[Update] QUESTION 5 (16th May 2012)
It's time for the final questions of our AWESOME TVC Contest! Are you ready to win AWESOME prizes? Answer us this :

Question 5: Give us 4 reasons AirAsia is Awesome based on our AWESOME TVC!

It's now time to compile all the 5 questions and answer the slogan :

SLOGAN: Give us a 5th reason as to why AirAsia is AWESOME to you in not more than 20 words!

Email all your answers to facebook@airasia.com before 20th May 2012 23:59 pm (GMT+8)!

Want to know the answer and how to win? Check out our blog entry below and watch our AWESOME TVC!

Good luck! :-)

[Update] QUESTION 4 (9th May 2012)
Could the NUMBER FOUR be your lucky number? It's time for the 4th Question for our Awesome TVC Contest.

Make sure you pay attention and compile the 5 questions!

Question 4: I say "Crew only". What's below me?

Want to know the answer and how to win? Check out our blog entry below and watch our AWESOME TVC!

Good luck! :-)

[Update] QUESTION 3 (2nd May 2012)
It's time for QUESTION No. 3 :-) Get ready 'cause here it comes!

Make sure you pay attention and compile the 5 questions!

Question 3: You see me twice. I get loaded on-board once. What am I?

Want to know the answer and how to win? Check out our blog entry below :-)

Good luck!

[Update] QUESTION 2 (25th April 2012)
It's time for QUESTION No. 2 :-) Are you ready for it? :-)

Make sure you pay attention and compile the 5 questions!

Question 2: I’m entertaining others by playing a chord. How many bags do I have?

Want to know the answer and how to win? Check out our blog entry below :-)

Good luck!

[Update] QUESTION 1 (18th April 2012)
It's time for QUESTION No. 1 :-) Make sure you pay attention and compile the 5 questions!

Question 1: I'm soft and huggable, what am I?

Want to know the answer and how to win? Check out our blog entry below :-)

Good luck!

AWESOME AIRASIA TVC CONTEST

AWESOME! We've turned 10 and to celebrate, we've released a brand new Awesome TVC! Check it out and stand a chance to win some AWESOME prizes.

All you have to do is answer 5 simple questions (1 will be released every week, and well they're not all THAT simple) to win! Here's the catch: the answers are hidden within the TVC!

AWESOME prizes are up for grabs!

1st Prize: 3 x Two (2) return flights to any AirAsia destinations* from winner's point of origin**. (*Only point to point destination; **Point of origin must be served by AirAsia)

2nd Prize: 3 x One (1) exclusive QPR Goodie Bag worth RM500 each

3rd Prize: 3 x One (1) Exclusive Caterham F1 Team Goodie Bag worth RM200 each

Consolation Prizes: 5 x One (1) classic AirAsia caps autographed by Tan Sri Tony Fernandes and Dato Kamarudin Meranun

How to Win?
1) Be a fan of AirAsia Facebook @ www.facebook.com/AirAsia
2) Watch the AWESOME AIRASIA TVC
3) Wait for the Question of the Week to be released on www.blog.airasia.com every Wednesday at 2:00pm (GMT+8)
4) Compile all 5 questions and answer the slogan below

"AirAsia is AWESOME because…." (in less than 20 words)

5) Submit your name, contact, email and passport number along with answers to facebook@airasia.com

*HINT: Watch the TVC again and again and again! The more you watch, the more chances of spotting the answers! Send it to your friends to help out because even if you have the same answers, you may have a stronger winning slogan!

Stay tuned for QUESTION No. 1 coming up soon on Wednesday 18 April 2012 @ 2pm (GMT+8)! Remember to watch this space for the latest Question of the Week!

Contest Period: 18th April 2012 – 20 May 2012
Winners Announcement: 23 May 2012

For Terms and Conditions, read more. (read more...)

Who would've thought that this amazing scenery is located in New South Wales, Australia?

Not a scene from movie, the resplendent Blue Mountains is located just a mere 90 minutes drive from Sydney and it is Australia's most accessible wilderness!

