Aswan โ also known as land of gold. It’s the most colorful city I have seen in Egypt. There are several sources that says that it’s known as land of gold not because they have gold mines, but it’s because it’s the center for trading, either that or they believe that the gold was the flesh of gods that were buried in Aswan. We travelled via evening flight from Cairo to Aswan, which takes about 50 mins and it cost $110.
1. Cruising along the Nile River
๐ Nile River, Aswan
2. Nubian Village
๐ West, Aswan, Aswan Governorate 1231022, Egypt
3. Light Show at Philae Temple
๐ Aswan 1, ุงูุจุญุฑ ุงูุฃุญู ุฑ 1240271, Egypt
Siwa Oasis โ what captured my attention about Siwa was the turquoise salt lake. It was the best decision ever to explore Siwa with @touritos_ for 3 days, from Cairo to Siwa and back to Cairo. One thing I had learnt while planning for Egypt is that, not all places are accessible via train. Hence the only way we could find to go to Siwa, is to drive, which is unpleasant because it takes 8 hours to get there. On the day we travelled to Siwa, the weather wasn’t the best. It was so windy, and our car broke down in the middle of nowhere. Our driver/guide was the best. He is always ensuring that we are comfortable and we will never go thirsty or hungry in the car. Yes, they provided us with water and snacks. However we were just napping most of the time :’) The package cost $380 per person, and it’s inclusive of meals, accommodation and transport. It is not a private tour, but we were blessed with the best group and met new friends from across the world!
1. Panta Lodge Siwa
๐ Siwa, Marsa Matrouh Governorate 5011611, Egypt
I love the style of the resort. It’s not a 5 star accommodation, but it’s so picturesque and the vibe is just phenomenal.
Cairo โ famous for its Great Pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx, also known as the great 7 wonders of the world. We flew from Singapore to Cairo via Etihad Airways and our air ticket cost $654. We had no issue with transportation, as it is pretty much accessible via Kareem everywhere we go. On day 1, we decided to explore the city by ourselves while on day 2, we had arrange a tour with @egyptmalayatours. It was nice having a guide as they are able to recommend us the best places to go to grab souvenirs. For accommodation, we had book an airbnb facing the pyramid which cost $200 for 2 nights. I truly enjoyed my time in Cairo despite it’s hot and humid weather.
1. Sunway Pyramid View
๐ 14 Al Amira Fadia, Nazlet El-Semman, Giza Governorate 12557, Egypt $100 per night
Hello again! I can’t believe that 2 years have passed since I last posted. Work has been chaotic, and it has been consuming all of my energy. I am actually taking a step back from work, and now focusing on my mental and physical health. So here I am updating on my travel journey that is long overdue!
In Aug 2023, my friend and I decided to take an impromptu trip to Vietnam during the long national day weekend! We flew to Hanoi, and took a bus to Cao Bang to witness one of the biggest waterfall in Asia. The waterfall was epic, but sleeping in the night sleeper bus was not comfortable at all. I think we were mostly concerned about our safety due to how fast the bus went :’) We also took a flight to Dalat and had one day to explore the cute town!
โฒ Hanoi
1. Hanoi Train Station
๐ 3 P. Trแบงn Phรบ, Hร ng Bรดng, Hoร n Kiแบฟm, Hร Nแปi 100000, Vietnam
Must visit when you are in Hanoi! Dine in at any of the shops by the railway track as you observe the train passing by you at a very short distance!
2. Hanoi Sky Lotte Observation Deck
๐ 54 P. Liแป u Giai, Ngแปc Khรกnh, Ba ฤรฌnh, Hร Nแปi 100000, Vietnam $11 for adult
โฒ Cao Bang
It was a 6 hours journey by bus from Hanoi to Cao Bang. Since we did not want to waste any time, we decided to experience the night sleeper bus which cost us about $62 for a return trip. In Cao Bang, we took a private tour which brings us to majority of the attractions in Cao Bang for a day. It was also difficult to find halal food while we were there, so it is encouraged to bring your own ready to eat meals! Ban Gioc waterfall is also known as Detian Falls, and it is located just next to China. You can view the waterfall from Vietnam side, or from China. PS: Be prepared to get soaked by the waterfall splash!
1. Ban Gioc Waterfall
๐ 54 P. Liแป u Giai, Ngแปc Khรกnh, Ba ฤรฌnh, Hร Nแปi 100000, Vietnam
2. Heaven’s Gate
๐ Cao Chฦฐฦกng, Trร Lฤฉnh District, Cao Bang, Vietnam
3. ฤแปng Ngฦฐแปm Ngao
๐ cแปญa ra ฤแปng ngฦฐแปm ngao, gแบงn, ฤร m Thuแปท, Trรนng Khรกnh, Cao Bแบฑng, Vietnam
โฒ Dalat
We had fun exploring Dalat by bike! There were no issues looking for halal food. The Crazy House were intriguing. It reminded me of Gaudรญ’s building architecture in Barcelona. Fun fact: There are actually rooms in the crazy house that you can rent for the night!
