Sunday, December 23, 2007
Monday, December 10, 2007
Fraser's Hill, Malaysia
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Turkey2001
Cappadocia in October
where the skies are bluer
than what I have seen before
Time was short and I wanted more
Next time, perhaps...
More photos soon...Sunday, August 19, 2007
Spain in 1991 - Segovia
In my second trip to Spain, I flew into Madrid making that my base for day trips out to Toledo and Segovia by train.. The photos below show the highlight of my visit to Segovia which lies to the north-west of Madrid.
All tourists head towards the gigantic stone structure built by the Romans. What is it?
It is an aqueduct constructed to bring water from the mountains into Segovia. See how tiny the cars are? What an engineering feat considering that they were just huge stones stacked on top of each other.
Monday, August 13, 2007
Malacca Retreat 9 - 10 Aug 2007
Holiday in Malacca that was different from previous ones. A wonderful retreat into a world of lazing, eating and moving at a pace set by the need to relax.
Tanjong Kling
Sea view.
Have you seen Malacca or parts of it from a high building?
Have you ever noticed how lovely some of the old houses are?Sunday, August 5, 2007
Spain in 1991
The Cathedral in Seville
I visited Spain twice. Once with a friend with whom I spent time in Seville and Granada before going it alone to Barcelona after she left for home. The second time was a free-and-easy trip to Madrid on my own again.
In Barcelona I remember waiting for the Tourist Information Office to open on the first day I was there. Soon as it did, I just asked what I should not miss in Barcelona if I only had threedays. The staff at the office were wonderful. Detailed maps materialised from below the counter, important places were circled, essential information provided and I spent about 20 minutes at the office planning my day one itinerary.
The next two days were a breeze also because the transport system (trains) were fantastic. That was the year before the Olympics in Barcelona. Spain was all spruced up for the grand event and I went there when the weather was sunny and cool and everything looked great. Spain is a beautiful country. It is huge but what historical and artistic treasures you will find there in the cities of Madrid, Barcelona, Granada and Seville and I am sure in other places that I have not visited.
View from the Alhambra at Granada
The Spanish loved art and all things beautiful.
Parc Guell that was designed by the famous Antoni Gaudi.
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Beijing 2000
This was my first visit to China with a friend. We took an 8-day package tour to Beijing that also included side treks to Tianxin for half a day and to Chengde where we spent a night. The photo of the Great Wall of China is first on this post because that was the most memorabe and wonderful part of the tour. Next in line is the Forbidden city. The guide took us there at the beginning of the tour. It was raining that day and we were herded like sheep from the North Gate to the South Gate through thick crowds of visitors. Needless to say, one of the highlights of the trip was marred. Fortunately on the last day of the trip, we returned to the Forbidden City on our own having ditched the last day of the set itinerary that would have taken us to see the Marco Polo bridge and something that was not worth spending time on.
The problem with these package tours is that we inevitably end up wasting precious time in shops and places that should have been better spent on the places of interest. Which was why when I went to Jiuzhaigou a few years later, I joined a group that was organised privately and each of us paid about SGD$60 to ensure that we did not stopover at any souvenior shops or places that were not in our itinerary. That was the best packaged tour I ever went on.
The problem with these package tours is that we inevitably end up wasting precious time in shops and places that should have been better spent on the places of interest. Which was why when I went to Jiuzhaigou a few years later, I joined a group that was organised privately and each of us paid about SGD$60 to ensure that we did not stopover at any souvenior shops or places that were not in our itinerary. That was the best packaged tour I ever went on.
Saturday, July 14, 2007
Boston in 2001
This was my first trip to the USA. It was not city I had chosen to visit. If it was a pleasure trip, I would have chosen New York.
http://flowersinsingapore.com/Albums4/Boston2001/index5.html
Thursday, July 5, 2007
Japan2005
Japan, the Land of the Rising Sun. My first visit with my daughter was in March 2005.
More photos here.
More photos here.
Sunday, July 1, 2007
Hong Kong 2006
Hong Kong has a lot more to offer the free-and-easy visitor other than shopping. I had a lovely time there in October last year with my daughter.
More photos here.
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Taiwan in 2004
When package tours were first popularised in Singapore more than 20 years ago, everyone going on these tours went to Taiwan. As other tourist markets opened up and more people could afford to travel, Taiwan as a mass tourish destination dropped out of favour. China became the top draw and Taiwan was hardly mentioned. In 2004 I went there to visit a friend and was glad that I did not have to be part of a tour group. I had great fun as my pictures show.
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