Wednesday, May 29, 2019

1001 Places/Experiences to See or Savour #630 - Isfjord Radio, Svalbard

1001 Places/Experiences to See or Savour After Remission #630

 
- Isfjord Radio, Svalbard

 
(Snowmobiling across the whitest and steepest mountainsides of Svalbard for 5hours? We couldn't believe it but we survived this exploration, which included a near mishap - toppling over our snowmobile on one of the countless hillsides on the way to this remote outpost called Isfjord Radio, some 110km away from Spitsbergen! But this new experience was priceless, including lunching on freeze-dried pasta and rice right on the snow-covered tracks)
 






 

1001 Places/Experiences to See or Savour #629 - Svalbard, Norway

1001 Places/Experiences to See or Savour After Remission #629
 
- Svalbard, Norway
 
(Svalbard!
So deep inside the Arctic Circle, it really is like a different planet. Still cold at -6C in May, we were so taken by the Basecamp Explorer Hotel and the coloured buildings lining their main road here. We are here to explore the wilderness, and if lucky, encounter a polar bear or two. Afterall, it is rumoured that there are more polar bears here than the 2100 residents on this big island - actually a set of many big islands)
 
 
 
 
 
 

1001 Places/Experiences to See or Savour #628 - Banh Beo Hue, Ben Thanh Market, HCMC

1001 Places/Experiences to See or Savour After Remission #628
 
- Banh Beo Hue, Ben Thanh Market, HCMC
 
(Came across this gem of a breakfast treat here at HCMC's Ben Thanh Market - Banh Beo Hue - a flour cake with fried shrimps and chilli. What a find,  including a new noodle shop too with yummy springrolls..and on the last day of our short escape here too)

Thursday, March 28, 2019

1001 Places/Experiences to See or Savour #627 - Postjana Caves, Slovenia

1001 Places/Experiences to See or Savour After Remission #627
 
- Postjana Caves, Slovenia
 
(The Postjana Caves here in Slovenia stands out by having a railroad built into its vast caves. The star of the caves turns out to be a blind white salamander, which you can view the end of the 50min walk into this cave system)




 

1001 Places/Experiences to See or Savour #626 - Bled Castle, Slovenia

1001 Places/Experiences to See or Savour After Remission #626
 
- Bled Castle, Slovenia
 
(Bled Castle here in Slovenia takes top prize for us as the most gorgeous place in this trip of 4 countries. That little castle in the middle of the lake is simply beautiful. We can stay here for another couple of days, just soaking up the good vibes and clean air here! With the Alps as its background, it is hard to beat as a top tourist destination. Indeed, this place has 'Love' inside it, just as Slovenia is the only country with the word in it)






1001 Places/Experiences to See or Savour #625 - Ljubljana, Slovenia

1001 Places/Experiences to See or Savour After Remission #625
 
- Ljubljana, Slovenia
 
(Slovenia is country No.4 for us in this trip, and its capital, Ljubljana is a gem. Our ride in the furnicular up to its castle was fun, with a sweeping view of the city awaiting us. The many bridges here became apparent to us when we walked through its city centre - bridges with dragons, love locks, even one with 3 bridges in one! We had our first salted-chocolates here, a must-buy, according to our guide. We were not impressed by it though)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

1001 Places/Experiences to See or Savour #624 - Zagreb, Croatia

1001 Places/Experiences to See or Savour After Remission #624
 
- Zagreb, Croatia
 
(The capital of Croatia, Zagreb was wet when we arrived, but its beauty was apparent, even in the rain. The main square here was striking - filled with 60,000 people when the Croatian World Cup football team returned as heroes. The church with the country's flag as its roof is quite unique. Spending more time here would have revealed its gems more than what we have seen)