3 Shoes to bring to Vacations for men

Let's be honest, we put so little thought into what shoes to bring during vacation and it's no surprise fact that shoes make an outfit. So, do put some thoughts into what to pack into your precious space in your Rimowa suitcase. You may not care much about fashion but please be considerate and respectful to the well-heeled residents of the cities you visit who will be traumatised with your choice of attire or crocs.

1. Let's be realistic here, I'm not going to be pretentious and say you should bring a pair of proper dress shoes. You are on vacation and the last thing on your mind is put on a pair of uncomfortable shoes and more importantly, you do not want to damage the sole of your precious Church's shoes in a day with the amount of walking you do when you walk around your city of choice. Also, have you ever worn a dress shoes on a long flight? The size of your feet expands to the size of an elephant feet and your pair of shoes can no longer fit. Have you ever woken up to head to the breakfast buffet and have nothing to wear apart from your dress shoes and the last thing you want to do is dress up? Yep. which is why, your first shoes to bring is:

LanVIN SUEDE AND PATENT-LEATHER SNEAKERS

a comfortable pair of sneakers, but still makes an impact to show you care about fashion in a subtle way.You'll feel confident when you are shopping at Ginza and no one will think that you are too poor to be shopping here/does not belong. You can wear this pair during travel and you are guaranteed not to be mistaken for a drug dealer by customs and be given better service by the air crew. 

2. 

Oliver Spencer Loafers

For hanging at the cafe with trousers rolled up with bare ankles and this shoe is versatile enough to be worn with shirt and blazers for dressy/classy restaurants for the Michelin star restaurants you always wanted to visit. After dinner, you can always have a night cap and head to a classy bar and still look trendy and stylish.

3. 

A sports sneaker, a pair of shoes that can withstand squats you do at the morning workouts during your vacation. You're on vacation but still want to feel fit and guilt free while you eat all the delicious food the city have to offer. On alternate workout days, you can go on a run through city of Paris (if you are visiting Paris) and be amazed by the serenity of the city at 6am. 

Taipei

I was in whirlwind tour to Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and Taipei. I have been to Taipei 3 times this year but never got a chance to go out have a look. It was always meeting rooms - airports, but this time I arrived early and went to the once-tallest-building-in-the-world Taipei 101 to look around. I was pleasantly surprised with how fashionable some Taiwanese are - their shops are big, carries a big variety of men's collection (a sin many shops do for ONLY carrying Women's). I was particularly impressed with their Bottega store where the men's collection were stocked nicely and more impressed with the range of cool men's accessories they carry. 

bought myself a Bottega bracelet and a pair of Tod's boat shoes. 

Bangkok, Thailand

Bangkok - a city like no other. It's crazy, hustle bustle, dirty, unbearably hot and humid, insane traffic and hookers. That aside, it's famous for its tuk tuks, food, massages - although I'm trying to remember the last time I went for a Thai massage in Bangkok without being asked if I wanted a happy ending despite my efforts of only looking for establishments with clear signage of "no extra service" which has clearly proved to be a waste of time. 

 My colleagues and I went to their cooking school to learn how to cook their signature Tom Yum dish. I was surprised to learn that it's actually quite easy - well, provided you have the right ingredients.

 I  prepped this. 

 

End result - restaurant quality, right?

View from our restaurant of the temple. 

India

I have to admit India was never in my bucket list of places to visit - but don't you love it when you get to visit a place you never thought of visiting? The spontaneousity brings all the excitement in life.

I get to stay at The Leela Kempinski - Gurgaon in Delhi and I have to say it is the best hotel I've stayed in. The staff were meticulously groomed and interior handsome and chic. The Leela has hosted numerous notable guests such as Julia Roberts, David Cameron to Dalai Lama.

Love the geometric marble floor

The shower is quite spectacular - the rain shower is indeed a proper rain shower - it pours like a storm. 

The Hotel is home for one of the best Italian restaurant in Delhi, heck I live in Melbourne where Italian culture is plentiful but India is the place where I had my best Italian meal. 

 Entrance to the Taj

 Seeing Taj Mahal in person is quite a surreal experience, even though you have seen this image a thousand times in brochures, TV or magazine, nothing can prepare you as you see the building in person. It's true architectural genius work - a splendid piece of art, and a well-deserved title as the wonder of the world. It's attention to detail and perfect symmetric and its white marble against the serene sky line just makes the whole thing - perfection.   What makes it more amazing was in the midst of poverty and chaos in Agra - lies this majestic mausoleum.

India in its nature is very design centric and to imagine the entire thing was built and carved out of white marble is just amazing.

 Agra Fort is a landmark not to missed as well - It's pretty spectacular and is just 20+km from the Taj. I have not seen anything quite like it.

Japan 2012

I was in Japan & Korea three weeks ago, it's no secret Japan is my favourite country in the world. No other country in the world where I've travelled gave me the same feeling as Japan. In Japan, everything is perfection - their attention to detail and desire to make anything ceremonious is truly admirable. Every time I arrive in Japan, my first must-do spot is Ginza!

Only in Japan, you find artisan dedicated their lives to making perfect shoes and shoes selling for $700-900 a pop. 

Window display at Barney's New York at Ginza. 

Roof top cafe break. Yums! 

My favourite department store at Ginza- Matsuya Ginza had a fair with a disco twist with Hermes scarves.

Over the top but tasteful decor Bvlgari at Ginza

Hiroshima is one of the cities on my must-visit list and I've been fortunate enough to travel there this time around for work. I asked the taxi driver to stop by the Hiroshima Memorial Dome on the way to dinner and had a walk around. This structure was left as it is after the first ever atomic bomb was dropped on human mankind. The feeling was eerie and you can't help but reflect on the devastation it has caused to the people then and to this day.