Author Profile: Mustachio Ventures

Malaysia's Pulau Penang (Penang Island) lies about 350 kilometers northwest of the capital, Kuala Lumpur. The island is home to Georgetown, one of the two World Heritage Cities in Malaysia as declared by...   view more

After reading First They Killed My Father, a book written by Loung Ung about her experience during the Khmer Rouge, I made a mental note to visit The Killing Fields and Toul Sleng if I ever get to Phnom...   view more

I was looking forward to Busan: to seeing this coastal city and to bugging my three Busan friends whom I haven't seen in over a...   view more

Haedong Yonggungsa Temple is unique in that it is by the sea. Most of Korea's temples are on the mountains. Across the temple, SangCheol prodded us to go down a short set of steps into a cave and encouraged us to make one wish and drink the water from the...   view more

My Korean friends were puzzled why I wanted to go to Gamcheon Village. They, residents of Busan themselves, have never been...   view more

These tropical bodies (which, sadly, does not translate to beach bodies) started out at 9:30 in the morning as little Eskimos, bundled in thick coats, scarves, boots, and...   view more

Why go: For the food. And for those whose hobby is shopping, go to Gwangjang Market for the silk, traditional Korean clothing (hanbok), and vintage...   view more

Taipei is an artist's playground with many art areas and creative parks around the city. If you love the arts, then Taipei is a great place to...   view more

We searched for a traditional Taiwanese breakfast. Google brought me to an article that pointed me to: 阜杭豆漿 Fu Hang Dou...   view more

Most of Taipei's tourist attractions are free. Free? I'm there! Taipei City can be seen from way up high by those willing to shell out NT$400 to enter Taipei 101's indoor...   view more

History was the subject I detested most during my school years. The textbooks were boring, the teachers were terrors. It was traveling (and maybe age), not schoolbooks and scary teachers, that piqued my...   view more

Marshall's Irish Pub possesses a 75-item menu featuring the many ways you can have your potatoes (the Irish equivalent to rice) and some not-your-everyday restaurant food, such as crocodiles and...   view more

A little bird told me that the best brownie ala mode can be found in Talamban, in this cafe. One night, after dinner at Manggahan, we decided to sample Jango's brownie ala mode. We came. We ate. We were...   view more

Boring. Nerdy. Ignorant. Call me any or all of these and I will agree with you. Boring because I'd rather go to museums than malls. Nerdy because I like learning (but have no patience to read the lengthy descriptions in an...   view more

When you fly in to Negros Occidental, you don't land in the capital, Bacolod City, but in Silay City, about 14 kilometers from the...   view more

It was only on the first day that I had learned of our itinerary. He had plotted out a clockwise route from Lipa, Batangas and our first stop was the historic town of...   view more

Our 2.5-hour walking tour started at the Human Nature shop. Nothing significant here. Just that this is also where Dagohoy World Travel, the travel agency that came up with this heritage walking tour,...   view more

A trip would not be complete without trying local food! Here are the memorable ones from my recent Seoul wanderings. My friend, GaYeong, brought me to Oh Hyang Jokbal, one of the top 3 jokbal restaurants in...   view more

A blank slate for Day Two. All the planning was up to GaYeong, a friend I haven't seen in four years. She told me to meet her at exit 12 of City Hall Station (Seoul subway line 1 or line 2). Hugs and how-are-yous, then off to explore the area near City Hall...   view more

I never had the taste for crabs, but all that changed when I visited Surigao City for the first time, about 12 years ago, and my friend set down a platter of fat crabs on the...   view more

Warming the backseat of a car for four hours straight can be boring and draining, what more for 7 to 8 hours. And what more if you're the driver! So on our road trip to Sipalay City, Negros Occidental (and vice versa) we welcomed the idea of staying a night in Dumaguete City, Negros...   view more

Busan not only has an abundance of buildings, bridges, and beaches, but also: books, doraemons, canola flowers, escalators, shops and much...   view more

Angono, a municipality in the province of Rizal, is home to a bevy of artists...from the millennia-ago-then to the...   view more