It is not an exaggeration when I tell you that the Blue Mountains literally transported me back in time to Jurassic era, with its untouched natural beauty (as if civilization never even set foot on) & its majestic scenery of a unique kind, which is no surprise that it is inscribed as UNESCO's World Heritage Site.

Now you may be wondering, why is the name Blue Mountains when it is so filled with lush greenery? The Blue Mountains derives its name from the blue halo caused by the oil released from the huge number Eucalyptus trees surrounding the mountains.

Upon reaching the Blue Mountains region, we drove to a hidden valley for some morning tea along with delicious Anzac biscuits and some Tim Tams! Of course, the scenery was just too beautiful that we couldn't help ourselves but to snap some "jump" shots :P

Right after our morning tea, we headed over to Wenworth Falls to get to Flat Rock for an amazing scenic view of the mountainous region. Standing right there and watching the beautiful scenery literally left us all speechless.

From there, we headed on to Scenic World Blue Mountains for some adrenaline rush - yup, we are going for sit on the world's steepest incline railway and to enter the Jurassic rainforest! And no, there were no dinosaurs if you are expecting one :P

Why would it be an adrenaline rush experience? Well, just imagine sitting on a roller-coaster ride without any safety harness strapped on and free-falling down a steep railway! Words cannot describe the kick I felt! Experience it yourself at Scenic World Blue Mountains!

After the exhilarating experience, we were brought to "float" on air! Yup, at 270 metres above ancient ravines and dazzling waterfalls, we rode on the Scenic Skyway on a 720 metre journey to view the Jurassic rainforests with a 360 degree bird's eye view on Three Sisters, Katoomba Falls and Mount Solitary.

That's not all, the ride also contains an electro-sceniglass floor which offers a breathtaking view through the glass cabin floor!

From Scenic World Blue Mountains, we headed to Koomurri Aboriginal Centre for an authentic and dynamic cultural experience where we were given an opportunity to watch the traditional indigenous dance by the friendly aborigines!

Easy to get to, impossible to forget is the perfect sentence to describe the Blue Mountains. I highly recommend it to you for a memorable visit!Thanks to our friendly and knowledgeable guides from Australian Wild Escape, the trip to the Blue Mountains was very enjoyable and at the same time, educational as they shared many useful history and facts along the journey :-)

So apart from seeing the scenic mountainous regions of New South Wales, visiting Taronga Zoo, climbing the Bridge, dining in Sydney Tower and watching an open air opera performance, what else is a must-visit in Sydney?

My answer would be Sydney Royal Easter Show! Hosted annually in Sydney Olympic Park, it is the largest annual event in Australia and an iconic showcase of Australian culture, heritage and excellence which combines innovation in agriculture, history, education and at the same time entertaining with a long history dated back to 1823!

From getting up-close with the cute farm animals, to an adrenaline rush experience on one of the scariest ride in Australia to enjoying a wide-range of delicious food while watching the spectacular event, the Easter Show has something for everyone from all walks of life and age!

Being in the Easter Royal Show brings back the child in me where as a kid, I used to visit Fun Fairs for the rides, performances and food. I visited the farmyard nursery where visitors get to touch and see many farm animals like sheep, donkeys, goats, chickens and even rabbits (we can pet the animals too!).

I also got to witness the wood-chopping championship known as "Wimbledon of Woodchopping" where contestants from all around Australia and even New Zealand compete in few categories where passion, power and precision are the key in winning. Being part of the spectators, we naturally cheered for the contestants from start till finish although we didn't really have a favourite!

My favourite part of the show would be the Sydney Royal Rodeo Series and RAS Stockmens' ride! Watching the rodeo series for the first time, I got to say, it is really exciting as we watched the riders on the back of the fast and furious animals where only the ultimate rider with the strength to stay on triumphs! Of course, we couldn't help but to wince out with a loud "OUCH" when the riders fell down from the animals!

