Travelogue - Mui Ne, Vietnam

Mui Ne has been on the back of my mind since a friend told me about it a few months ago. Something about the endless sand dunes and mystical fairy springs stayed with me. 

A few weeks ago, I flew to HCM and hopped onto a sleeper bus straight from the airport to head to this lovely fishing village. 

Travelogue - Sapa

While in Hanoi, my friend and I decided to do an 2 day trip to Sapa. We took an overnight train there and a bus back to Hanoi. It was a definite experience - Sapa was so cold and foggy in February. It added a sense of mystery while we were exploring the area. I also got to experience riding a bike up and down the winding roads of the mountain while getting caught in a hailstorm! 

Travelogue - Hanoi

Hanoi was a spur of the moment trip in Feburary 2015. Went there to visit a friend who brought me around on her motobike - which was scary as hell for the first few days because traffic there is crazy! The weather was nice and cooling and flowers were in full bloom as spring was on it's way. 

Winter Wonderland - Singapore Style

Visited Gardens by The Bay with a friend earlier in December to check out their Winter Wonderland. Since it's Christmas and all, I'm just going to post photos. 

Taken inside the flower dome where I absolutely loved the temperate - oh, and of course the decorations too. Please pardon the snowman spam. 

Travelogue - Beijing, Sights & Sounds

In April, I found myself on a plane, heading to Beijing. I was filled with anxiety because to put it simply, my Mandarin has deteriorated after years of not using it. Thankfully, the recesses of my brain still kept hold of all the words and phrases drilled into my throughout my years of education. 

We spent the first day exploring the Silicon Valley of Beijing and roaming around. There were no concrete plans due to our lack of sleep (oh, night flights). 

On one night, we decided to check out the Olympic stadiums before dinner, and there were a sight to behold! They were in their lighted glory with crowds trying to snap photos of them. 

Istanbul Crossroads

The crossroads of Europe and Asia. My stay in Turkey was a definite eye-opener. Istanbul is a melting pot. I have such lovely memories associated with this country. When I read of the latest news about Turkey banning Youtube and Twitter, it makes me sad because Turkey has the potential to charm the world - with its history, people and unassuming charm.

Travelogue - Bali, Indonesia

Bali is only a two and a half hour flight away from Singapore and yet, this was the first time that I'd been there. I was really excited about going to Bali as prior to the trip, I had seen many beautiful pictures of the island, and read about all the good food there. 

Travelogue - Taiwan, Day 11 (Taichung)

On the second day in Taichung, we set out to explore the Tung Hai University and the city centre. The highlight was the Luce Memorial Chapel - which was unique because of its architecture. The journey to the university didn't take long, and we got to enjoy some sights along the way. Traveling in Taichung is really easy, because the buses provide the stop names in both English and Chinese. We had a data plan which also came in useful at times. 

Travelogue - Taiwan, Day 10, A little bit of Feng Jia

Woke up to a beautiful day! The sky was blue, the breeze just right. We didn't have much to do in the morning so we sat around the hotel's courtyard, taking in the sunshine, and enjoying a good read. This was our designated traveling day. 

Travelogue - Taiwan, Day 9 (CingJing Farm)

After a night at Sun Moon Lake, we headed further up the mountains to CingJing farmlands. The nice cool weather was a welcomed relief from the hot humidity of Kaohsiung. We took a taxi up to save time! The drive up was scenic, and enjoyable, although I did fall asleep - I'm like that in cars. Once we stepped out of the taxi, it was like stepping into a fairytale. We were surrounded by greenery and clouds. To add to the magic of it all, there were adorable sheep all around, grazing as though they had naught a care in the world.  

Travelogue - Taiwan, Day 8 (Sun Moon Lake)

One of the highlights of my Taiwan trip was our visit to Sun Moon Lake. I had done some research, and been wowed by the lovely pictures online. As a scenery lover, I could not wait to soak in the beauty of this lake. To my dismay, it was raining the day we went to Sun Moon Lake. The lake was shrouded in fog, and the weather, wet and cold.

Travelogue - Taiwan, Day 7 (Fo Guang Shang Monastery)

Back with yet another day trip out of Kaohsiung. We took a bus out of the city to Fo Guang Shan Monastery. I found it really interesting to just soak in the sights and atmosphere of the monastery. It was a real change from the cathedrals I had visited in Europe. I found the buddha statues really (for lack of a better word) extravagant. The monastery was peaceful and calming, set atop a hill. 

Travelogue - Taiwan Day 6, Kaohsiung

Second day of my travels in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. We found ourselves waking up to a bright, sunny day. Kaohsiung is much more humid as compared to Taipei! We decided to spend the day exploring Lotus Lake, and boy was the lake huge. 

Travelogue - Taiwan Day 4, Taipei

Fourth day of Taiwan! We spent the day exploring some of the famous sights in Taipei itself. Our first stop was Taipei 101! The tallest building in Taiwan, and a sight to behold. Had to scurry around trying to find decent photo angles to get a nice shot of this building.