1001 Places/Experiences to See or Savour #417 - Mt Hakodate night view, Hakodate

1001 Places/Experiences to See or Savour After Remission #417

- Mt Hakodate night view, Hakodate

(The Super Hokuto Ltd Express train from Sapporo took us right to this southernmost city of Hakodate on the island of Hokkaido in under 4hours, with serene views of the countryside. But upon arrival, our 1st stop was the Mt Hakodate Ropeway, which took us up to Mt Hakodate. It's only 334m high, but once up there via the cablecar, the view is magnificent. The entire city is within sight, with snow-capped mountain tops in the background. But the real magic of this place comes alive when night falls and the city is bathe in romantic lights as far as the eyes can see, rated by Japanese locals as "The Million Dollar View" - we agree! See timelapse vdo below)

 

1001 Places/Experiences to See or Savour #416 - Sapporo snow storm, Japan

1001 Places/Experiences to See or Savour After Remission #416

- Sapporo snow storm, Japan

 

(We flew straight into a Sapporo snow storm..and we love it! Here in Japan and DIY-ing here for the 1st time, we really didn't know what to expect upon arrival at the Chitose airport, with minimal English signs - is it the train or the coach or taxi? Our train choice was excellent, as it brought us straight to the Sapporo train station exit..and into 2-inch thick snow sidewalks. We stumbled along for 10mins but found a local man who was kind enough to guide us straight to the front of out hotel Unizo - if not, our clothes were definitely not good enough for -2C weather. It was a white city beauty nonetheless, when only 9hours ago, we were in 33C heat. The snowstorm continued the next morning too - perfect for me!)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1001 Places/Experiences to See or Savour #415 - Talat Sao and Laotian street food, Vientiane

1001 Places/Experiences to See or Savour After Remission #415

- Talat Sao and Laotian street food, Vientiane

 

(The Talat Sao morning market was a pleasant 15min walk away from our Ibis Hotel in the cool 23C sunrise walk. We thought this morning market was all a Laotian hoax when we saw only a regular mall, until we found it tucked away some 100m away behind the mall. And it was a hive of activity - not unlike the Chatuchak market in Bangkok. We grab a kilo of sweet longan for just S$1.90. But the street food here was our best deal, with choices which suit our palate nicely, especially a corner shop selling delicious lor-bak for S$2 a plate. And those spring-rolls melt in our mouths - yum!)

 

 

 

 

1001 Places/Experiences to See or Savour #414- That Luang Golden Stupa and Patuxay Victory Gate, Vientiane

1001 Places/Experiences to See or Savour After Remission #414

- That Luang Golden Stupa and Patuxay Victory Gate, Vientiane

 

(Towards the end of our day tour, we visited the That Luang Golden Stupa, the national symbol for Laos. Though not as imposing as the Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon - click here: Shwedagon Pagoda - its structure is quite unique, with 500lbs of gold leaves pasted on it to give it the golden hue. The Patuxay Victory Gate rounded out our tour of Vientiane, aptly named after their victory of the French colonialists. It resembles the Arc de Triomph in Paris. We climbed the 60-odd steps up this gate, which gave a grand view of this central part of the Vientiane city)

 

 

 

 

1001 Places/Experiences to See or Savour #413 - Buddha Park, Vientiane, Laos

1001 Places/Experiences to See or Savour After Remission #413

- Buddha Park, Vientiane, Laos

 

(Some 40mins ride away from Vientiane is this Buddha Park, where a combination of over 200 Buddhist and Hindu concrete statues were created by a priest. Near the entrance is this pumpkin-like structure which resembles Heaven, Hell and Earth, as you climb from the bottom to the top. However, the reclining Buddha is the main attraction, at 40m long. The park sits by the Mekong river - sipping coconuts at one of its attap huts affords a serene view across this hugely important river for the Laotian and Thais alike)