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Staycation: Wanderlust Hotel

May 9, 2018

For my birthday weekend, my girlfriend threw a surprise staycation for me at Wanderlust Hotel. The name of the hotel already sounds exciting and definitely suits my traveling style. Housed in a 1920’s building in Little India, Wanderlust is an experimental boutique hotel showcasing a diverse range of fun themes. It offers free Wi-Fi and a …
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Trip Planning for Colombia

May 1, 2018

Announcing my next big adventure: one more month to Colombia! It will be my third time to South America, I love this continent so much. I am excited to explore this country which has both the Pacific and Caribbean coastlines, Amazon rainforest, Andes mountains, coffee plantations and colonial towns. But what really seals the deal …
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Crossing the Georgia-Armenia border

April 28, 2018

Armenia has borders with Turkey, Georgia, Azerbaijan and Iran, but is only accessible overland through Georgia and Iran. There are three border openings between Georgia and Armenia. Bagratashen – Sadakhlo: Main road between Tbilisi and Yerevan. There is lots of transport between these 2 cities. Easy-breezy-beautiful. Gogavan – Guguti: Border is open for international travelers. Very easy. …
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Yell out loud Yerevan

April 24, 2018

On 24 April 24 1915, hundreds of Armenian Intellectuals: poets, musicians, publicists, editors, lawyers, doctors, deputies, were arrested in Constantinople (current day Turkey). They were all sent into exile and horrifically slaughtered. The annihilation of the Armenian Intellectuals was the part of a systematic, fiendish plan to exterminate the Armenian people in their homeland. It …
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Boat ride along the Yangshuo

April 23, 2018

Perhaps you may have heard Yangshuo being a very touristic place but it all depends on how you explore it. Places where genuinely friendly and welcoming villagers offer you an insight into the local culture and customs. To little local family-run restaurants with character with true local foods and to beautiful isolated spots you can …
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Washington DC Unlocked

April 19, 2018

Americans are known for employing hyperbole. Everything in the USA is the biggest, the best or the shiniest. Therefore, if you ask the typical American what the most powerful place in the world is, the citizen would answer “Washington DC”. Whether this is true may be open to debate, but there is little doubt that …
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Colombia-Peru-Brazil triangle

April 11, 2018

Letiticia may be the end of the road for Colombia, but it is also the crossroads of the Amazon jungle. From here, many adventurers set sail for Brazil or Peru, fulfilling a lifelong dream of traveling on one of the world’s greatest rivers, the Amazon—or as the locals call it, the Río Amazonas. Get ready to …
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Flight Review – Vietjet Air

April 8, 2018

It can be considered as my first time taking the budget airline Vietjet and also my first time flying out of Changi Airport Terminal 4 since its inaugural opening last October. I had actually flown on a Vietjet craft on lease under Pakistan International Airlines last year, but that did not really quite count as …
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Ho Chi Minh city

April 5, 2018

Saigon (also officially known as Ho Chi Minh City or locally in Vietnamese as Sài Gòn) is Vietnam’s most booming up and coming city, a places where the action never stops. Saigon was merged with the surrounding province in 1976 and renamed Ho Chi Minh City to celebrate the reunification of north and south at the end of …
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Trip to the Mekong Delta

April 3, 2018

Although this is my third time to Vietnam, I still found new things to do. One of the common day tours from Ho Chi Minh city is to the Mekong Delta. For those with more time to spare, you can even spend a night or two around the delta region. For those who wish to …
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Longji Rice terraces

March 28, 2018

One of the highlights of visiting Guilin is to head to the rice terraces in the countryside. Longji, which literally translates to ‘Dragon Backbone’, is home to one of the most amazing rice terraces in China. Construction of the terraces began in the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368), and continued until the early Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) when …
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M Social Singapore

March 25, 2018

M Social Singapore Address: 3 Nanson Road, Singapore 238910 Thanks to Amex cards, I managed to get a one night complimentary stay at M Social Singapore with purchase of one night stay. M Social is a contemporary lifestyle hotel along the stunning and historic Singapore River created for the adventurers, the explorers and those who …
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Guilin, China

