AIRASIA FLIES TO TAIPEI & 8 THINGS TO DO WHEN YOU GET THERE!

             It's not every day you get asked to be a witness to a historic occasion, and when you do, it would be silly to pass up the opportunity. That is exactly what the little voice in my head said to me when I was asked at the last minute if I was available to be part of the contingent of Filipino bloggers and media to join Air Asia's inaugural flight from Manila to Taipei. 

       Rina and  I had always wanted to go to Taiwan for a food trip, but our schedules never really permitted it. When I got the call from Air Asia asking if I would be interested in joining them, and finding out that getting a Visa for Taiwan would take me roughly around 15 MINUTES (You can apply for an exemption if you have a Visa from countries such as the USA), I knew I couldn't pass up this chance. 

    So on a whim, it was off to Taipei I went.. and as it turns out, Taiwan would be one of the most beautiful countries I've ever visited in my life! 

AIR ASIA TELLS THE SUNNY SONNY STORY: #TravelGr8 Vacation Essentials!

             Air Asia has quickly emerged as Asia's leading name in budget airline travel. In the past couple of years that I've been traveling with Air Asia, one thing I've noticed with this airline is that they always find a way to go one step beyond their offered services to their passengers. For example, it wasn't enough for Air Asia to provide meals for their passengers, but they went the extra mile to develop a menu that ensures the food they serve are absolutely delicious.

        Their in-flight shopping catalog is no different. Not only are they constantly adding products that is useful to the traveler, but they recently added a product to their lineup that is meaningful not just to their passengers, but to the less fortunate as well. 

        Allow me to tell you all about Air Asia's new #TravelGr8 Vacation Essentials In Flight Catalog! 

         

SUNWAY HOTEL GEORGETOWN: THE PERFECT LOCATION IN PENANG

          A few months ago, I had the pleasure of flying to Penang in Malaysia for the first time, via Air Asia's Fly thru service that allowed me the luxury of only having to check in my baggage once, and not having to worry about it during my layover at Kuala Lumpur. The sights and attractions were phenomenal, and the food, as you'll see in an upcoming post, was nothing short of amazing. 

          However, another factor that made our stay in Penang even more enjoyable, was our hotel, Sunway Georgetown. Oftentimes, the choice of hotel is often overlooked. More often than not, you select your accomodations based on your budget, since you have the mindset that your hotel won't matter because you'll only be there to sleep anyway. 

     Sunway Georgetown, is different. I feel that my stay in this outstanding hotel played an integral part of my Penang experience, where I discovered the warmth and genuine accommodating nature of the Malaysian people. 

  

     Let me tell you why you should stay in Sunway Georgetown the next time you go to Penang..

AIR ASIA FLIES HIGH IN SHANGHAI: WIN A FREE TICKET TO SHANGHAI!

       I've traveled Air Asia numerous times for both domestic and international trips, and I've never had a problem with my book or the flight itself. Though they are known as a "Low Cost Carrier", you wouldn't feel it from the quality of service. 

       Like many people in our country bitten by the wanderlust bug, I'm always on the lookout for a great travel deals, and the Air Asia website is usually my first stop! It's awesome to see that an Airline with the vast reach of Air Asia isn't content with the lineup of destinations on their roster, and is always looking to expand further for their passengers in the Philippines. 

     True to form, just few days ago, Air Asia unveiled their newest route.. And it's a pretty awesome one!

     Starting June 10, Air Asia is going to be flying out to Shanghai!!!

    And guess what? One lucky reader is going to win a free ticket to Shanghai!!

THE SEVENTH BITE: THE VIKINGS ARE COMING TO SM CITY CEBU!

        Some of my blogger friends and I were flown to Cebu via Air Asia for a taste test of some of the amazing dishes that Vikings Luxury has to offer the hungry Cebuanos..

       And It's pretty awesome! 

BEHOLD: BOHOL'S 2016 UBI FESTIVAL!

            Since I lived a great deal of my life in the neighboring Cebu, I was awfully surprised to discover that the beautiful City of Bohol celebrates an annual "Ubi Festival", held last January 27-29. It has only been going on for 16 years so it was understandable why I had never heard of it.. And I was uncertain what exactly "Ubi" was. The spelling initially threw me off, but upon further inquiry, I was ensured that the the festival was in honor of the Purple Yam that we all know and love. 

         But as it turns out, there's some much more about ube that I don't know about, and Air Asia, together with the Bohol Provincial Tourism Council Inc., and in partnership with the United States of America International Development, would help me learn more about, including why the crop is so close to the hearts of the good people of Bohol. 

DINING HIGH IN THE SKY! AIR ASIA'S SANTAN: FEAST OF FLIGHTS IN-FLIGHT MENU!

A photo posted by RichieZ (@pickiesteater) on Dec 5, 2015 at 12:26am PST

          A couple of weeks ago, some blogger friends and I were flown to Hong Kong, courtesy of Air Asia and Vikings Luxury Buffet. Apart from going on an epic Hong Kong Food Tour, we were invited to try the new In-Flight menu of Air Asia, dubbed, "Santan: Flavors of Asean". 

      My friends and I were in for a big surprise, because we discovered that Air Asia's food could stand toe to toe with a restaurant, any day!  

    Here is the first batch of dishes I tried on my Flight to Hong Kong!

THE PICKIEST EATER GOES TO HONG KONG: THE TEASER

A photo posted by RichieZ (@pickiesteater) on Dec 3, 2015 at 9:26pm PST

         As you may or may not know, I, together with a few blogger friends, were flown to Hong Kong courtesy of Air Asia and Vikings Luxury Buffet, for an Epic Hong Kong Food trip! I brought my buddy Jeng of Food In The Bag along with me to help me take some videos for my Video Blog.. Take note these are Video Blogs, and NOT Webisodes.. So the videos we took are a bit more "raw" looking and not the Network TV looking shorts that we had hoped to achieve in the "Battle of Burgers and Brewskies" Episode.

    On the whole, It was a short but amazing trip, filled with amazing food, good vibes, and great friends!