The RAS Stockmens ride showcased the very foundation of Australia's rural heritage (the horses) and to celebrate the long and cherished relationship between the horse and the rider. It is truly a spectacular performance with a stirring musical display of synchronised horsemanships showcasing 24 stockmen, two five-in-hand CObb and Co coaches and 30-piece NSW Police Force Concert Band!

Shopaholics would love the show-bag pavilion where one can buy all kind of goodies bags at an incredible price and it is not just catered for kids (cartoon goodies are abundant!) but even for adults as there are goodies bags for both men and women, and not to mention food show-bags (for foodies like myself!).

It is impossible to experience, watch or try every single thing in the Easter Show in a day so if you plan to visit it next year, you can check out their website to plan your itinerary :-)

Check out more photos at AirAsia Facebook. If you missed out the earlier blogpost, you can read it here for Part 1 and here for Part 2 :-)

You too can have an awesome X-perience in Sydney as AirAsia X is flying 7 times weekly! Don't forget to grab our awesome low fares to Sydney @ www.airasia.com! Now everyone can fly X-tra long!

Cheers,
SP (AirAsia Social Media Team)

If someone asked me what's the best way to discover a city - my reply would probably be on foot or on a bicycle. However, in Sydney, never would I have ever imagined even in my wildest dreams, to be riding atop an actual Harley Davidson motorcycle! Awesome!

So as the day starts in the wee hours of the morning, I jumped on the magnificent bike (it's my first time on a Harley!) and the next thing I know, I am enjoying the cool breeze in my hair! I wasn't the one driving the magnificent beast but the professional, friendly and cool riders from Blue Thunder Downunder did.

We were picked up from our hotel in Old Sydney and from there, we donned the cool leather jackets and shades, hopped on the mighty cool ride and went on the ride of our lives!

As we rode through the sunny Sydney neighbourhood, my friendly rider Mr.P shared stories behind the oldest pub in Sydney (It's the Waterloo Pub if you want to check it out :-D), Kirribilli (Admiralty House, the official Sydney residence of the Governor-General of Australia) which means "good fishing spot" in Aboriginal language, and as we rode underneath the Harbour Bridge, interesting trivia such as how many workers it took to build the bridge.

Sadly, I couldn't take any notes on my iPhone during the ride (both my hands were occupied as I hung for dear life), or I would have been able to share even more stories!

It is really fun to discover Sydney on a Harley - it is exciting (going uphill was adrenaline rush for most of us!), interesting (Blue Thunder Downunder riders are all well-experienced and knowledgable about Sydney history, local and tourist attractions which make the ride absolutely entertaning and educational) and awesome (come on, riding on a Harley, feeling the breeze on your face - it's helluva awesome experience!). So fun that we wished the ride will never end!

We were dropped off at Manly Beach to experience a sporting activity that is quite synonymous with the Australians - surfing! We were scheduled to take our surfing lesson from Sydney's largest surf school - Manly Surf School! Interestingly, Manly is widely regarded as the the birthplace of Australian surfing, which meant we were going to learn surfing at the point where it began!

On another note, I've always had the impression that Surfers' Paradise in Gold Coast was the birthplace of surfing in Australia :-P

We met up with Chris and Sue - our surfing instructors, signed the "form" (have you ever felt so nervous while signing an indemnity form because it declared that if anything happens, the company is not responsible for it :P), donned the surfing school "uniform" (basically it is a Manly Surf School t-shirt which helps instructors to identify the students in the water), picked a surfboard suitable for our sizes, and off we go!

And here's where the hard work really begun.

Carrying (more like dragging) our surfboards for quite a distance was no easy feat. It was tiring dragging the surfboard to the spot where we will be taking our surfing lessons!

Upon reaching the spot, we were asked to sit in a circle where both Chris and Sue sat in the center explaining the basic surfing techniques like sleeping on the surfboard, how our hand and leg positions should be placed while in the water , how to hold our surfboards, how to push ourselves up and more. We were also given a safety briefing on how we should fall from our board - yup, there are ways to fall off from your surfboard for safety reasons.

