It was an exciting day, though it was my 3rd visit; I was going on a helicopter for the 1st time to catch an aerial view of the 12 Apostles. These 45m tall limestone pillars rise from the Southern Ocean along Victoria’s Great Ocean Road in Australia. People have counted and discovered it is a few stacks short of a dozen. Wind, rain and waves have been pounding the cliffs and the damage from erosion is very evident here.
十里画廊 Shi Li Hua Lang translated as Ten Mile Natural Gallery is located in the Suoxi Valley Natural Reserve found in the North-eastern part of Wulingyuan Scenic Area of Zhangjiajie in China. With the heavy mist, our 5.8km tram ride took us through dense woods with many grotesque rock formations in the valley which look like a moving gallery of Chinese paintings. Some rocks have been named as they mimic the profiles of humans and animals which the guide would point out to you. You would see them, if you stretched your imagination just a little.
Trekking through Lao Chai Village with all their beautiful terraced rice fields. This rural village is located in the Mount Hoa Valley about 7km South-east of Sapa in the Northern part of Vietnam. Home to the H’mong and Red Yao, it is interesting how they have maintained their traditional way of life, customs and craftsmanship.
Truth be known I was disappointed at first when we arrived at Lake Bled in the Julian Alps of Upper Caniolan of Northwestern Slovenia. It had been raining and the sky was as you see here blanketed by mist. I was hoping to capture a sunny photo of Bled Island but it was what it was. The misty effect created a picture of ethereal tranquility which pleasantly surprised me of which I only realised when I was going through my photos after the trip.
There were very many headless buddhas found at Wat Mahathat in the UNESCO World Heritage Historic City of Ayutthaya (1350-1767) in Thailand. This calls to remembrance the story told in I Sam 5:1-12 when the Philistines brought the captured Ark of God back to Ashdod and placed it in the House of Dagon their idol. On the 3rd day, the idol had fallen on his face with his head and both palms of the hands cut off and lying on the threshold.
Dusk over River Arno as seen from Piazza Michelangelo in Florence, Italy. It’s a pretty sight and the capital of Tuscany region is home to many masterpieces of Renaissance art and architecture. In this cultural city, you will find the famous Uffizi Gallery and the Plazzo Pitti and it is almost like an outdoor museum with the countless medieval and Renaissance buildings, not forgetting the numerous statues and monuments that adorn the streets.
I climbed up to the Pylon Lookout which offered breathtaking views of Sydney Harbour in New South Wales, Australia. Contemplated on climbing “The Coathanger” but chickened out in the end because I have a fear of heights and it would be embarrassing if I got terrified and frozen in my tracks. The Summit climb on the upper arch is the most budget friendly with great panoramic view of the harbour and it takes about 3 hours and 1332 steps; whilst the Summit Insider climb on the lower arch allows a closer look at the amazing architecture of the bridge and it takes about 2.5hours and 1002 steps. There are a few variations to the climbs but you will be secured by a harness safety cord that is locked onto a metal safety line that transverses the length of the bridge and slide along it as you progress. Sydney Harbour Bridge spans from the Rocks to Milsons Point on the other end.
It was such a lovely experience to have a room on board the junk with full glass windows. As we sailed along, the awesome scenery was like a moving gallery from the comfort of my room. After a tiring kayaking experience, we returned by nightfall to have our dinner with the Captain, complete with entertainment by the boat crew. We moored at the Bay amongst the towering limestone islets for the night.
We ascended Tianmen Mountain located within Tianmen Mountain National Park in Zhangjiajie – Northwestern Hunan Province in China via cable car. As we reached midways, we were awed as we broke the cloud line before reaching the summit. The total length of the cableway is 7455m with the ascent of 1279m. The view was spectacular and I thought to myself: “Heaven must certainly look a bit like this!” It snowed the night before and the bare branches and leaves were covered in icicles.
Captivated by the crimson sunset over Inari, Lapland Province in Finland. This is widely known as the capital of Finnish Sami culture. The Lapland region lies above the Arctic Circle so there would be an extended period when the sun ceases to rise above the horizon known as Polar nights which occurs during Winter in both the Arctic and Antarctic. We experienced daylight from about 10.00am to 2pm for about 4 short hours.
