Energy. Great food. And a little mystery.
I’ve taken several trips to southeast Asia over the years and have come away hugely impressed each time.
From friendly faces in a stunning bay in Vietnam to steamy food stalls in Malaysia and sleek hotels in Singapore, I’ve enjoyed a wide variety of experiences across Asia.
George Town is a marvellous spot in Malaysia, with colonial architecture, a cool arts scene and magnificent food, while Vietnam’s Halong Bay is one of those “wow” spots you see photos of as a kid and think, “That’s a place I’ve got to see.”
It’s easier to get to Asia than ever before, with ever-expanding air lift from Vancouver, Toronto and other Canadian cities. It’s also now cheaper to use your phone when you’re away.
Sunset in George Town, Penang, Malaysia. JIM BYERS PHOTO
On May 2, Rogers expanded its Roam Like Home package to another 12 countries, including some of the Asian destinations Canadians love best.
With Roam Like Home you can talk and text just like you do at home, and utterly without worries. You’ll get the same coverage and data you get at home for just $7 a day in the U.S. and $12 a day in international destinations.
Roam Like Home offers ease, convenience and predictability while you travel, and gives you the ability to call and message within the eligible destination you’re visiting and to Canadian numbers just as you would at home on your monthly plan. All other calls and texts will be charged as if you’re making them from Canada.
Local fisherman in Halong Bay, Vietnam. JIM BYERS PHOTO
New destinations include Belize, an increasingly popular destination in Central America, plus Thailand (hugely popular with young Canadians), Vietnam, The Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, great for folks heading to Dubai. It’s also now available in Macau, Macedonia, Indonesia and Serbia.
That means the service now is available in more than 125 destinations around the world, including vast areas of Europe, The Caribbean, Mexico, Asia and South America. And, of course, the United States.
Not only are the rates good, but Rogers caps the number of days you’ll pay for the service at 15. Which means you can travel an entire month and still pay for only 15 days of coverage.
Elephants at the Four Seasons Tented Camp in northern Thailand. JIM BYERS PHOTO
I use my phone constantly on the road; checking emails, finding directions, searching for things on the web. Having a program like Roam Like Home in my back pocket is a godsend, and provides huge peace of mind.
Adding the new destinations makes a good thing even better, and the Roam Like Home plan now is featured in some truly terrific spots where you wouldn’t have previously been covered.
Southeast Asia is an especially appealing destination for young Canadians, a group that might rely on their phone even more than I do.
It takes longer to get there, and plane tickets are often more expensive than flights to, say, Paris or L.A. But the cost of living in most of southeast Asia is quite low, and I’ve often written that someone could probably spend three weeks in Thailand for what it would cost for a week or 10 days in Western Europe with similar hotels, restaurants and attractions.
Macau, a former colony of Portugal, is an enjoyable mix of European and Asian styles. JIM BYERS PHOTO
When I looked recently, Expedia was showing the Five-Star Marriott Bangkok Sukhumvit at a rate of $185 CAD per night. On that same date, the Four-And-A-Half Star Marriott Marquis in New York City was listed by Expedia at $367; double the price of the Bangkok hotel.
I had a marvellous visit to Thailand a few years ago with my daughter, sunning ourselves on the beach on Koh Samui and taking magical hikes and fabulous boat rides. We also toured Chiang Mai and rode elephants at the Four Seasons Tented Camp Golden Triangle.
On a more modest note, I had a wonderful stay in Malaysia two years ago, staying at the Equatorial Hotel in Penang and touring the cool streets of George Town, where you’ll find marvellous, old-world ambience and cool temples. The food in Malaysia is some of the best in the world, with delicacies such as laksa, a soup with noodles, Asian spices and chicken, and Char Kway Teow, a deeply flavourful noodle dish with shrimp and bean sprouts. The best one I tasted was in a food court and cost about $5 CAD.
The Big Buddha is a famous site on Koh Samui in Thailand.
I also had a great time in Singapore. I’d heard about it being a tightly controlled state and had read about the laws against chewing gum (lest one leave a mess on the sidewalk), and expected it be a bit sanitized. It’s not the wild west, or even Hong Kong, but I was impressed with the civility of the people and also by the variety of things to do; everything from great shopping to long hikes in urban parks and towering hotels with rooftop infinity pools.
I was even more impressed by the ethnic areas; large neighborhoods with Chinese temples and Indian religious shrines. The shopping is quite reasonable and varied, and the food at the so-called “hawker markets” was sensational. And cheap.
I had another trip to Dubai a few years ago, enjoying a camel ride in the desert and wandering the markets in the old town.
All great places. And now all the more attractive with Rogers’ Roam Like Home package.
THIS POSTING WAS SPONSORED BY ROGERS
Got a comment or question or a complaint? Email me: jim@jimbyerstravel.com
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