When I was studying in Canada in the Summer, I was literally surrounded by beautiful and vibrant-looking flowers everywhere. So I envy the Canadians for being about to enjoy looking at beautiful blooms wherever they go. And that was 10 years ago, when Singapore was just starting to incorporate more greenery in the city. A few years fast forward, we welcomed Gardens by the Bay and we get to be surrounded by a variety blooms throughout the year. We are definitely limited by the seasons. And this season, they are bringing you a new floral display, Rhododendron Radiance, at the Flower Dome. Besides changing out the seasonal floral display, you…
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Capri by Fraser Hotel Residences at Johor Bahru: Best Hotel in JB, M’sia
I really find myself enjoying the short getaways to Johor Bahru in Malaysia because there are many hidden finds and places with good local food to try out. Need I say that the price is too good to be true too? However, due the long queues at JB Checkpoint, we ended up spending the whole of our afternoon queueing to get across the border. Thus, doing a day-trip to JB isn’t very ideal. It is actually better to stay there for one night. Besides, accommodation is equally affordable. My only qualm is the lack of well-maintained and clean modern hotels. I got the best hotel deal on Agoda But this…
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5 Must-visit Cultural and Historical attractions to visit in Hanoi, Vietnam
It is my second time here in Hanoi but I haven’t really got to visit the main attractions within Hanoi during my first visit. This time, I get to visit some of the popular tourist attractions like Ho Chi Minh Museum and Imperial Citadel of Thanh Long where I get to learn more about the history and culture of Vietnam. If you are into Vietnamese culture and its history, you must include these 5 attractions into your itinerary. Besides visiting Ha Long Bay, the following five of the attractions are worth a visit. 1. Temple of Literature This temple, constructed in 1070, was once a national university dedicated to Confucius…
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Experience Rural Life at Duong Lam Ancient Village
One of the highlights of my recent trip to Hanoi is this visit to Duong Lam Ancient Village. It is an agricultural village of the Northern Red River delta. Over there, we got to experience what rural life is all. We did rice planting at the Padi fields and catching fish with bamboo baskets. Unfortunately, it was scorching hot that day and it is not any better with the high humidity. Some of us suffer from mild heat exhaustion after being out in the sun for more than 30 minutes. A 300-Year-Old Quaint Village – Duong Lam It is about a 2-hour drive from Hanoi City Centre. There are several…
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How are Traditional Vietnamese Conical Hats made?
On the second day of our Hanoi trip, we headed down south to Chuong Village which is about an hour and a half bus ride from the city centre in Hanoi. It is approximately 30 km away from Hanoi. We were there for solely to learn how to make traditional Vietnamese conical hats or ‘Nón Lá’ (means leaf hat) in Vietnamese. This village has a reputation for making conical hats and almost every house in this village makes the ‘Nón Lá’ which shields them from the sun and rain. How did these conical hats came about? According to one legend, this conical hats originated from this story of a goddess…
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Learning about the Art of Pottery in Bat Trang Village, Hanoi
When I was in Hanoi back in 2009, I only covered a few city attractions. My impression of Hanoi back then wasn’t very good, as compared to the Ho Chi Minh City, where the people are friendlier. The roads were definitely wider here in Hanoi and the people were more outspoken. Now that was ten years ago. Ten years later, things have certainly changed – along with my perspectives of this capital city. This time, I ventured further out to the countryside to visit a couple of villages. The first village we visited was Bát Tràng Village which is a traditional ceramic and pottery village located beside the red river.…
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Experience the Rural and City side of Hanoi, Vietnam in 4 days
I enjoy flying. Who doesn’t? But this year, I haven’t been travelling much as I was preparing to shift into a new place (though I haven’t entirely shifted in). Besides, you could say that I was a little tired of travelling, especially if I am travelling on my own. I still prefer travelling with my partner but he is always giving excuses not to travel. Oh well, let’s just hope that the year-end trip we planned would happen for us this year. My first flight in 2019 On a side note, I am just glad that I will be flying out of Singapore. But sadly, it is entirely for work…
