Friendship Travels: Singapore & Bangkok Revisited
Backstory The original plan for my homecoming in March 2026 was ambitious: to spend Holy Week exploring the Caucasus, crossing borders from Azerbaijan to Armenia and Georgia. But travel rarely goes exactly as planned, and this time, circumstances forced a reroute: Visa hurdles : Azerbaijan required a pre-approved visa through its embassy in Manila, impossible for me since I was living and working in Papua New Guinea. Mixed approvals : My travel companion, Kuya Louver, was denied entry to Georgia but managed to secure his Armenian visa. Global disruptions : The war in the Middle East shut down surrounding international airports, including our planned connections through Saudi Arabia and Dubai. With the Caucasus plan scrapped, we pivoted. And so, my “Friendship Travels” of 2026 found new life in Singapore and Bangkok, Thailand. Singapore: A Whirlwind 36 Hours Singapore wasn’t originally on the itinerary—it was a spontaneous addition. While browsing online, I discovered Cirque du Soleil’s...