Wynyard Tulip Festival

Most people would associate Tulip Festival with the Dutch kind, but there are other similar festivals elsewhere in the world. One such place is Wynyard, a town in north-west Tasmania.



Held in October (that'll be spring in the southern hemisphere), Wynyard hosts the annual festivities with plenty of celebrations and fun. There will be parades, games, food - the town literally becomes a carnival. There'll be plenty of children all around, either joining the parading floats, or lining the streets watching the fun. There is even a game competition, called the Tulip Tossing competition! The person who throws a stalk of tulip furthest wins the competition! Who'd have thought of that?



In the surrounding countryside of Wynyard, there're a number of tulip farms. However, the year I went, spring was late, so we didn't get to see the full bloom. Nevertheless, it was still quite a pretty sight, and definitely worth a road trip! Especially if you love flowers in bloom!

Koya-san

Koya-san, or Mount Koya, lies at the south of Osaka, and is Japan's centre or headquarters for Shingon Buddhism. Many temples fill the mountains (easily over 100), and Koyan-san is also designated a UNESCO World Hertiage Site.



One of the interesting things at Koya-san is that you can stay in a shukubo, or temple lodging! The monks open up their temples for visiting tourists to experience a little of their lifestyle. Usually, a stay comes complete with dinner and breakfast in the temple itself. You will be served shojin ryori, a vegetarian cuisine that the monks take. And I have to say that it's one of the best vegetarian meals I have in my life! Typically, you will be asked to gather at a communal room at a specified time, and the meals would be served (together with the rest of the temple's guests).

Staying at a shukubo, you will also be asked to join their morning prayers, which typically starts at 6am. 10 or 15 minutes prior to that, a gong would sound (a morning call?), and you would have to make your way to the prayer room. Your involvement would usually be a silent contemplation of whats going on and trying to stay awake, and the prayer session usually last 30-45 minutes. Then everyone will adjoin to the communcal room for breakfast....



In Koya-san also lies Japan's biggest graveyard, where Okunoin is. Okunoin is the temple where Kobo Daishi (Kukai), the founder of Shingon Buddhism, is buried. As he is extremely revered in Japan, many prominent and famous people would want to be buried in Koya-san together with him! The whole place feels very serene, which makes it excellent for quiet walks. There is also a Koya town, which seems to be more catered to tourists than anything, so you are able to get access to convenience stalls and such.



To get to Koya-san, take the Nankai Koya line in Osaka to Gokurakubashi station. From Gokurakubashi, there is a cablecar which will take you up to Koya-san, where you will then need to take their 10-minute shuttle bus to Koya town. A little tiring in terms of transport logistics, but that's where the quiet and serene ambience of Koya-san is so welcoming!

Laid-back Luang Prabang

Idyllic, charming, relaxed, laidback - these are some of the terms used to describe Luang Prabang. It is all that, and more; and more importantly, it had to be felt in person.


The former royal capital of Laos, it is now a UNESCO World Heritage site, and while tourism have not reached the levels seen in Thailand or Vietnam, there is a nagging feeling that it eventually would. For now though, there is an air of resistance to ...hectic-ness if you will, and if you stay in Luang Prabang for a day or two, your pace of life would inevitably slow down to match the feel of the city.



The city-centre, esp Xiang Thong road is pretty much lined with tourist shops and facilities. However, a couple of minutes of walk away, and the atmosphere changes quickly. My favourite part of Luang Prabang would be the riverside of Nam Khan, one of the tributaries of the mighty Mekong. One can easily pass by an afternoon sitting in one of the cafes by the river, observing local life and drinking their local beer. Beer Lao, at US$1 for a 640ml bottle, has become a daily beverage for my stay in Laos!
There are a number of tourist attractions around, including the multitudes of wats in the city. Slow boats let you cruise the river, a walk up Phou Si hill lets you have a beautiful view of the city and river, and many side trips bring you to the outskirts of the city, touring caves and waterfalls. But one of the more interesting "attraction" would be watching the alms-giving procession for the monks that occur every morning before 6am. I used the word "attraction" because bus-loads of tourists actually come to witness this!



But the real attraction for me, is that a stay in Luang Prabang gives you what a real holiday entails - an idyllic, charming, relaxed and laidback time to soothe your soul.

Sun Moon Lake

Sun Moon Lake (日月潭) is a renowned and popular tourist attraction in Taiwan. It is the largest lake in Taiwan, and is designated as one of the "National Scenic Areas of Taiwan". While the scenary is indeed nice, it can become quite touristy.