So after the briefing, what's next but to head down to the water? We were given the assurance that it is not cold (it's autumn) but boy, was it icy cold! Brrrrrr! However, it did not deter me!

It was not easy trying to hold my surfboard while going against the waves. This was where I realized, geez, my stamina is really low! Still, it was really fun to lie down on the surfboard and just ride along the waves while trying to stand on my surfboard! After a few attempts, I managed to ride the surfboard - a happy success!

Surfing was really fun but I also learned that it was not as easy as it seemed (like many things in life) and the my safety as well as the others are also very important. As most of us were first timers, there were a couple of times that we collided - one surfboard collided with mine and I went underwater, got hit on my head and smacked surfboards at the same time. It was a big painful experience, not to mention, getting hit by the surfboards left a couple of bruises as memories :P

Now, a lot of you might might be wondering "what about shark attacks?" Actually, just right after our surfing lessons, there was a siren alarm with an announcement on shark sighting. The distance was really far off from the surfing area but for safety purposes, everyone was asked to get out of the water. Shark attacks are not common in Australia, though it was good to take precautionary measures such as swimming in-between the flags, to not swim too far away and to always pay attention to the lifeguards' announcements at all times.

Muscles aching after the surfing lesson, our next activities in the itinerary were less taxing. In fact, it was very relaxing and entertaining! We headed to Sydney Tower Buffet to enjoy the delicious buffet dinner accompanied by a breathtaking 360-degree view of Sydney, at 250metres above the city's streets!

The international buffet offers a wide variety of delicious cuisines from around the world and the must-try would be the Sydney Rock Oysters!Though smaller than usual oysters, Sydney Rock Oyster are very sweet and awesomely delicious too! The buffet also offered exotic cuisine, for example kangaroo meat and crocodile meat. Australia is probably one of the few countries in the world where you can consume their national animal. Want to know if I dared to try the exotic cuisine? You're going to have to guess the answer yourself :P

The night did not end here! Right after the delicious dinner, we headed over to Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour for a unique outdoor opera experience, La Traviata!

La Traviata tells a tragic love story told in spellbinding beautiful music, spectacular sets, dazzling lighting (imagine a 9-metre chandelier sparkling with Swarovksi elements crystals suspended above a purpose-built stage on the waters of Sydney Harbour, with Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge at the background).

That's not all - would you've imagined watching an opera and seeing spectacular fireworks at the same time? :-) It was my first time watching the opera and I must say, it was an experience for first-time opera-goers to watch it out in the open. Not to mention, the weather was pleasant too, which made it extra memorable!

Check out the photos at AirAsia Facebook! If you missed out on Part 1, click here for my experiences on Bridge Climb, Taronga Zoo and Sydney Showboats cruise!

Cheers,
SP (AirAsia Social Media Team)

April’s Fool 2012 was the best April’s Fool day spent for me as I joined AirAsia X's historic milestone - the D7 222 flight to Sydney! After 4 years of waiting, we are finally flying to Sydney – an absolutely amazing (and magical) journey for all of us at AirAsia!

From top left : Our A330 making its mark in Sydney; CEO of AirAsia X, Azran Osman-Rani with our lovely cabin crew making a special appearance on a cruise jet, "Do you believe in love at first flight?" - yes, I do! ; stamping my own X mark with Sydney Opera House :P

Lucky me, I got a chance to discover Sydney with Destination New South Wales who had kindly arranged a fantastic itinerary for us!

So what were my initial impressions of Sydney before heading over? Sydney Opera House, Sydney Harbour Bridge and the hot, good-looking lifeguards in Bondi Beach (The human me succumbed to temptations so easily :P). Now if you think that's all Sydney has to offer, get ready to hear the words "You are WRONG!" (Yup, in full caps, my furry friends). At least, that was what happened to me.

Okay, now let me share with you what Sydney has to offer!

Like any other visitor visiting Sydney, one of the must-dos would be visiting the iconic attractions such as the Sydney Harbour Bridge! And yes, that's what I did except I did not just visit the Bridge - I climbed it!

