Travelogue - Club Med, Bintan

Back to Club Med Bintan again after a long absence! I used to go there annually courtesy of my mom's company (family trips) but haven't gone in the past 4 years while I was at university. There always seemed to be some other event or other cropping up and preventing me from going. But I decided to go this year before my foray into the working world. 

Travelogue - Florence, Italy

If you haven't guessed by now, it's Italy time. Florence is impossible to not fall in love with. The city is so rich in the renaissance era. The city is scattered with various museums each specialising in a certain area. The Uffizi Gallery is one of the oldest Museums in Florence and is home to some of the most astounding pieces of art. I believe I took more than 3 hours to cover this whole museum. 

Hazy Days

It's really hazy here in Singapore right now. I feel as though I'm breathing in smoke. Been hiding out in aircon places.

Doesn't help that I'm still recovering from a cough. I hope the smog clears up or that it rains soon. Visibility is really bad. Even the buildings across the road (while still prominent as ever) look fuzzy.

And the real kick is, I'm off to Bintan over the weekend. I hope all is good over on that side. Yikes.

For current updates head on to the following link: http://www.nea.gov.sg/psi/

Trip Planning

I love planning trips. There's something so magical and exhilarating about planning your next destination and hunting down cheap hotel and flight deals.

There was this period of time after my exchange where I went through a withdrawal period and just randomly surfed travel sites in an attempt to find a good deal - even though I was in school and could not simply jet off to somewhere.

Anyhow, when planning a trip, I usually do the following:
1. Stare long and hard at my calendar trying to maximise my trip
2. Search skyscanner for cheap flights. And also check out a few of my favourite airlines to see if they have any offers. (I usually fly budget for short haul flights though.)
3. After coming flight dates, its time for booking.com, hostelword, hostelbookers and agoda.com to source for cheap, but yet good accommodation. Accommodation is so important in my opinion.
4. Search tripadvisor for must see places. Lonelyplanet works too.
5. Random google search to see what others have blogged about.

I also usually download wiki travel into my kindle for on the go information. Tripadvisor also has city guides which are really really useful!

Finally, I pre download the map into my phone because you don't need wifi for GPS. Works like a charm every time.

And to end off, here is a random photo that I took at Gardens by the Bay awhile back. 

Updates

As previously mentioned, probably last month, I was in Taiwan for 2 weeks for my graduation trip. A part of me still can't believe that I'm done with school and that I'll have to start work soon. I do hope that in spite of having to work, I'll still be able to cram in a little travel and exciting activities. Fingers crossed to see how the path ahead unfolds. I do have to work to get money to travel after all. Life.

I'll probably try to start writing more about places to visit in my lovely island city as well as my recent travels in Asia. I've probably covered more of Europe than Asia (shame on me, I know), but I'm hoping that that will change in the coming few years.

A few upcoming trips include a weekend trip to Club Med Bintan this weekend and another weekend trip to Bali come late August. I haven't been to Bali before and am pretty lost on what to do there, where to stay, places to see etc. I guess more research would be needed!

I'm hoping to be able to squeeze in a trip to somewhere in Dec, but plans for that will be on hold till I figure out my job situation. Till then, enjoy!

Travelogue - Pisa, Italy

Pisa is most well-known for the leaning tower of Pisa. I traveled down to spend a total of 4 hours in Pisa from Venice, on my way to Rome. The main lull of Pisa was of course the Leaning Tower. 

We took a walk through the town down to the tower from the train station. It gave me an opportunity to take in the sights and the town itself. And to my amazement, I came across a lovely river, that was so picturesque that I had to stop in my tracks, heavy backpack and all, to snap a few photos. 

Travelogue - Universal Studios Singapore, Singapore

I figured it was time that I wrote about this little island city that I reside in - the sunny island of Singapore. Singapore officially gained independence in 1965 after the world war, and a merger with Malaysia. Since then, the country has steadily developed over the years, and is now (i would say) fairly well-known globally.

While many may gripe about the cost of living, and lack of things to do in Singapore, at the end of the day, it's home. Home is where the heart is. Whenever I am overseas, I feel heartened when I hear someone with a Singaporean accent.

Anyways, as you may know, in the past few years, Singapore has built two integrated resorts, with Sentosa playing home to a Universal Studios theme park (USS). I have been to USS several times, and I love this place - despite its pricey entrance fee.

Travelogue - Budapest, Hungary

Budapest was my first foray into Eastern Europe. I flew down to Budapest from Stockholm, and I must admit that I experienced a bit of a culture shock. While the streets of Stockholm were lined with old buildings that looked well preserved, and a sense of comfortable affluence, Budapest was the opposite. People there dressed differently, and the streets had people seeking for kind donations. Buildings weren't as brightly coloured and more draper.