Travelogue - Rothenburg Ob Der Tauber

Fairy Tale Town was the first thought that flashed through my head when I chanced upon photos of Rothenburg. "I have to figure out how to get there" was the next though that followed. Turned out getting there from Nuremberg was a piece of cake. Hence, another day trip ensued.

Travelogue - Zugspitz; Top of Germany

Conquered the highest peak in Germany in October 2015. I didn't exactly climb to the top of it... rather, I got there by cable car. Froze my butt off that day but the view more than made up for it. 

Located a few hours away from Munich, Zugspitz was an easy day trip. It was -1 degrees the day we went and there were scatters of snow, which I feel added to the magic of the mountain. 

Travelogue - Ireland, Cliffs of Moher

Have barely touched my Europe trip for last year and I'm already done with my second trip. Just last week, I found myself in the gorgeous country of Ireland for the last few days. Took a day trip out to the cliffs of moher and was super blessed with good weather. Aka the mo(t)her of all cliffs. Lol 

Travelogue - Mt Bromo, Indonesia

It has just dawned upon me on how many backdated trips I have! I heard about Mt. Bromo from a friend the the photos were out of this world. So I decided to take a trip there to satisfy my curiosity about the place. 

The journey there started with a flight to Surabaya before our driver picked us up at the airport. From there.. it was a 4-5 hour drive to Mt. Bromo. 

Travelogue - Ho Chi Minh

Spent a night and half a day in HCM city, which was just the right amount of time to satisfy all my Vietnamese food cravings. 

When I look back at all the photos of food I took, I can't believe we ate that much. 😂 

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. 

Travelogue - Bangkok

The last time I went to Bangkok, was 12 years ago. When I went to Bangkok in November 2014, I returned to a completely different city. In recent years, I'd been hearing about the tantalising food and fantastic shopping that the city had to offer. So I decided, why not head back to see how Bangkok has changed?

I didn't really do much site seeing this trip - another excuse in my opinion to head back. All we did was eat and shop and take morning swims in our lovely hotel pool. It was a short and lovely getaway from everything.

Travelogue - Sydney

Sydney happened in July 2014. I'm horribly behind time in updating this space. I've always wanted to visit Sydney, but instead always ended up in other Australian states. So when I finally bought my ticket, I was hyped.

To me, Sydney holds a wonderful balance between the fast paced city life and the slower paced country side. Head to the city's business district and you'll see businessmen in suits walking around, the mandatory cup of coffee in hand. You'll see people of all walks of life hurrying about their daily life.

Travelogue - Blue Mountains, Sydney

Before heading to Sydney in July, I asked around for recommendations and everyone said I had to visit Blue Mountains. Some recommended tours, others said to head there on my own. In the end, we decided to make our own way there, and Blue Mountains did not disappoint. 

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. 

Travelogue - Great Wall of China

In April, I visited China for the first time. China's only a few hours away from Singapore, and yet I've never given much thought about visiting it. 

Prior to my trip, I did have certain apprehensions. Was I going to be able to communicate with the locals in my halting Mandarin? Would the city be crowded and jam packed with people? Were the people there friendly? More importantly, what was the toilet situation like. I honestly did not know what to expect. Nonetheless, I decided to ultimately toss my worries aside and conquer the Forbidden City. 

I visited the Great Wall on my second day in Beijing, which was a Friday. Luckily for us, it wasn't too crowded, but there were lots of children on school trips. After much research and deliberation (because of transportation and communication issues) we decided to head to the Mutianyu Section of the wall. 

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.

Edinburgh; Scottish Charm

It dawned upon me that I've yet to write about Edinburgh. 

A city where every cobbled turn takes you to yet another precious sight. Edinburgh was a spur of the moment decision. I love everything that has to do with the UK. But Edinburgh, opened up a whole new dimension of awe and appreciation in me. 

Edinburgh is by far one of the most charming cities I've set foot in. The vibe, the history, the Scottish brogues and the friendly locals. Even the weather was beyond beautiful.  

Travelogue - La Sagrada Familia, Barcelona

Before I went to Spain, I had never even heard of Gaudi. I must admit that I did not have much exposure to the world of art. Sure, I knew who all the famous people where, and I'd heard of all the famous paintings. But I just didn't get it. And it did take effort and a lot of understanding on my part, before I was able to appreciate the beauty behind an art piece. Sometimes I still struggle, but I'm slowly learning. 

If you venture into the city of Barcelona, his structures are everywhere. Buildings have been designed to reflect nature. When I first saw Sagrada Familia, I was in awe. I stopped in my tracks, the admire the size and grandeur of it. 

Travelogue - Granada, Spain

To be honest, prior to my trip to Granada, I had never even heard of this city. To date, its one of the cities in Spain that I look back upon with fond memories. Now, while I was on exchange, I was some sort of a lazy traveller - at the beginning at least. Planning is one important skill that I learnt on exchange - it's so important to always be prepared for a new city. But I digress. 

Although the city is small, it is beyond charming. I especially loved the alley ways where you could stroll down and look at stores displaying their wares - this resulted in a myriad of vibrant colours everywhere I looked. 

Travelogue - Madrid, Spain

I first started this blog as a way to slowly pen down on my exchange memories and for it to serve as a platform for me to look back on photos. I have too many on Facebook. Its much easier to look through a few that represent what the city is to me. While I'm struggling to find time to continuously pen down my thoughts because of my increasing work load, when I do find time to do so, its like taking a little trip down memory lane. It instils a yearning so strong. Day after day, I wished that I had the resources or the opportunities to simply book an air ticket to see more of the world. But till that day comes (if ever) I shall settle for my sporadic trips down memory lane.

My first stop in Spain was to the capital city of Madrid. I must say that I was expecting more from Madrid. Shopping wise, its lovely. But I'm not much of a shopper. 

Maybe we didn't plan our stay in Madrid properly, or maybe the city was not for me. Nonetheless, there were places that had their appeal. Photo below was taken while randomly strolling around the city.

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 - Kutná Hora, Czech Republic

While in Prague, we took a day trip out to the town of Kutná Hora. It was a simple train ride away! 

A little background information. Kutná Hora was previously a mining town. The city has now been declared a UNESCO World Heritage site because of several buildings there. 

And here are some of the places I visited. 

First up was Sedlec Ossuary. I unfortunately can't find the photos I took of the interior! (Do a google search!) But its a Roman Catholic church that contains up to 70,000 skeletons. While a little daunting to be inside, it's definitely worth a visit. 

However, I did manage to find a picture I took of the cemetery behind the church.