You either love it, or hate it; Hello China, BEIJING.

The first thing that strikes you when you step foot on the roads of Beijing, you thank Singapore government for the ERP and COE because the traffic jam is terrible! Not forgetting the noise and air pollution. But you've got to admire them for their patience on the road. Once you put down your frustration, you will slowly realise the beauty of ancient and modern China, how they fit in perfectly together.

Being there with my secondary school on an exchange programme, the schools there awed me. The students have so much discipline that we're kind of ashamed of ourselves. Be it mass morning exercise or during lessons, they are all so diligent!

Beijing University, being 1 of the top 10 universities in the world, the campus is amazing. The students told us that during winter, their pond/lake becomes an ice skating ground literally!

What's travelling in Beijing without experiencing the Great Wall of China? The sight of it is breathtaking. Being on it feels like the top of the world. On my way up, I can't help but give full credits to those who have devoted their lives to this master piece.

Another "must-not-miss" place in Beijing is the Forbidden Kingdom. The authority opens up a small area of the palace for tourism purposes, however it is magnificent enough. If you go missing within the compound, you probably need hours before you are able to find your way out. Yes, it is THAT big. To protect the antiques within, the internal areas are out of bound to tourists.




Tell me what's being in China without trying the Peking Duck? Totally fat & juicy. BUT, why the skin and not the meat?!

To round it up, if you love the talents and appreciate the art work of ancient China, Beijing is city worth travelling to. Trust me, it will not just be another holiday trip.

I’m going to bring our readers to Kyoto.

Kyoto is a place where you would fall in love with it!! It is suitable for people who enjoy minimum level of shopping and loves sightseeing.

Some background information about Kyoto. There are 17 properties of World Heritage Sites located in Kyoto Prefecture.

Here we go…

We manage to cover 9 world heritage sites within our 2 days stay in Kyoto.

Day 1 in Kyoto

We visited Ginkaku-ji Temple (銀閣寺), Shimogamo-jinja Shrine (下鴨神社), Kamigamo-jinja Shrine (上賀茂神社), Kinkaku-ji Temple (金閣寺) and Ryoan-ji Temple (龍安寺).

Our first stop was Ginkaku-ji Temple (銀閣寺). Sad to say that it was under renovation!!


Second stop was Shimogamo-jinja Shrine (下鴨神社) which is one of the oldest shrines in Kyoto.



Third stop was Kamigamo-jinja Shrine (上賀茂神社). Together with Shimogamo-jinja Shrine, they are known as Kamo Shrine.



Fourth stop was Kinkaku-ji Temple (金閣寺). Thumbs up for this world heritage site!

Last stop for the day was Ryoan-ji Temple (龍安寺). Another thumb up for this site!

Day 2 in Kyoto

We visited Tenryu - ji Temple (天龍寺), Ninna - ji Temple (仁和寺), Nijo-jo Castle (二条城) and Kiyomizu - dera Temple (清水寺).

Our first stop was Tenryu - ji Temple (天龍寺).

Second stop was Ninna - ji Temple (仁和寺). By the time we reach there, the temple was closed for the day.




Third stop was Nijo-jo Castle (二条城).

Our last stop was Kiyomizu - dera Temple (清水寺).





Personally I would definitely recommend Kyoto to anyone who loves sightseeing and a 3 days stay is more appropriate if you would like to cover all world heritage sites. Just to take note that most of the shrines and temples closed between 4.30 to 5.00 pm.

Travel 2.0

Labels: Travel 2.0 (Japan)

The safety drill when we got on board! We were shown how to open the life jackets and all, but nobody was paying attention. :(

It was already night time when we boarded the ship, so we didnt have much time to really walk around and all. We had our first supper at the Mediterranean, which is a buffet-style restaurant which is free for all. There are various other restaurants in the ship, and you have to pay additional charges when you dine at some of these restaurants.

Our very first meal on board!

The view from our seats was spectacular, with the breeze and all. It was heaven on earth. :D

At 3am in the morning, WE WENT FOR A KARAOKE SESSION! It was $60 for an hour, with drinks and snacks. About $10 per person.. Quite ex, but the experience is one of a kind. The pictures decorating the room were quite orbid orpiang with pictures of like Andy Lau 20 years ago and some unknown stars who have probably left the entertainment scene. The songs were quite new though, so we didn't have any complaints against that. Heh heh.

Look at the photo on the wall.

Cosy room for 5 or more.

The cruise trip is not just about fun and games and running wildly against the wind on the top deck, there were also lectures and lessons. We had tutorial questions to answer and various lectures to attend to know more about the workings behind the scenes.

yay lesson time.

One of the most extravagant meals we had on board the ship was the one at Bella Vista, where we had to wear formal and enjoy fine-dining. We looked quite out of place because there were many other people just wearing a tee and jeans, but there were 70 plus of us wearing formal together, so it was okay.

The food at Bella Vista! Tempted? :D

We had LOADS of fun for this trip, and we learnt a lot too, through the lectures and the tour around the kitchens of the restaurants. We could not stop raving about the cruise trip, and we have decided that we WANT to go on SuperStar Virgo again. Yeahhhhh. Before I end this entry off, here's the ONLY photo which I bought from the cruise out of all the photos with the mascots.

YEAHHHHH. That's all. Long entry eh?

Travel 2.0

Labels: Travel 2.0 (Star Cruise Virgo)

Hong Kong, a place where you can get good food and cheap stuff at real good prices. I went there mainly for two reasons. One, to visit my brother who is currently studying there and also to take a look at what this beautiful country has to offer.

I was greeted by mother nature once I landed. A picturesque view of mountains and trees was laid out right in front of me and immediately it took my breath away because Singapore does not have such a great scene to offer.

The 4D3N stay was exciting for me because there was much to explore and with my brother around as tour guide, losing our way was pretty impossible. To me, the best part about the travelling is always the food. In Hong Kong, the portions given were huge and for most of the times I could not finish it. If any of you were to go Hong Kong, I would strong suggest that you try the Preserved Lemon with Sprite/7-Up. The taste is wonderfully indescribable. You have to taste it for yourself.

The entertainment was not bad either especially Ocean Park. There was much to see and play. I have not seen so many creatures living under the sea before and there was also a jellyfish aquarium that awed me. Madame Tussauds, which is a wax musuem, gave me a great insight on how real the wax figurines can be. From celebrities to national heroes, it provides a great opportunity for phototaking and also a closer look at their features. The Peak is also a must go as it gives you a spectacular view of Hong Kong. And did I mention, the world is so small that I ran into my friend!

All in all, this is a very fulfilling trip for me because our family could gather once again and it is interesting to see how different one country is from another.

Labels: Travel 2.0 (Hong Kong)