cremant or just a coffee. Feel free to show me your maps!

I would love to go to India

2008-06-13T03:13:00.000-07:00

Cars on Sale

2008-06-12T12:11:00.000-07:00

As you might read in my recent post- the world is changing as I do! If somebody is interested in one of my Cars- please drop me a line! I know the pictures are not that well- but the cars are in good condition with original caribbean sound system!!!!