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Pacific Islands Travel
Pacific
Islands
Travel
As mentioned on my welcome page as one of the Top Ten reasons
why I
like living
in Japan, travel to other Asia Pacific islands from Tokyo is
both
convenient and relatively inexpensive. But as a low-paid English
teacher, I
haven't
always had that many funds to travel outside of Japan.
Within the past several years, however, I've
fortunately managed somehow to take advantage of frequent
flyer miles,
special airfare campaigns, and the occasional discount tour
package to travel to some very awesome destinations
in
the Asian Pacific islands.
In short, Tokyo, Japan has proven to be a very convenient launching pad
for other exotic Pacific island travel locations in Asia, including Cebu, Philippines, Koh
Samui, Thailand, Palau, Guam,
Saipan, Langkawi,
Malaysia, Phuket, Thailand, Fiji,
Cook Islands, Boracay,
Philippines, Ao
Nang, Thailand, and Pattaya, Thailand (pics/video).
Below, you will see some of the places I've had the pleasure of
traveling to.
The first exotic Pacific islands travel destination I'd like to share
info about
is Cebu, Philippines. I was blessed to have observed SO much beautiful
scenery there.....both natural and human. 
Miss Silka
Cebu
2009 swimsuit competition
Alta Cebu Resort
Click on the following link to view more details on my Cebu, Philippines travel.
The next exotic Pacific islands travel destination I'd like to talk
about
is Koh Samui, Thailand. For most of my adult life, I've always dreamed
of retiring someday on a remote Pacific island with white sand beaches,
crystal clear blue water, palm trees, and pretty women.
Koh Samui is not only my favorite Pacific island so
far, but the scenery and ambience there are the closest to what
I've always had in my mind for the ultimate Pacific island
paradise. The picture below should help prove my point.
Baan Samui
Resort
beachside, Koh Samui, Thailand
And I can't wait to tell you more about it. Click on the following link
to view more details on my Koh
Samui, Thailand travel.
It's surprising how many people have never even heard of this
place. What a shame. If you're a diver, you probably HAVE heard of it
and maybe even have it on your Bucket List, as it's arguably one of
the most spectacular diving spots on God's green Earth.
I'm not a diver, but that didn't keep me from having
a wonderful time in this Pacific island paradise.
Ice Box Park
on Malakal Island, Palau
As you can see above, Palau is a pretty green and lush place. Click on
the following link to view more details on my Palau travel.
Guam was the first stop on my Pacific island tour back in March
2007. I can't wait to tell you all about it. You're gonna fall in love
with this place. But please go soon, because the U.S. military plans to
relocate 20,000 marines and their dependents here from Okinawa, Japan
within the next few years.
Who knows for sure what kinds of tourism and environmental
impacts this will cause, so I recommend you visit Guam ASAP.
Like Hawaii, Guam is a popular choice among young Japanese couples for
their wedding place. Accordingly, a number of the large Guam hotels
have wedding chapels on-site.
Hotel Nikko Guam
& the Crystal Wedding Chapel
Please click on the following link
to view more details on my Guam
travel.
Saipan
was the 2nd stop on my Pacific island tour in November 2007. Because of
a reduction in airline service to this island, besides the more
expensive direct flights, it can be a bit
troublesome getting there having to transfer in Guam or Seoul, but it's
definitely well
worth your efforts.
Rainbow from
the Saipan Grand Hotel
Very sad
World War II history, but some of the most beautiful scenery and most
heartfelt
friendly and cordial hospitality industry staff you'll encounter
anywhere. Trust me.
Please click on the following link
to view more details on my Saipan
travel.
It's still a mystery to me why I never even heard of this place
until about a month before I actually visited Langkawi. This
place is becoming more popular among Japanese tourists and so there are
ample tour packages available these days for travelers from Japan.
Langkawi, which means "reddish brown eagle" in the colloquial Malay
language, is a cluster of 99 exotic tropical islands in far
northwestern Malaysia which has been designated a World Geopark
by UNESCO.
The famous
Langkawi eagle(s) at Eagle Square in Kuah Town
Langkawi offers secluded coves
and long stretches of white sandy beaches. Washed by the calm turquoise
waters of the Andaman Sea, the islands are covered with age-old
rainforests and home to a rich diversity of flora and fauna.
In short, it's probably one of the best kept secrets among the
most beautiful Pacific island destinations available for your vacation
travel.
You definitely owe it to yourself to have a quick look at the special
page I've compiled showing my 98 photos, 14 videos, and sightseeing
descriptions of my Langkawi,
Malaysia travel.
It was great to travel back to Phuket after such a long absense. My
first
visit there was in April 1996 (pre-Indian Ocean earthquake and
tsunami in Dec. 2004), so indeed a lot had changed as of this March
2012 trip when I finally got to go back.
To be honest, I didn't see any remaining damage
from the catastrophic quake/tsunami that
killed nearly 5400 people in Thailand, 250 in Phuket alone.
In
fact, Thailand's largest island is clearly booming economically, and
overall, despite sometimes getting a little irritated with some of
the street vendors, I must say that was good to see.
Swimming pool @ the Royal
Paradise Hotel Phuket
Since my visit to Phuket, I have struggled with whether I liked it
better than Koh Samui,
Thailand, and haven't come up yet with a decision, but they're both without
question must-see Pacific island travel spots.
I hope you have time to check out the pics, video, map, and my story on
my Phuket, Thailand travel
page.