There are 2 main "villages" at Sun Moon Lake - ShueiShe and Itashao village. ShueiShe is the one that most of the buses arrive in, and also contains an impressive Visitor Centre. It is a tourist town where most of the resorts are in. The more expensive ones are situated right by the lake, and makes for a really nice stay. Itashao is the village where the original Thao tribe resides. The Thao is Taiwan's 10th and smallest aboriginal tribe. Now they are just a small community living in a settlement off the main village.
There are feeder buses that go around the lake, with designated stops along the way. You can also do a quick tour by ferry to a few major points around the lake. There are also quite a number of treks you can do round the island too. All these are well documented in the Visitor Centre, and the staff are pretty good, so no problems doing it all on your own.



Journey from Taipei to Sun Moon lake by bus is about 4+ hours. There are also reular buses from Taichung, which explains its popularity as its so easily accessible. I took the GreenTransit bus from Taipei, which transit at Puli, a town known for its Shao Hsing wines. All in all, Sun Moon Lake can be easily incorporated into your self-planned itinerary, so have a go!

Taipei Night Markets

One of the major items to feature in any itinerary of a Taiwan trip is a visit to the night markets. There are quite a number in Taipei itself, and far from being a tourist "attraction", you'll realise that it is as much a local lifestyle thing of the Taiwanese than anything.



The most well-known would probably be Shilin Night Market. Situated right next to a metro station, its accessibility is certainly one of the reasons for its popularity. It is a covered night market, and you could well enjoy your food without getting wet if the rain comes. While crowded, I feel it lacked a certain "authencity" to it. I have always envisioned a night market to be those along narrow roads with stalls lining the sides. Well, this is exactly what you get when visit the RaoHe Street Night Market! The crowds are equally huge, the ambience great, and I do have a feeling the food's better here too! And judging from the queues in certain stalls, it seems there are a number of famous stalls here too!

There is also a "tourist" night market too! The HuaXi Street Tourist market is a covered market, and there is a certain lane that sells all manner of snake dishes. Hence it is also known as Snake Alley! Well, I certainly saw many more foreign tourists here than the other night markets! No wonder though, since I'm sure the thought of eating snake stuff would feel exotic to the foreigners.



One thing you'll notice though, the night food stalls are not just confined to those night markets. Even in trendy places like XiMenTing, where the young shop and hang around, those cart food stalls would spring up at night! Having supper and night snacks is a common lifestyle of the Taiwanese. And the night markets is certainly a reflection of that!

Aurora Ice Breaker

An icebreaker is a special ship (or boat) that can travel in ice-covered waters. It has a strengthened hull that breaks the ice when it moves through these waters, thus carving out a trail for itself. In Hokkaido Japan, there is such a ship which also acts as a cruise ship for tourists, and its one of the more memorable journeys one can experience in winter Japan.


The Aurora Ice Breaker is one of the major attractions in Abashiri, a town in north-east Hokkaido. It will take you onto the frozen sea of Okhotsk, and you will enjoy a hour or so of cruising, witnessing the crashing and crushing of ice as the ship ploughs through the drift ice and ice floes. If you're lucky, you can see sea eagles and seals, but I only managed to see the multitude of sea gulls sqawking away. However, it was still quite an experience looking at the ice covered sea and the trail of "destruction" as the ship moves through it.



Be prepared with reliable cold and wind gear, as the winds on the cruise ship is fantastically strong. I had to make do with shooting with my thick gloves on, as it was impossible for me to take out my gloves, as the cold is really biting! Also, if you have multiple lens with you, changing lens is quite challenging as well, so if you really need to, I suggest going back into the cabin to change lens. Once adequately equipped, I'm sure it will be quite an experience!


Tickets to the cruise ship can be bought at any travel agencies in Abashiri itself. Of course, do check out when the Aurora runs, cos obviously, it will only operate in certain times in winter. Enjoy!

Holyrood Park

Holyrood Park is a park in Edinburgh, Scotland. What's so special about this place is that this park is situated at central Edinburgh itself! It's easily accessible from the town, yet provides a landscape that one would expect it's in the Scottish Highlands!




In the park itself, there are numerous hills and there is a series of cliffs known as Salisbury Crags. Running through all these, there are walking trails and routes that is very popular with locals and foreigners alike. I enjoyed the walk alot, although on that particular day, there were alot of walkers as it was a beautiful dry day after a series of cold wet days!

At the centre of the park, lies the main peak of the hills, known as Arthur's Seat. Here, being the highest point of Edinburgh city, it provides wonderful views of the city and beyond. The walk up is relatively easy, and so, needless to say, it is a not-to-be-missed activity when you next visit Edinburgh!



There is also a lake at the foothills, filled with some beautiful swans. There is also Holyrood Palace nearby, as well as a chapel. The Palace started out as a monastery, but eventually served as the residence of the Kings and Queens of Scotland. But for me, the highlight is the walk in the park!