Forty-five kilometers west of Cebu City or a 1-hour/100-peso van ride that cuts across the width of the province lies the city of Toledo, where one can take a barge to get to the province of Negros...   view more

For UNESCO World Heritage Site nerds like me, the prefecture of Kyoto, having 16 sites inscribed in the list under "Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto", is a...   view more

The prefecture of Kyoto is home to over 1600 Buddhist temples (and 400 Shinto shrines) and in Kyoto I saw not 1000 temples (I don't think I'll ever see all of Kyoto's temples in my lifetime!), but...   view more

There are so many things to see and do in Tokyo, but we only had two days and these were what we managed to visit: We visited the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building for its free 202–meter high observatories (north and...   view more

The next stop on my itinerary: Nara! But first, some essentials such as where to sleep, where to eat, and how to go around (or rather, where I slept, where I ate, and how I found my way...   view more

This day is filled with UNESCO World Heritage Sites, five to be exact. After spending my morning visiting more-than-a-millenium-old wooden structures in Horyuji and Hokkiji in Ikaruga Town, I return to Nara City to visit two temples and a...   view more

For people who love visiting historic places, Nara and Kyoto cities are some of the places in Japan teeming with history. Not only are these two cities previous capitals of Japan, but also these are home to many UNESCO World Heritage...   view more

I wake up before my alarm rings. Soon I am at the ground floor of Hotel Raizan, depositing my bag in their luggage storage area. I have a quick breakfast with what they have for sale: cereal, milk, and yogurt. And I say goodbye to my bag and to the receptionist and trace my way back to...   view more

Kongobuji is the head temple of Shingon Buddhism. I enter the temple grounds through its main gate which is the oldest building (1593) in Kongobuji. In the past only royalty and the chief priests could pass through this gate. Today, everyone can pretend they are...   view more

With every person I brush past, my expectation of Todaiji goes down a notch. In my head, the number of tourists is inversely proportional to the site's ability to make me go "wow". But, Todaiji, you prove me...   view more

I wake up to a rainy morning in Kyoto. It's bed weather, but I didn't come here to sleep, did I? I get my butt off the bed and prepare for a day in Uji City, just a 20-minute train ride from Kyoto...   view more

Our host, JaeHwa, who is my friend's friend, is a photographer and he brought us to locations where he often shoots portraits and...   view more

JaeHwa, who lives in Jeju City, took me and JungIn to this restaurant to try 제주흑돼지 Jeju heuk dwaeji, which is pork from a black pig. According to JungIn, who lives in Busan, this type of meat can only be had in...   view more

As soon as I had dumped my bags in Chacharang Guesthouse, I went out to explore the historic sites of Gyeongju City. Right next door was the northern portion of the Royal Tombs Park and that's where I...   view more

I visited Yangdong Village, which is South Korea's largest traditional village, with 160 houses, 54 of which are over 200 years old. It is also one of the two villages included in the UNESCO World Heritage Site called Historic Villages of Korea (the other one is Hahoe Village in...   view more

Jeju Island has 368 oreums or volcanic cones. Of the 368, two have been designated as World Heritage Sites: Geomun Oreum and Seongsan Ilchulbong. Hiking in Geomun Oreum is a popular activity, and there are three trails to choose...   view more

Around the second half of 2017, I heard a safari was in the works somewhere in the mountains of northern Cebu. After many many delays, Cebu Safari and Adventure Park finally opened (on an advance reservation and advance payment basis) in early...   view more

At Samnak Ecological Park families, friends, and couples are enjoying walking under the cherry blossoms or having a picnic on the grassy...   view more

I took a an hour-long subway ride to Suwon City (in the province of Gyeonggi), about 50 km south of Seoul, to cross off another UNESCO World Heritage Site on my list: Hwaseong...   view more

Having arrived at the very tail end of the cherry blossom season, the first order upon arrival—nevermind not having had any sleep for more than 24 hours—was to go to Incheon, in the hopes of gazing at cherry blossom petals on branches and not on the...   view more

