Pan Pacific Hotel Singapore

In mid-October 2009, I was one of the panel speakers in a big international conference, the Pacific Rim Policy Exchange mainly organized by the Americans for Tax Reforms (ATR, US), Property Rights Alliance (PRA, US), International Policy Network (IPN, UK) and about two more free market think tanks.Venue was the Pan Pacific Hotel Singapore. The organizers paid for my plane fare and hotel, no honorarium but no problem because the hotel was really fantastic.

Below are photos from the hotel website. I think I was able to go to the rooftop restaurant, the protruding round shape at the top of the hotel, just for a sight seeing :-)

Succeeding photos are from my camera phone. Sorry, low resolution. Inside that huge structure is a hollow or open space, one can see almost all aisles of the hotel. The glass elevator also allows the passengers to have a look at all the floors and aisles, nice. Bottom right is a lobby restaurant.

These are the views from my room, the giant wheel I think can be seen from the other side, not from my room.

Finally, my room, really nice. Since my hotel was already paid for, including transport to and from the airport, and Cebu Pacific fares were cheap, I brought my wife and daughter, Elle Marie, then 3 years old. She enjoyed the pool but I never had the chance to take a dip. Whenever I go to a conference and I'm a speaker, I just work-work-work, or join all the activities outlined by the organizers.

There is also a Pan Pacific Hotel here in Manila but I haven't been there yet. That's the irony :-)

Taiwan 2: Evergreen Laurel Taipei Hotel

As I posted in Taiwan Skyways last November 20, 2011, it was my first time to visit Taiwan. I went there as one of the panel speakers of the Conference of Generic Drugs Asia (CGDA) 2011 sponsored by the Pharmaceutical Society of Taiwan and the Federation of Asian Pharmaceutical Associations (FAPA).

They put us in Evergreen Laurel Taipei Hotel, http://evergreen-taipei.hotel.com.tw/eng/. The staff are very friendly and courteous, they also speak good English. These photos are from the hotel website.

These photos below I took myself. The main lobby, then elevator. The lobby is not very big but spacious enough to assemble a group. And I like the mirrors in the elevators.

This is the main restaurant in the 2nd floor for the buffet breakfast. Nice food. Lower photo is the wine/beverage section.

Finally, my room. I liked it, especially the complimentary internet, fast connection. As usual, I didn't have time to watch tv, I read and write as much as I can, then sleep :-)

Overall, I like my stay in this hotel. Thanks to FAPA and the PST which sponsored my trip (plane fare + hotel).

Ronald Reagan National Airport, Arlington, Virginia

I've been to Washington DC twice, in May 2004 then November 2009, both on events organized by the Atlas Economic Research Foundation and they gave me a travel scholarship. The airport is not big, the important thing is that it was named after one of America's greatest Presidents.

Above photos I got from web, below and succeeding photos I took last November 13, 2009. Upon entering the airport, there isn't much to see, just go to your airline to check in, then walk not far to your boarding gate.

Euro Cafe, this seems to be the most visible food shop in that part of the terminal near my boarding gate.

I was thankful to a friend way back in UP in the 80s, Dr. Butch Arroyo, who teaches at the Johns Hopkins University in DC. He hosted me for 2 nights each in 2004 and 2009 in his house in Alexandria, Virginia. These are my short side trips after my conferences in DC area.