Despite being somewhat touristy, Santorini has a mesmerising charm that it owns and my short week there was nothing short of magical. Stayed at Oia which has this panoramic view of the Oia Cliffs with the whitewashed houses, the Isle of Thira, the volcanoes of Palia and Nea Kameni in the distance; all overlooking the beautiful caldera that merges with the turquoise Aegean Sea.
Encounter of the Dolphin kind at Port Stephens, the dolphin capital of Australia. A pod of curious Bottlenose dolphins, playfully encircled our boat much to our delight. These intelligent mammals use sound for both communication and hunting for food and they inhabit warm and temperate seas.
Pompeii near Naples in the Campania region of Italy, was covered under 4-6m of volcanic ash and pumice when Mount Vesuvius (in the background) erupted in 79AD. Excavations in the 1600s have revealed a well preserved wealthy town of 10,000 to 20,000 residents, where many fine public buildings and luxurious private homes with lavish decorations, furnishing and artworks showcased Roman life frozen at the time of the volcanic eruption. This UNESCO World Heritage Site is the “only archaeological site in the world that provides a complete picture of an ancient Roman city”.
This UNESCO World Heritage Site was completed in 537AD under Byzantine emperor Justinian I and was considered the epitome of Byzantine architecture with the world’s largest interior space and a fully pendentive dome. The Haghia Sophia served as the Cathedral of Constantinople until the fall of the empire in 1453 it was converted into a mosque. In 1935 it was repurposed as a museum before being redesigned as a mosque again in 2020 under President Erdogan. Since 2024, the upper floor of the mosque began serving as a museum once again.
“Come Back to Sorrento” was a song I heard before I even knew anything about Sorrento or its whereabouts. Sorrento is a coastal town that overlooks the Bay of Naples in Southern Italy that is perched atop cliffs that separate the town from the busy marina below. The historic centre around Piazza Tasso is a cafe lined square with a maze of narrow streets. In the past, Sorrento served as a lookout point for enemy ships and today, it still commands a spectacular view of the Mediterranean Sea.
The skies look ominous like it could pour down brimstone and fire in a wink of the eye. This was an unforgettable self drive trip to the Hunter Valley in New South Wales, Australia where I did several culinary experiences like Cheeseboard tasting, Chocolate Factory visit, Degustation menu at the Bimbadgen Cellar Door and fine dining at Muse Restaurant.
West Lake is a freshwater lake in Hangzhou, China that covers a surface area of 6.39km². Inscribed a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2011, the layout of West Lake features ‘one hill, two pagodas, three islets, four causeways and five lakes’. A tourist attraction since the Tang Dynasty (618-907), West Lake has influenced poets and painters throughout Chinese history for its natural beauty and historic relics.
I was overwhelmed by the sheer opulence of the Grand Foyer of Palais Garnier, better known as Opera Garnier in Paris, France. This grandiose architectural wonder was constructed by Charles Garnier (1825-1898) in what was called the “Napoleon III style” which included elements from Baroque, the Classicism of Palladio and Renaissance blended together. This is probably the world’s most famous opera house and it was used as the setting of Gaston Leroux’s 1910 novel “The Phantom of the Opera” and its subsequent adaptions in film and the popular 1986 musical.
Entering the Medina of Chefchaouen (Blue City) located 600m above sea level in the foothills of the western part of the Rif mountain range in Northwestern Morocco. It was founded in 1471 by the Moulay Ali Ben Rachid, a distant descendant of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad. I witnessed these two elderly gentlemen just chilling, sitting on the porch, comfortable in silence and watching the world go by. A flurry of activity was going on as tourists and locals get into the Medina through Bab Souk (Market Gate) as the morning unfolds.
A walk after dinner in the freezing cold to catch a glimpse of this weeping Cherry blossom tree located in Maruyama Park in Kyoto, Japan that was lit in the night. There was a massive amount of people in April as the sakura trees were in full bloom. Benches, recreation shelters and some food stalls were open late into the night as people continued picnicking and merrymaking surrounded by fired up heaters.
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