March 19, 2018

Guilin (桂林) was China’s first city to develop tourism after 1949. For decades, children’s textbooks proclaimed ‘Guilin’s landscape is the best under heaven’ (桂林山水甲天下). It was the darling of Chinese politicians, the star city proudly presented to visiting dignitaries. Today Guilin’s natural endowments still amaze, yet, thanks to imperfect urban planning, there is a pervasive …
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Count on me Kutaisi

March 8, 2018

From Gyumri in Armenia, I decided to cross the border to Georgia through another crossing to go to Kutaisi, the third largest city in Georgia. Another post will be written about how to cross the Armenia-Georgia border. I had taken a marshrutka (minivan) from Akhalkalaki. Kutaisi is the traditional rival of Tbilisi for capital status, …
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Exploring the capital of Maldives

March 7, 2018

Sun, sand and the sea. That is what Maldives is all about. Fly to Male, the capital of the republic. The airport is located on Hulhule island, a strip of island in the middle of the Indian Ocean.  Most visitors to the Maldives are met by travel agent reps right outside Customs, who then whisk …
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Dark Memories at Auschwitz

March 6, 2018

Auschwitz served as the venue for the award winning movie Schlinder’s list.   Located 60 kilometres west of Krakow in southern Poland, it has an area of 40 square kilometres and also an extensive prohibited area. The construction of Auschwitz I began under the first commander, Rudolph Hoss, in May 1940. The whole camp was …
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How to apply for an Iranian visa on arrival

February 20, 2018

The process to get an Iranian visa for my travel companion and me was relatively simple. We got it on arrival at Tehran International Airport. Most nationalities can qualify for visa on arrival, except for citizens of USA, UK, Canada, Colombia, Somalia, Bangladesh, Jordan, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India, who have to apply for an …
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Ancient wine capital Shiraz

February 19, 2018

Celebrated as the heartland of Persian culture for over 2000 years, Shiraz has become synonymous with education, nightingales, poetry and wine. It was one of the most important cities in the medieval Islamic world and was the Iranian capital during the Zand dynasty (AD 1747–79), when many of its most beautiful buildings were built or …
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Red Hot Chile

February 18, 2018

Santiago, the capital of Chile, is gaining a reputation as one of South America’s coolest cities with creative districts, hip boutique hotels and a vibrant food scene. It is a wonderful city for strolling, and each neighborhood has its unique flavor and tone. Head out during the day to take in the museums, grand architecture …
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Baku – city of wind

February 17, 2018

Welcome to Azerbaijan! This is the Land of Fire and the Pearl of the Caucasus, a land where eastern colours combine magnificently with western progress. Azerbaijan is a country of unique nature, unmatched culture, centuries of history with its customs and traditions and fine cuisine; a place which will satisfy the expectations of the most …
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[Flight review] Singapore Airlines SQ872

February 15, 2018

Waiting at Changi Airport to board my plane. Aircraft type was a B777-212  I reached my gate about 40 minutes in advance. I am always impressed with the efficiency of Changi Airport. From the terminal to immigration only took 20 minutes for me and I had time to wander around the shops. Walking past business …
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Church-hopping in Armenia

February 10, 2018

Armenia is one of the oldest Christian nations in the world. Armenia, as one of the most ancient countries, not only has an ancient culture and rich history, but also ancient religious history, dating back centuries — Christianity from 301 AD, and prehistoric pagan religions dating back centuries before Christ. Armenia, also known as the “Land …
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Kerman, Iran

February 8, 2018

Kerman was not originally on my list of cities to visit in Iran. However, since I had two extra days and didn’t know where to go, my host in Yazd recommended me to go to Kashan. Bushehr and Bandar-e-Abbas were located quite far away from Shiraz, where we were going to catch our flight. Just …
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Northernmost Capital Reykjavik

February 3, 2018

Reykjavik (pronounced as REYK-ya-veek) sits just above the 64th parallel north, making it the world’s northernmost capital city of a sovereign state. Located in southwestern Iceland, a Nordic island country that has Greenland as its nearest neighbour nearly 300km away. It is home to more than 123 000 people, or more than one-third of the total …
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