Sydney Harbour Bridge celebrated its 80th 'birthday' this year and if you visit Bridge Climb Sydney, you will get a chance to check out the many anniversary souvenirs and of course, take home the X-hilarating experience of the climb of your life!

Bridge Climb Sydney offers 3 types of climbing experience - the Express Climb (over 2 hours), the Discovery Climb (3.5 hours where you get to explore the inner workings of the Bridge) and the Bridge Climb (3.5 hours of uninterrupted view as you will climb the outer arch of the Bridge). We took "The Express Climb" due to time constraint but nevertheless it was an amazing experience! Prior to the climb, we were brought into the briefing room for a detailed safety procedure talk and then we were moved to the dressing room where we get suited up in the specially designed BridgeSuit suits for all weather conditions. We even get a wrist handkerchief just in case we want to wipe our sweat, which I soon found out that despite the rather cold weather, I would desperately need it for my future 'cold sweat moments'.

Because....

I wasn't sure if I have acrophobia (fear of heights) but I have to admit, the Bridge stood so majestically (and intimidatingly) tall at 134 metres! I told my Climb Leader Chris about it and he asked me some basic questions such as if it was diagnosed (I never knew that it could be diagnosed LOL!), was it just a gut feeling, etc. He assured me that I'll be fine, plus I am connected to the Bridge throughout the entire climb to ensure my safety, security and comfort.

Well, better safe than sorry:-)

Now, back to the climb. We started off our journey from the inner bridge and slowly made our way upwards to the breathtaking view of Sydney!

The Bridge Climb was the best experience to experience Sydney from an uninterrupted horizon - where we climbed past the busy highways and blue water underneath us, gazed at the Sydney Opera House, Luna Park or waved enthusiastically (a little too much) to the tourists on cruise boats! Our experienced Climb Leader Chris also shared many interesting facts about the Bridge, the history of Sydney and its surroundings.

I was so fascinated by the view that it literally took my mind off my acrophobic worries (apparently I don't have them). Nothing beats the sense of achievement and awe when we reached the top for the 360-degree view of Sydney!

A few of us were tempted to shout "WE ARE ON TOP OF THE WORLD!" but our enormous pride stopped us :P

In case you're wondering why there were no photos on the Bridge Climb, that is because we were not allowed to bring our cameras for safety reasons, but Chris took photos of us! After the photo session, we then crossed over to the left side of the Bridge to descend.

Look at the amazing view on top of the Bridge! We get to see Sydney in 360 degrees view- an experience not to be missed!

Next stop, up-close and personal with animals in Taronga Zoo!

We took the Sydney Ferry ride from Circular Quay to Taronga Zoo and met up with Ben and Gabe (Australian Widlife Keeper). Our fun journey continues!

We were given a rare tour of the zoo's kitchen where they prepared food for the 2,660+ "residents" and to meet our first zoo "friend"! Meet Seamus, a feather tail glider whose sleep was interrupted by our visit (thank goodness, it wasn't throwing any tantrum :P). A couple of us laughed because we have a colleague by the name of Seamus in office!

We were also given a short briefing on how the food was tediously prepared, the routines and the animals in the zoo. Although we feel heavy hearted to bid Seamus good-bye, we had to move on because we are going to meet more furry and non-furry "friends"!

From top left : Seamus the feather tail glider; Gabe (Australian Wildlife Keeper) with Rudy the porcupine; in Taronga Zoo we can get even have a chance to pet animal or view them up-close and personal!

We were given a tour around the zoo where we got to meet the animals at a close range such as the thunderbird, giraffes, quakka (a member of wallaby kangaroo family), tree kangaroo (never thought there was such a species! They climb and sleep on top of the trees), Rudy the porcupine (again, laughter was all around because we also have a colleague by the name of Rudy! And to our surprise, the porcupine's fur or pricks are not as hard as it had always seemed!) and last but not least, the lovable koalas!

Although the koalas were asleep, we were given a chance to get close to them. Trust me, all of us were really refraining ourselves from cuddling the sleeping koalas! They are just too adorable! I think the animals in Taronga Zoo get the best views of all zoos in the world because some of them get to see the Sydney Waterfront, the Sydney Tower, the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Sydney Opera House!

