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Halong from the other bay

March 13, 2016

Being one of the natural wonders of the world, Halong Bay is a definitely must-visit if you are planning a trip to Hanoi. It makes for a comfortable 3d2n getaway, or if you do not have enough time to spare, just a day trip from Hanoi is also possible. However, bear in mind that it …
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Hustling Hanoi

March 10, 2016

Ho Chi Minh mausoleum For the first-time traveler to Vietnam, crossing the roads must have been a daunting task because of the sheer number of motorcycles which never seem to end. The trick is to take the first step, look forward and just cross like a boss. The motorcycles will try to avoid you along …
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Bulgaria beckons

March 9, 2016

Bulgaria is located in southeastern Europe, at the crossroads of Central Asia and the West. It borders Romania, Serbia, Macedonia, Greece and Turkey, all of which I have visited except for Greece. This  Balkan nation has a diverse terrain encompassing Black Sea coastline, rivers, including the Danube, and a mountainous interior. Bulgaria has a rich …
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10 best-kept travel secrets

January 31, 2016

Thanks to budget airlines, Skyscanner and other various social websites (eg. Couchsurfing, airBnB, WWOOFing, Workaway etc.), it has provided people with more travel opportunities and to make new friends across the globe. Here are some tips on how you can get more travel for your buck. 1. Choose another gateway Sometimes, the most direct route …
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Swag San Sebastian

January 23, 2016

How not to fall in love with the shimmering scallop-shaped bay, replete with crescents of golden sand of La Concha and turquoise waves, in the northern Spanish city known as San Sebastian? Designated as the European Capital of Culture this year, I was lucky to be able to visit this small town with huge thundering …
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Made in Madrid

January 13, 2016

After bidding farewell to South America, I took a 12-hour flight from Buenos Aires to Madrid on Aerolineas Argentina. I like the plane because it has a 2-4-2 seating arrangement, broad legroom and touch-screen entertainment system. Madrid may lack the cachet of Paris, the monumental history of Rome, or Barcelona’s reputation for Modernista masterpieces. And …
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train troubles in Netherlands

January 8, 2016

After saying adios to Spain, I took a flight from Madrid (where I was finally reunited with my delayed luggage after one week) to Eindhoven, Netherlands. Ryanair uses Eindhoven as its Dutch base for operations, so it’s cheaper to fly there. Since I landed around 10pm, I still had to make my way to Nijmegen …
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2015 travel review

January 4, 2016

What did I do for 2015? So I did fulfill my new year resolution of traveling more and making sense of the world we live in. This has been an epic year of thesis submission, graduation, pedagogical training and lots of crazy traveling. most unique experience – sleeping in a Mongolian ger (yurt) in the …
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10 lessons learnt while trekking Torres del Pain(e)ful

January 4, 2016

1) trekking alone can be depressing at times 2) what goes up must come down (I was moaning at the steep ascents and was delighted at the downhills) 3) carrying my  heavy backpack and hiking is not my style (I’m used to doing day trips with a small bag) 4) reserve your refugios or camping …
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Antarctica calling

December 25, 2015

My journey to Antarctica started in Ushuaia which is the southernmost city of the world. The cruise was called the Ocean Diamond and it set sail from the port after a 6 hour delay. We spent two days crossing the Drake passage, where many people got seasick. Luckily for me and my roommate Gabriel, we …
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Journey to Antarctica

December 5, 2015

Why’ll go to Antarctica? Why is Antarctica a great place to visit? Because if you are looking for a holiday, voyage or adventure with a difference you cannot go past Antarctica. Why visit a cold extreme place like Antarctica? It really is the last mostly unexplored frontier on earth. Everything about Antarctica is unspoiled, it is pristine and …
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Day trip to JB

November 26, 2015

Johor Bahru makes for a convenient day trip from Singapore to Malaysia. There is not much stuff to do there, especially if you restrict yourself to City Square mall. However, venture slightly further and you will be surprised to discover some hipster area or hidden food haunts in the city. How to go to JB …
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Coucou Cuzco

