After an early morning visit to the Cape of Good Hope, we took a full-day tour of wineries in Stellenbosch. The weather was stellar, with nothing but sun and beautiful views all around us. Stellenbosch is a town in the Western Cape province of South Africa and is known for its wine...
Cape Of Good Hope, On The Atlantic Coast Of The Cape Peninsula In South Africa Early in the morning, I drove to the Cape Of Good Hope with a tour guide as part of a full-day tour of the area, mainly Stellenbosch Wineries. It was a sunny day, but as you would expect, given the location, a...
Nagano is just about an hour away from Tokyo by Shinkansen. Quick and easy trip to see Zenkō-ji Temple. This Buddhist temple was built in the 7th century, and the modern city of Nagano began as a town built around this temple. Prepare yourself for crowds as it is a popular place to visit...
During my trek across Peru, I briefly visited Uros Islands, located a short boat ride from Puno. This place is home to Uru or Uros, an indigenous people of Peru and Bolivia. They live on approximately – and still growing – 120 self-fashioned floating islands on Lake Titicaca...
When you are in Buenos Aires, you really should make a day trip to Colonia del Sacramento. It is a city in southwestern Uruguay, by the Río de la Plata, facing Buenos Aires, Argentina. It is one of the oldest towns in Uruguay. To get there, you can take one of three ferries leaving from...
Everything looks like a typical Japanese train station when arriving from Osaka on a shinkansen to JR Kanazawa Station. Kanazawa gets a lot of snow each winter, so a large roof covers the station building to prevent train stoppages due to accumulated snow within the station. But the real...
If you cannot or simply don’t want to take a trek across Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, there is always a train option. Trains from Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes, Peru, take around 1h 31m and cover a distance of approximately 43 km. There are two services currently available, one by...
This would be my favourite town to retire to… Sitges in Spain has been recognized as one of the most charming towns and prestigious on the Catalan coast and enjoys a mild and temperate microclimate. It’s just 35km southwest of Barcelona, backed by the mountainous Parc Natural del...
Istanbul is a charming city with a lot of history and places to explore. One of the more exciting spots is the largest of several hundred ancient cisterns that lie beneath the city—located just 150 meters (490 ft) southwest of the famous Hagia Sophia. Built-in the 6th century during...
La Paz, the capital of Bolivia, is located in a canyon on the Choqueyapu River. The best way to see the city is from high above, the views are amazing. Take something called Mi Teleférico or an aerial cable car urban transit system serving the La Paz–El Alto metropolitan area in Bolivia...
It’s the middle of summer, so let’s look at one of my favourite places: Provincetown, Massachusetts, in the United States. Located at the northern tip of Cape Cod in the state of Massachusetts, P-town, as it’s known to most, is a longtime haven for artists, lesbians and...
When I was staying at Singapore Marina Bay Sands, I went downstairs to watch the Garden Rhapsody, a popular light and sound show at Supertree Grove. Although you can enjoy it free – no tickets are required, I opted to get tickets and see it from the aerial walkway, which is suspended...
There is a lot to see and explore in Berlin, but since the Reichstag Building is one of the most visited attractions in Germany, I had to go and see it. As it stands today, after the reconstruction, which was completed in 1999, the building houses the Bundestag (German federal parliament)...
The Saigon Skydeck is a glass-enclosed observation deck on the 49th floor of the Bitexco Financial Tower with scenic views. It’s nice, very different from the rest of the city. It offers a unique 360-degree view from the very centre of the town. You get to see buildings below and the...
A short ride on Vaporetto (Venetian public waterbus) will get you to the island of Murano, which is renowned for its long tradition of glass-making. I spent an afternoon walking around the island, visiting many galleries, shops and museums dedicated to its famous product. It’s a charming...
Montreal is one of the more European-looking cities, next to New Orleans or Quebec City in North America. There are the walkup apartments, old town, parks, and more modern downtown. There are cobbled streets, cafes, and restaurants with extensive patios. There are galleries and shops...
Mexico City’s Biblioteca Vasconcelos, or La Biblioteca de México sede Buenavista de la Secretaría de Cultura, is located in the Buenavista area in the north of Mexico City. It was designed by Alberto Kalach and completed in 2007. It is a must-see place when you are visiting Mexico’s...
Kyoto’s Gion District shops and restaurants storefronts light up in the evenings. And they are beautiful. I spent one of these evenings getting lost in this district and admiring them while visiting the city. Here are some of my favourites: Kyoto’s Gion District Shops and...
Train stations in Japan are real hubs within the city. They are often full of not only daily commuters or people travelling but also shops and restaurants. Some larger stations double as shopping malls. They are the real heart of the city. Kyoto Station is one of the few stations I went...
The Basílica de la Sagrada Familia, also known as the Sagrada Família, is a large unfinished Roman Catholic minor basilica in the Eixample district of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. Designed by the Spanish architect Antoni Gaudí, his work on the building is part of a UNESCO World Heritage...