Bergen, Norway

Bergen - Gateway to the Norwegian Fjords. Norway's second largest city, it is well marketed indeed and why not? Situated on the western coast of Norway, and easily reached from Oslo, it is the launchpad for many cruise ships to the fjords of Norway.

The journey between Oslo and Bergen itself is already a famous and well marketed tourist route. Known as Norway in a Nutshell®, it is a scenic rail cum cruise itinerary that can be flexibly customised. It can be done even in a day, but really, you would want to spend more time on the route. Similarly for Bergen, it is well worth some days to explore.

Bergen's city centre contains many old timber buildings and houses, some which are converted to shops and/or guesthouses. And of course, the highlight is the old wharf, Bryggen, a UNESCO's World Heritage Site. A delightful place with many artisanal shops and cafes, it is a wonderful way to spend a relaxing day browsing and having a cuppa by the water.

Nice timber houses in the city

Beautiful day by the wharf

For me though, the highlight is Mt Fløyen, one of the "seven mountains" that surround the city. Easily accessible via a Fløibanen funicular, the summit provides a spectacular view of the city and the port. Even better, there is a trail going up which seems popular with the locals for their exercises. My recommendation is to walk the trail up in the late afternoon, and when you reach the summit, wait for sunset. After sunset, the magic hour and the night lights over the city is one of the prettiest I've seen! Then take the funicular down, where the station is just beside the viewpoint.

A wonderful way to conclude the day! Check it out if you can!

Sights along the trail up

Sunset views

City and its mountain

Nightscene of Bergen atop Mt Floyen (you can click to see it bigger)

Arctic from the Air!

Ok, I had Sahara from the Air and Amazon from the Air.
Now, here is, Arctic from the Air!

I flew from Oslo to Narvik, and again, the views from the air is just amazing! And not only that, I managed to see a 'Glory' too! In Chinese, it's also known as 'Buddha's Light'!

Of course, there's also the usual birds' eye views...

I also had the opportunity to fly into Longyearbyen Svalbard, and the white landscape of Svalbard is breathtaking!

But the most amazing thing of all is this : seeing the Northern Lights up in the air!!

Views from El Alto, Bolivia

La Paz, the administrative capital of Bolivia, is one of the highest capitals in the world. Sitting in a 'bowl' surrounded by high mountains, including the beautiful imposing peak Illimani (the 'guardian of La Paz'), the city should be viewed from afar. And one of the best places to see La Paz in its environment is in the neighbouring city of El Alto.

El Alto is one of the highest cities in the world at 4150m (La Paz is about 3650m). Thus from El Alto, there are commanding views over La Paz, which provide an excellent photographic setting. Aside from shooting during the day, stay till night where the city lights light up the valley, and the scene is easily one of the best city night scene you can find. Moreover, with Illimani as a backdrop, it was almost picture perfect. To complete the "perfectness", wait till a full moon day. When the full moon rises behind Illimani, it is really quite a beautiful sight!!

So here's sharing a gallery of photos of the views from El Alto!

Illimani, watching over La Paz

The city expanded up the hill and mountainside

Shadows and Light in La Paz

Moonrise over Illimani - Beautiful!

City lights at night, with moon over Illimani - picture perfect!

Huayna Picchu

While most people would be aquainted with Machu Picchu, less would be familiar with Huayna Picchu (also known as Wayna Picchu). But Huayna Picchu will, quite literally, bestow a different view of Machu Picchu to you!

Huayna Picchu is the mountain peak that towers over The Lost City of the Incas. It is that tallest peak as seen in the many iconic pictures of Machu Picchu (the big "nose" of the face, if you know what I mean). Access to Huayna Picchu is restricted to only 400 visitors per day, split into 2 batches of 200 each, on a first-come-first-serve basis. The climb up is narrow and steep, so I guess this is a good arrangement. 

So together with other visitors who wanted to climb Huayna Picchu and were afraid that we could not get within the allowed number, we were at the gates at the base of Machu Picchu way before it opened. The moment the gates opened (5.30am) it was a mad race up to the Machu Picchu entry gate (where the Huayna Picchu "ticket" is issued). This is to ensure that we would be there before the first bus from Aguas Calientes reaches! But apparently, from what I gather, advance reservation is possible together with the purchase of your Machu Picchu ticket! Anyway, it was an exhilirating (albeit tough) early morning exercise!

After the strenous climb just to get the Huayna Picchu entry ticket, the climb up Huayna Picchu itself can be done at your own pace of course. Not a walk in the park but definitely manageable. At the peak, you can also visit some caves and temples but the views are what I climb for! From the summit, you can see the entire Machu Picchu in its full glory (as well as the the zigzag road up from Aguas Calientes). The Incas built the city in the shape of the condor, and one could only see it from a high enough vantage point! Can you see it?

Also, supposedly, old Cusco was built in the shape of a puma, and Ollymtambo was built in the shape of a llama! I was at a high vantage point in Ollymtambo but could not quite make out the shape. I supposed these towns/cities are expanding living sites, so the old shape may not be there anymore. Or maybe, you would need an almost aerial view to see it. But make the effort, and from Huayna Picchu, you could still make out the condor that is Machu Picchu!

11887 meters above the Sahara

Following up from my post in January, Earth from the Air, I found myself 11887 meters above northern Africa, and as always, am mesmerized by the special views...




A reminder again, that on board your flight, there is more to movies and meals. Look out your window!