November 21, 2015

I retired early to my hostel as I was not feeling well. The symptoms were clear, I had altitude sickness as I was having a bad headache that would not go away. Welcome to Cuzco, the gateway to Machu Picchu, this town is located 3400m above sea level, high up in the mountains of Peru. …
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Recommendations for Krabi

November 15, 2015

Stay Blanco Room & Apartments | 228 Moo 2, Ao Nang, Krabi, Thailand 81000 We stayed at Blanco Room & Apartments, which is about 20 minute on foot to Aonang beach. We liked the area because it is not so touristy, there is a Tesco supermarket opposite, 7-eleven and roadside food stalls. You won’t go …
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Climbing in Krabi

November 13, 2015

Just one month after visiting Bangkok, I am back here again in Thailand, this time to have a taste of some adventure sports. With return flights from Singapore costing about S$90-100, it is quite affordable to visit Krabi or any part of Thailand. For this trip, we took AirAsia to Krabi and came back via …
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Sky high in Bangkok

October 9, 2015

Bangkok has a pulsating night life which can be compared to Singapore, but the better thing is that alcohol in Thailand is much cheaper. So there is a good reason to celebrate every night. The concept of sky bars has been quite popular because people like to enjoy the panoramic views of the city from …
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Banging Bangkok

October 8, 2015

For my recent trip to Bangkok, I took the Dreamliner 747 on Scoot from Singapore to Bangkok. Actually the plane was flying to Osaka, via Bangkok. I loved the plane, the seats were spacious, the window shades changed automatically according to the light intensity and it was very quiet inside. Plus since I booked early, …
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What You Learn By Traveling Alone

August 22, 2015

My friends have always wondered why I like to travel alone. Am I a loner? Who is there to look out for me should something happen to me? Yes, I have taken these into consideration, but sometimes no one is as adventurous as you to travel to exotic off-the-map destinations, so of course I do …
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Climbing Mt Ijen without a tour

August 12, 2015

This is how to do Kawah Ijen without a tour: Kawah Ijen can be accessed by either Banyuwagi or Bondowoso. If coming from Bali, Banyuwagi might be more convenient while Bondowoso is more convenient for those coming from the west (like Mt. Bromo or Surabaya). From the bus depot in Bondowoso, a morning bus leaves …
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How to go to Mt Bromo without a tour

August 10, 2015

welcome to Mt Bromo national park Here is how I went to Mount Bromo without joining a tour and I did not pay the admission charges. Mountains are part of nature and I think they should be made free to all, hence I do not like to pay hefty admission charges or even for tour …
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Hong Kong revisited

June 29, 2015

Hong Kong shares many similarities with Singapore, with a highly dense population, full of skyscrapers and cars on the roads. However, I was still surprised to discover new things on this trip to Hong Kong. Originally, I had a connecting flight from Hong Kong to Singapore with a stopover of only 1.5h, but I decided …
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How to travel around Oslo for free!

June 25, 2015

Just 20 years ago, Oslo was a sleepy, provincial town known mainly for the annual ceremony of handing out the Nobel Prizes. Today, it is one of Europe’s fastest-growing capitals. Skyscrapers are being hastily erected in the downtown area, and new residential areas along waterfront area are being constructed. No doubt that Oslo is expensive …
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Oslo with my Norwegian friends

June 24, 2015

Oslo was not on my original plan as my went purpose of going to Norway was to escape to the mountains. However, thanks to my Norwegian friends whom I met in singapore while they were on their university exchange programme, they invited me to stay with them in Oslo. Karoliina from Finland also joined me …
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My Norwegian family in Tromsø

June 22, 2015

I was supposed to stay with Gunnar for 4 nights, but due to some work commitments he couldn’t host me for the first two nights. Instead of ditching me and letting me find another host on my own, he made agreements for his son to host me in the north island. His son, Kristoffer and …
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