We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit. —Aristotle
I fly because it releases my mind from the tyranny of petty things. —Antoine de Saint-Exupery
MALAYSIA — Congratulations to AirAsia Group boss Tony Fernandes of Malaysia and his business partner, the Philippines’ undisputed “Juice King” Alfredo “Fred” M. Yao. On Dec. 7, I was one of the guests on the inaugural flight Z2 511 of budget airline AirAsia Zest from Manila’s Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 4 to Miri City in the Sarawak state of Malaysia, which took only two hours and 20 minutes.
Manila is the second international direct flight destination for Miri City, the first being direct flights to Singapore. AirAsia Zest chief operating officer Joy Caneba said this new flight route is not only significant for tourism and trade, the four flights every week will help make traveling so much easier for numerous overseas Filipino workers in east Malaysia and Brunei.
United Daily News publisher Sim Yong Liang said Miri City is an ideal, affordable, fun, relaxing and safe tourist destination due to its lush primary forests ideal for jungle trekking, like Niah national park, with its prehistoric human remains, and the UNESCO World Heritage site Mulu Caves, Lambir Hills waterfalls and wildlife, scuba diving, delicious food, colorful and diverse cultures and different ethnic groups.