As we left catch the ferry for our next "appointment", we had to bid farewell to our new "friends" with a heavy heart.

So our next destination lets us experience Sydney atop a cruise! We went onboard Sydney Showboats for a lovely 3 hour dinner cruise filled with unique and spectacular entertainment and night view of the city. That's not all; we laughed till our stomach hurts all thanks to Mr Showboat, Jack Black who entertained us with his stand-up comedian jokes! And we were also treated to an extravagant international show featuring Australian showgirls who have danced their way from the Moulin Rouge!

From top left : Boarding the Sydney Showboats; if it's your birthday, you will get a special treat!; bring home the memory with a special photo on-board Sydney Showboats; night view of Sydney Harbour Bridge

Prior to the dinner, we were given a chance to go upper deck to enjoy the night view of Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge. The night view was simply gorgeous and some of us couldn't help but stand on the bars and shout "I'm the king of the world" ala Titanic style :-P

Check out more photos at http://on.fb.me/JRr4rb and stay tuned for Part 2 :-)

Cheers,
SP (AirAsia Social Media Team)

This article was published in Travel3Sixty April issue and is written by Donnie Sinongco.

There are two things I am certain of. One: Not everyone has heard of Surat Thani. Two: For those who’ve visited Koh Pha Ngan and Koh Samui, Surat Thani is nothing but a transit point to the said islands. I haven’t backpacked for the longest time and so, my buddy and I decided to revisit our then-pastime. Luckily, AirAsia introduced Surat Thani as its latest destination recently. However, the flight commencement date didn’t coincide with our intended date of travel. Hence, we decided to take a train there but chose to return with AirAsia. We took the train from Kuala Lumpur to Butterworth in Penang. Then, we hopped onto a Thai train that took us to Surat Thani. After a total of 18 hours by railway, we arrived at this small town in South Thailand.

Instead of heading straight to the town, we decided to visit the outskirts first. Our first destination was Khao Sok National Park, a sprawling rainforest with a rich ecosystem. The park is roughly a two-hour drive from Surat Thani train station. We took an air-conditioned bus heading to Phuket to get to the park. Getting to the resort was equally exciting as it was located quite deep in the forest. There is a good selection of resorts to spend a night or two in the park. Our choice was Our Jungle Tree House. The resort was aptly named as the accommodation was designed to look like tree houses. Sitting almost 10 meters high, the units offered breathtaking views of the forest. Flanked by a towering limestone cliff on one side, the stay in this tree house was pure bliss, as we were serenaded by the sounds coming from a nearby stream and various species of birds frolicking in the cool forest breeze.

Having enjoyed the stay in the forest and in a tree house, we returned to Surat Thani late in the afternoon a few days later. Timing was perfect as we arrived to witness the battle of the setting sun against the rising moon.

If Bangkok has the Chao Praya River, Surat Thani has the Tapee River, where you can view the sunset, or walk along its banks and enjoy the relaxed atmosphere. The streets of this town come alive in the evening with night markets selling all sorts of stuff. There are also some small shopping malls but the entire stretch of Namuang Road is enough to satisfy even the most ardent shopaholic. It is also very easy get about in this town to visit its attractions.

The must-see landmark in the central district is the Phra Borom That Chaiya. The intricate roof and elaborate design on this temple building is testament to the deeply religious outlook of the Thai people. There are several other wats and Chinese temples around, a sign that this place has a good mix of Chinese and Thai who live in harmony.

A primary reason why travelers may miss the chance of exploring this southern province is that the town and its surrounding attractions have not been well publicized in the recent past. Before coming to Surat Thani, I too was ignorant of the place. Thankfully, with the arrival of AirAsia to this region, Surat Thani is finally opening up its treasures to the world and will no longer be a mere stopover.

GETTING THERE AirAsia flies three times a week to Surat Thani, Thailand from Kuala Lumpur. Go to www.airasia.com for details.