Bali : The Tropical Paradise

Bali is a good choice for a beach vacation. There are many activities to do on the island. Beach-goers can look forward to beaches with pristine white sands and shimmering blue waters. For a taste of culture, one can visit temples which are set in picturesque landscapes. As night falls, one can gaze at the dramatic sunsets and party at beach clubs. And of course, not forgetting a soothing massage at one of the many spas available. We tried a little bit of each during our 4D3N trip.

Taiwan Trip 2015 Day 6

Once again it is back to 85 degree cafe for breakfast. After that we went to MacDonald's to check out the Black Sesame McFlurry which seems to be only available in Taiwan. It is certainty a refreshing and tasty experience! MacDonald's has done a good job here in adding local flavor to its menu.

Taiwan Trip 2015 Day 5

We will be spending time in the city area today instead of doing day trips or to travel to the outskirts. We will be checking out places for more good food and shopping! We started the day with a nice traditional breakfast at 永和豆浆油条大王 Yong He Eating House.

Taiwan Trip 2015 Day 4

Today we will be travelling to 十分 Shifen. We took a train to Ruifang station from Taipei station. After that we boarded another train headed to Shifen. You can buy the ticket for the entire journey at Taipei station so that you do not need to waste time queuing for another ticket at Ruifang station.

Taiwan Trip 2015 Day 3

Today we will be visiting 大溪花海农场 Ta Shee Blooming Oasis. The farm is in Taoyuan and requires a fair amount of travelling. After about 2 hours of travel time and 2 buses, we arrived at the farm. 

Taiwan Trip 2015 Day 2

Rise and shine! We woke up to a bright and sunny day. It is time to explore the city and check out the many delicious food it has to offer! We went to the nearby 85 degree cafe to have breakfast. The nice coffee and cakes make a good start to the day ahead.

Taiwan Trip 2015 Day 1

 For this trip to Taiwan, we traveled via Scoot. Although Scoot is a budget airline, the seats are surprisingly very comfortable and spacious. We bought the flybageat tickets which include checked luggage and meals on board. We ordered Soya Sauce Chicken Rice and Creamy Pasta with Chicken Sausage. 

Taiwan Trip 2015

Taiwan is a nice place to travel for a vacation. There is a good mix of things for everyone. It has delicious food, natural scenery, abundance of shopping, entertaining variety TV shows and many more. In fact, Taiwan is one of our favorite place and we have traveled there for numerous times. For this 6D5N trip from 26 April to 1 May 2015, we are doing it at a relaxed pace and we will be focusing on Taipei and its outskirts. The public transport is very well developed and it is very easy to travel around the country. Read on for more about our adventures and travels in the subsequent posts.

Day 1 : Ximending 

Day 2 : Beitou & Danshui 
Day 3 : Ta Shee Blooming Oasis & Shilin Night Market
Day 4 : Shifen & Miaokou Night Market
Day 5 : Ximending
Day 6 : Airport Lounge

Europe Trip Day 10 : Paris Airport Lounge & Business Class

It was time to return to Singapore via Singapore Airline flight. After checking in at the airport, the next thing to do was to settle the tax refund. Based on experience, it is better to get tax refund in Euro as the exchange rate offered at the airport is typically bad. After that it was rest and relax at the Star Alliance Gold Lounge. 

Europe Trip Day 9 : Orleans

We bid goodbye to Florence and took a Air France flight to travel to Paris. At Charles de Gaulle Airport, we transferred to a private cab that brought us to Orleans in two hours. We have been to Orleans previously and hence we did not do much exploring this round. Orleans is a small city located just south of Paris and it is part of the Loire Valley. Orleans has an interesting history associated with Joan of Arc who saved the city from English siege in 1429. 

Europe Trip Day 8 : Florence Outlet Shopping

Florence is popular for outlet shopping where one can buy luxury goods at a fraction of the retail price. For this trip, we visited Space and the Mall which are located in the outskirts of Florence. Space is a outlet for Prada and it is a place that Prada fans should visit. We took a train to Montevarchi and hailed a cab to take us to Space Outlet. We could view a decent selection for both women and men when we were there. However some of the items were limited in stock and colors. 

Europe Trip Day 7 : Florence - Piazzale Michelangelo, Ponte Vecchio & Uffizi Gallery

This morning, we took a bus to Piazzale Michelangelo which is located on the southern side of Arno River. Piazzale Michelangelo resides on high grounds and from here we were able to have a picturesque view of many of the iconic architectures in Florence. 

Europe Trip Day 6 : Florence Duomo

The next day, we checked out of the hotel and took a train to our next destination Florence. The journey was around an hour and thirty minutes. We walked to our hotel Cerretani Firenze Mgallery which as a short distance from the train station. The hotel is conveniently located in Florence with lots of attraction and food around it.

Europe Trip Day 5 : Milan Duomo & The Last Supper

Today we took a morning flight from Barcelona to Milan via EasyJet. EasyJet provides an affordable and comfortable way to travel between countries in the Europe continent. We had used EasyJet a couple of times and the experiences were pleasant. After clearing immigration, we took the Malpensa Airport Shuttle to transfer from Mapensa Terminal 2 to Terminal 1. After which we boarded the Malpensa Express which brought us to the city in about 50 minutes.

Europe Trip Day 4 : Barcelona - Barceloneta Beach & Gothic Quarters

We decided to explore Barceloneta beach today. We took the metro and alighted at Barceloneta. From the station, we strolled for about 10 minutes before reaching the shore. There was not much sun at this time of the year and hence the beach was quite deserted when we were there.

Europe Trip Day 3 : Barcelona - Sagrada Familia & Montjuic Castle & La Boqueria Market

This morning, we will be exploring the Sagrada Familia. This church is an awesome piece of art and architecture designed by Gaudi. Work started on the Sagrada Familia in 1882 and till now, the building of the church is still on-going. The church towers into the sky and is a prominent building from anywhere in Barcelona.

Europe Trip Day 2: Barcelona - Park Guell & Casa Batllo

We started the day with breakfast at the hotel. The breakfast was good and had a sufficient variety of choices. 

Europe Trip Day 1: Barcelona - La Rambla & Magic Fountain of Montjuic

We took a Singapore Airline flight from Singapore to Barcelona, which was our first destination for this trip. The flight took about 13 hours. We spent the time watching movies, snacking and resting during the long journey. It was difficult to catch any sleep because of the aircraft noise. The Audio Technica Noise Cancelling In-Ear Headphones was quite helpful in reducing the ambient noise but still not enough to fully tame the engine roar.

Europe Autumn Vacation

This was our second trip to Europe for vacation this year. The last visit was during the summer season which was quite hot. This time, we went during the autumn season which was cool and comfortable. For this 10D9N trip, we explored Barcelona, Milan, Florence and Orleans. Our trip itinerary was as below and the highlights for each day in subsequent posts.

Europe Trip Day 14 : London - Natural History & British Museum

London has many museums and galleries that cater to visitors with varied interests. We visited the Natural History Museum which has a diversity of galleries showing the various species of living things on Earth. which includes mammals, amphibians, reptiles and birds. It also has an interesting gallery on Dinosaurs which attracted a huge crowd as compared to the other galleries. The highlight is the animated T Rex display that is brought to life through sound and animation. This is probably the most realistic close up encounter anyone can get with the ferocious creature.