 |  |
A reminder again, that on board your flight, there is more to movies and meals. Look out your window!
 |  |
 |  |
Saturday, May 30, 2009
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!
A reminder again, that on board your flight, there is more to movies and meals. Look out your window!
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Tai O (大澳)
Tai O, a fishing village on Lantau island, is really quite a nice getaway from the bustle and hustle of the city streets of Hong Kong. A perfect day trip after all the shopping....
Known as the "Venice of Hong Kong", one of the features of the village is that the houses are built on stilts. Being a fishing village, you might be asked by some of the locals to have a tour of the village by boat. During low tide, you can actually walk around the houses via walkway planks that are also on stilts! The houses are actually all still very old, and it is really quite interesting exploring the place.
Tai O is also famous for its salted fish, and if you do walk around the village on stilts, you can see lots of families drying the fishes in basket trays. In the village centre on land, old shophouses lined the streets, and a walk through it is literally like walking in a street of a bygone era! Of course, you also have your fair share of products being hawkered.
Being just a bus ride away from Hong Kong itself, Tai O is easily reached, and thus, it is a recommended day trip for those who have some extra time in Hong Kong. Check it out!
Known as the "Venice of Hong Kong", one of the features of the village is that the houses are built on stilts. Being a fishing village, you might be asked by some of the locals to have a tour of the village by boat. During low tide, you can actually walk around the houses via walkway planks that are also on stilts! The houses are actually all still very old, and it is really quite interesting exploring the place.
Tai O is also famous for its salted fish, and if you do walk around the village on stilts, you can see lots of families drying the fishes in basket trays. In the village centre on land, old shophouses lined the streets, and a walk through it is literally like walking in a street of a bygone era! Of course, you also have your fair share of products being hawkered.
 |  |
Being just a bus ride away from Hong Kong itself, Tai O is easily reached, and thus, it is a recommended day trip for those who have some extra time in Hong Kong. Check it out!
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Litang 理塘
Litang (理塘) is a county in the Sichuan province of China. It's town, of the same name, is known as one of the highest towns in the world. At 4014m, it is actually higher than Lhasa, but since it is not served by airport, getting into Litang is usually by bus or private transport, and you'll be less likely hit by altitude sickness.
Litang is the birthplace for several Dalai Lamas, and so, one of the things to do here is to visit the monasteries, the main one being Chang-qing-chun-ke'er. During our visit, the monks were having some sort of exam, and it was interesting to see that it was pretty much similar in many aspects to our exam taking scenes! Litang used to be part of the Tibetan Kham province, and the Khampa Tibetans still form the majority of the population here. In town itself, many of the residents are still in their traditional garb, and every evening, there would be Tibetan dances in one of the squares in the town!
Litang also hosts its annual horse racing festival in August. It is a well-known major event, and many travellers would come here to witness the festival. If you do intend to catch this, you'll have to plan ahead and book your accommodations in advance. Too bad I didn't catch this event, as it would provide fantastic photography opportunities! So, no photos of the festival here... Hopefully next time! :)
Litang is the birthplace for several Dalai Lamas, and so, one of the things to do here is to visit the monasteries, the main one being Chang-qing-chun-ke'er. During our visit, the monks were having some sort of exam, and it was interesting to see that it was pretty much similar in many aspects to our exam taking scenes! Litang used to be part of the Tibetan Kham province, and the Khampa Tibetans still form the majority of the population here. In town itself, many of the residents are still in their traditional garb, and every evening, there would be Tibetan dances in one of the squares in the town!
 |  |
Litang also hosts its annual horse racing festival in August. It is a well-known major event, and many travellers would come here to witness the festival. If you do intend to catch this, you'll have to plan ahead and book your accommodations in advance. Too bad I didn't catch this event, as it would provide fantastic photography opportunities! So, no photos of the festival here... Hopefully next time! :)
 |  |
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Fraser's Hill
I last went Fraser's Hill more than 10 years ago. So, there was a certain amount of anticipation on what haved changed, or how much have changed. While things like infrastructure and facilities seems to have improved, Fraser's Hill or Bukit Fraser remains an idyllic and relaxing place to retreat to for a short weekend getaway.
Fraser's Hill is a hill (1500+m) situated in Pahang state of Peninsula Malaysia. Because of its height, it is relatively cooling most of the time and makes a great getaway from the heat of the lowlands. Besides several big resorts, there are smaller bungalows and cottages which are very pretty and full of ambience. There are walks/treks to be had, flowers to be admired, and birds to be watched. In fact, Fraser's Hill is quite a well-known haunt for birders and nature photographers. And after the day's activities, you could just relax in an old English style cafe, known as Ye Olde Smokehouse, and enjoy its tea and scones. It provides accommodations as well, and when I was there, they were fully booked by a group of 40 bikers coming from Singapore!
For transportation, Fraser's Hill is best visited using private transport. It is about 6 hours drive from Singapore, and do note that The Gap is still in operation. It is a one-lane road leading up to the town centre, and there is an alternate hour mode of operation for uphill and downhill traffic. There was supposed to be an alternate route up, but due to landslides on that road, The Gap is back in operation. Lots of materials on the Net, so just gather a few friends and retreat away to this idyllic location!
Fraser's Hill is a hill (1500+m) situated in Pahang state of Peninsula Malaysia. Because of its height, it is relatively cooling most of the time and makes a great getaway from the heat of the lowlands. Besides several big resorts, there are smaller bungalows and cottages which are very pretty and full of ambience. There are walks/treks to be had, flowers to be admired, and birds to be watched. In fact, Fraser's Hill is quite a well-known haunt for birders and nature photographers. And after the day's activities, you could just relax in an old English style cafe, known as Ye Olde Smokehouse, and enjoy its tea and scones. It provides accommodations as well, and when I was there, they were fully booked by a group of 40 bikers coming from Singapore!
 |  |
For transportation, Fraser's Hill is best visited using private transport. It is about 6 hours drive from Singapore, and do note that The Gap is still in operation. It is a one-lane road leading up to the town centre, and there is an alternate hour mode of operation for uphill and downhill traffic. There was supposed to be an alternate route up, but due to landslides on that road, The Gap is back in operation. Lots of materials on the Net, so just gather a few friends and retreat away to this idyllic location!
Saturday, April 4, 2009
Borders
Border towns and border crossings have always been an interesting part of travel. On my trip to Pakistan, I actually visited 3 different borders of Pakistan. Check out my write up below!
http://www.roving-light.com/articles/pakistan/pakborders.html
http://www.roving-light.com/articles/pakistan/pakborders.html
Saturday, March 28, 2009
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!
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!
Sunday, March 15, 2009
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!
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!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