Music made not with instruments but with kitchen things like pots, pans, knives, ladles, vegetables. Who wouldn't want to watch such a...   view more

I am a heritage hog. And, surprise surprise, this trip wasn't without its share of visits to UNESCO World Heritage Sites. South Korea has thirteen inscribed in the World Heritage...   view more

I made my mark in South Korea! A section of Dongseobuk 10-gil is tiled with 23,000 names of people from all over the world, mine included! Changwon City and Korea Tourism Organization has named this road as Sangsang-gil or Imaginary...   view more

Koreans sure love cafes. Each day I was with my two Korean friends, we went to different cafes to hang out and enjoy the view while sipping a nice warm cup of coffee or a cold glass of fresh orange...   view more

Okunoin (奥の院) is Japan's largest cemetery, with about 200,000 tombstones along a 2-kilometer stretch. At the end of this stretch is the mausoleum of Kobo Daishi, the father of Shingon...   view more

It is still a bit dark and quite chilly at 630AM as I gently close the door of Hiloki Hostel and take the two-minute walk to the bus terminal at Nara Station where I will board a bus to Nara...   view more

From Klick-Klock Homestay, everywhere became walking–distance because no distance could keep gluttons away from food. Chang of Klick-Klock brought the group of gluttons to an eatery on Jalan Bunga Raya (street parallel to Jalan Jawa, where Klick-Klock was) that was still open for very late...   view more

Our stop was announced and I said my goodbye to my seatmate, Mr Yamamoto. My friends and I shuffled along the aisle to the door, ready to jump out of the shinkansen and storm Himeji Castle and Engyoji...   view more

Sapporo has an area of 1121 sq. km but I was only able to make time to explore three parks, two towers, a street, and an...   view more

October is Museums and Galleries Month in the Philippines, and what's a better way to celebrate than to visit historical houses (now museums) all within walking distance in Cebu's Parian...   view more

First up was the Asakusa Culture Tourist Information Center. FIRST UP literally because we zoomed past the information desk and the display of brochures on the ground floor and headed straight to the 8th...   view more

I have left Uji and I am on the JR Line back to Kyoto. It's grey, raining, and getting a bit dark, but it's actually still early in the afternoon. I have plenty of time. I decide to make a stop at Tofuku-ji, a temple a friend had recommended for its autumn...   view more

Today I will be visiting two museums, one of which is in Toyonaka City, north of Osaka City, and I start my day early wanting to arrive at the Open Air Museum of Old Japanese Farmhouses as it...   view more

It is my last day in Kyoto and I really don't have any planned route. All I know is that I want to visit Shosei-en Garden next to where I am staying, and the Honganji...   view more

Today is reserved for visiting three UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the northern area of Kyoto City. I start my day as early as I can. As...   view more

I arrive in Arashiyama Bamboo Grove. There are many places to see in this area, not just the bamboo groves. Should I head south of the groves to recommended sites such as Tenryuji Temple and Togetsukyo Bridge? Or north to less visited...   view more

There are many places to see in Tokyo that can be reached using the Toei Subway, Toei Bus, and the other lines covered by the Toei 1-Day Pass. But you cannot visit all of them in just one day. Below are some places we went to that are just a stop or two or three (on the Toei Subway) from each...   view more

We arrived at Ueno-okachimachi Station on the Toei Subway, intending to spend our day at Ueno Park. Instead of walking Nakamachi-dori straight to Ueno Park, we took a longer route via Ameya Yokocho (Ameyoko), a street market just a few steps from the station which will still lead us to Ueno...   view more

If you ask me to choose between exploring a bustling city or hiking in nature, I'd pick nature every time. So to escape Tokyo's urban jungle: Mount...   view more

When I asked a friend what was there to do in Nagoya, she said: eat. With a little bit of googling, I found there is a unique cuisine called...   view more

Toyota is one of Japan's popular car manufacturers; probably the largest in Japan. The public can learn about this titan of a company, with over 100 years of history, through its four museums in Aichi...   view more