I'd been itching to travel to the South Pacific islands for several
years, and in
February 2013 I finally got my chance. For my 1st ever visit to the
southern hemisphere, I chose Fiji... for a number of reasons. For one,
English is their primary language... after all, they were a British
colony for nearly a century.
Secondly, I read on a number of websites about how very friendly and
hospitable that the Fijian people were. It's TRUE! I hope the pic below
lends a little credence to my story. I was very touched by the unbelievable
warmth of the wonderful Fijian people!
Fijian smile,
South Sea Cruises staff
If
you should ever have any interest in traveling to the beautiful South
Pacific island nation of Fiji, you might enjoy reading my Fiji Travel page with a day-by-day account
of the magical 6 days I spent there, including my pics, video, &
map. Enjoy!
Okay, to be perfectly honest, I'd never even heard of the Cook Islands
before I booked my airline ticket for this trip. Sure, I'd heard of
Capt. James Cook, the famous 18th-century British naval officer after
whom New Zealand's tallest peak is named, but not the
islands themselves.
Capt. Cook is credited with
being among the earliest Europeans to explore and map Hawaii,
Australia, New Zealand, Tahiti, the northwest coast of North America
including Alaska, and a number of other Pacific islands,
including, you guessed it, the ones now named in his honor, the
gorgeous Cook Islands.
So it was a very nice surprise to learn of this tropical South Pacific
paradise, which was a great escape for me to get away from Tokyo's
bitterly cold winter, with record snowfalls in Feb. 2014.
Swimming pool @ Rarotongan Beach Resort
The Cook Islands are actually a chain of 15 islands, but I just visited
the main island, Rarotonga, where the international airport is located.
Besides the white sand beaches, coconut palm trees, and beautiful
azure-colored ocean which most people will picture in their mind when
they think of the South Pacific, Rarotonga, which is less than 7 miles
(~11 km) across, also features 600-m-tall (~2000 ft) peaks surrounded
by lush jungles
and a cross-island track, which I chose to hike from sea-to-sea.
When you get a chance, I hope you will have a chance to visit my Cook Islands Travel page, and
check out my 253 pics, 1-hour video, map, and story. And by all
means, put the
Cook Islands on your Bucket List!!
If you can imagine combining the party hearty atmosphere of Las Vegas
with the tropical beauty of Hawaii, you get Boracay, the crown jewel of
the Philippines' tourism industry. I was turned on to this beautiful
tropical paradise over a decade ago by an old Japanese girlfriend, who
I believe, after having already made 3 visits at the time, considered
Boracay to be the best place on the planet.
Well, I was skeptical all these years, but after finally visiting
Boracay in February 2016, I must say there was no hype. I enjoyed
ziplining, parasailing, hiking, swimming, shopping, sampling cuisine
from all over the world, the sunny, warm 26° C (79° F) weather
(a nice escape from the bitter, freezing cold Tokyo winter!), White
Beach (voted in 2015 by Trip Advisor as the #1 beach in Asia), and of
course, Boracay's famous all-night, drink-and-dance-till-you-drop
nightlife.
Boracay cuties on Puka
Shell Beach
My 7 days in paradise were WAY too short, but a seed was firmly planted
and I'll definitely be going back someday.
If you get a chance, you might enjoy my 226 Boracay pics, 59-min.
video, maps, and of course MY STORY! By all means, be sure to read more
about my
amazing Boracay, Philippines travel adventure.
Because of some absolutely beautiful photos posted by a Facebook friend
on his Timeline several years ago, in my 4th visit to Thailand in
February 2017, I chose Ao Nang Beach in Krabi Province.
One of the most
exciting things I saw the entire week was the beachside stalactite
cliffs just outside the cave on Phra Nang Beach.
Stalactite cliffs on Phra
Nang Beach
This was part of a 4-island, long-tail boat tour I took, which included
nighttime snorkeling to observe bioluminescent plankton, the first such
experience in my life. Wow!
I also had the opportunity to climb the highest peak in the area, Ngorn
Nak Mountain. It was a fairly easy, 2-hour trek, gaining nearly 500
meters in elevation, with breathtaking views of the Andaman Sea and
much of Krabi Province from the summit.
I hope you enjoy my pics and video on my Ao Nang webpage linked below.
In my video, don't miss out on the beautiful time-lapse sunsets, the
4-island boat tour, my hike up Ngorn Nak Mountain, the rock climbers on
East Railay Beach, fire dancers at the Golden Beach Resort, live music,
and even an English-speaking talking bird!
It was a great trip and I'll definitely be back. I was very touched by
the unbelievable, heartfelt hospitality of the wonderful Thai people!
If you should ever have any interest in visiting this beautiful spot
which serves as a major launching pad for beautiful beaches and islands
of the Andaman Sea, you might enjoy reading my account on my webpage,
including my pics, video, and map. To read more: My
Ao Nang, Thailand Travel Adventure
Enjoy!
Please Come Back Again Soon!
My hope on this page is to continue sharing my stories,
pictures,
and videos of other exotic Pacific Island travel
paradises as I get a chance to visit them.
In the future, please stay tuned to this Pacific Islands
Travel
page as I
update
the linked travel pages with more details on some of the most
spectacular scenery you can
expect to see anywhere on the planet.
And hopefully my tour of gorgeous Pacific Island destinations will not
end anytime soon. For Trip #12 to Pattaya, Thailand in
February 2018, I got lazy and didn't bother preparing its own special
travel page, but by all means please
have a look at my Pattaya pics and video when you get a chance.
Thanks so much for visiting and I hope you'll stop by again soon...
Cheers,
Gary
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