My plan was to spend two days in Inuyama City, but because the typhoon left me with no choice but to shorten my stay, I spent the one day I had exploring the city's castle...   view more

Beautiful snowy Hokkaido canal scenery makes for an enticing photo. But, ugh, snow. And so I went to the city of this famous canal on the most un-winter-y season of all:...   view more

Biei is a small town known for its flower fields and that Macbook wallpaper of a blue pond. I had booked a seat on the bus tour for these two destinations and all I had to do was bring a printout of the email confirmation and present myself at Shiki no Johokan no later than...   view more

The first thing I did upon arriving at Hakodate Station was look for the Hakodate Asaichi (Morning Market). Not because I was hungry, but because it was just a few steps from the...   view more

We were supposed to meet at Sawara Station, but when I found out that the train from Narita Airport only comes once every 30 minutes (or up to an hour on non-peak times), Yumiko decided to pick me up at the...   view more

As soon as we arrived in rainy Taipei, our first goal was to stuff our face with hot pot. To the nearest Mala Hot Pot we went (there are two branches in Ximending, and more around...   view more

We spent a day station hopping the Pingxi Line. From Taipei Main Station, we took the train to Ruifang Station, then transferred to the Pingxi Line. There are eight stations along the Pingxi Line and while rolling along the tracks, we'd decide where to alight, then we'd change our...   view more

One of the things I love about Seoul is that there are many parks around, providing solace (or should I say Seoulace?) from the hustle and bustle of the...   view more

Whether you're an artist or not, find inspiration in these art museums in Seoul. The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (Seoul), located beside Gyeongbokgung Palace, offers eight...   view more

I love Korean food! The downside to traveling solo in South Korea is that I could not try dishes that have huge servings. I was definitely happy that this time my sister was with...   view more

There are many places to visit in Seoul that require no admission fee: parks, temples, villages, and...houses! Unhyeongung Palace was owned by the father of Gojong, the 26th King of Joseon Dynasty, and it was where King Gojong grew...   view more

South Korea currently has fourteen UNESCO World Heritage Sites, two of which are fortresses: Hwaseong Fortress and Namhansanseong Fortress. Both are located in the province of Gyeonggi, just south of...   view more

Most tourists go to the city of Sokcho in the province of Gangwon on a day trip, not to visit the city itself, but to go to Seoraksan National Park especially in...   view more

Here are some of the restaurants in Jeju City, South Korea, whose names we never made the effort to learn to read, but restaurants we made the effort to go...   view more

This article is about the Iho Tewoo Beach and the Jeju Light Art Festa - two attractions to be visited when the sun goes...   view more

The beautiful coastline of Seopjikoji peninsula starts at the sandy Sinyang Beach 신양 해변 where there are benches to just chill, feel the breeze (or if it's a strong wind, get pelted by sand), and take in the view of Seongsan Ilchulbong in the...   view more

Jeju City was our home base for the six days we were in Jeju, but we did not confine ourselves within its boundaries. We ventured south to Seogwipo City, just an hour and a half by bus (we took Bus 281, 1150 krw per way), for some art and...   view more

Here's all the good stuff my friend and I ate in the few days we were in...   view more

Although we were a week late for the peak cherry blossoms, my father and I hopped on the train in Osaka-Abenobashi Station to go to Yoshino Station (90 minutes, 1170 JPY per way) in the hopes of seeing some cherry blossom trees in Mount Yoshino. Mount Yoshino is a popular place in Nara for cherry blossom viewing, because it is said to be covered in about 30,000 cherry blossom...   view more

The afternoon of our ninth day in Japan was dedicated to remembering the past by visiting the city of Hiroshima. Our first stop was the Hiroshima Castle, nicknamed the Carp Castle. The castle stands in an area that used to be called Koi-no-ura, which means Carp (Koi) Sea Shore, hence the...   view more

We explored Miyajima on foot. From the pier we walked past the town (we spent more time there on the way back), towards the well known Otorii (great torii) of Itsukushima Jinja 厳島神社 (Itsukushima Shrine). On the walk to Itsukushima, we encountered deer freely roaming the...   view more