We were in Brunei for a week to pursue our open water diver course. I have always wanted to take Diving course but then Covid hits. 3 years later, here I am in Brunei to pursue my goal! Why Brunei? My friend went to ADEX fair in Singapore last year and she had her eyes on Oceanicquest. I didn’t had the time to do my own research so I trusted her pick and decided to give it a go. Also, there is no other reason for me to visit Brunei other than Diving. Did I regret my choice diving in Brunei? No. I loved it here. Ship wrecks are one of the most popular diving sites in Brunei. So I am glad that I actually chose to do it here. I had no exposure on diving in ship wrecks in the first place, so I was in awe when I actually did it! My open water diver course spans in 6 days 5 nights, which cost us $700. It includes accommodation, food, diving gears etc. Technically, you can complete the course in 3 days (also you have to finish some e-learning materials prior to your arrival) but we had spare days in case we can’t perform well or due to weather conditions. We could have also add on fun dives for $40 per dives, but we were already exhausted by then so we decided to rest instead.
On our spare days, we rented a car with Auto X for $60 per day to explore Brunei. It was such a seamless process and the car dealer even recommended us on the places we should go, food we can try etc. It is so convenient to drive around in Brunei and fuel/parking is relatively cheap here. We also tried to book for a few rides via Dart and we did not face any issue with it. The unique thing about Dart is, once the driver accepted your request, they will message you on Whatsapp to pick you up. Another thing to note is, there’s not many taxi’s or Dart’s around in Brunei, unlike here in Singapore, because majority of the people in Brunei drives.
I love how Brunei is so laid back. We had such a good time so, thank you to all the people we met there for making our stay such a pleasant trip!
Kathmandu surprises me. We felt safe walking in the streets by ourselves even at night. We stayed at Aloft Kathmandu hotel and I think it is a decent hotel. I like how it is one of the taller hotels in Kathmandu so you can sort of see the view of the city from your room. The location is pretty good too, considering it is located at Thamel Street. Nepalese are generally nice people so far. Kathmandu is such a vibrant city. It is mainly known for its temples.
Swoyambhu
Feeding the birds at Swoyambhu were surprisingly fun, especially when they starts flapping their wings around you. Thankfully none of us got shit on.
Monkey Temple
The monkeys are surprisingly nice. They are very unbothered by human.
Patan Durbar Square
Patan Durbar Square is situated at the centre of the city of Lalitpur in Nepal. It is one of the three Durbar Squares in the Kathmandu Valley, all of which are UNESCO World Heritage Sites. It is also one of the location in Kathmandu where Dr Strange was filmed at. It was quite a bummer that we only got to see the outside of Durbar Square as we were fighting for time.
Godawari Botanical Garden
The size of the garden is about the same as Singapore botanical gardens. It’s a good place to for a walk or picnic.
Everest Mountain Flight
Definitely an activity you should not skip while in Kathmandu. It is also dependent on weather conditions. However if the view is bad or flight is cancelled, they will actually offer a full refund so you should definitely give it a chance considering that you will get to see the tallest mountain in the world! We were honestly surprised, since the weather has been so foggy. The visibility were really good above the clouds that day. The ticket cost around $300 for an hour of mountain flight.
Exploring streets of Thamel
Bhat Bhateni Super Store
One of the biggest supermarket in Kathmandu. It is a great place to look around and get some souvenirs back home such as Nepalese teas or snacks!
New Year Eve’s Met Gala dinner at Aloft Kathmandu Hotel
Our time in Nagarkot/Bhaktapur was cut short due to flight delays. It wasn’t exactly fruitful either because the weather is just so foggy. As per our research, you should be able to see Mount Everest from Nagarkot on a clear day. Unfortunately we could not see any of the himalayans mountain while we were there. We had a quick walk to Bhaktapur and I love how unique the city is in bright red stones. We met a couple of friendly local kids as well whom tried to communicate with us, but we could not really understand them. They were so adorable! We enjoyed our stay at Club Himalaya resort. The buffet is probably the best out of the three hotels we stayed in Nepal. It is also very peaceful, away from the hustling city. I thought it would be cool to fly my drone at the resort but unfortunately it was not allowed as there is a base camp located behind the hotel.
You can’t visit Nepal without visiting Pokhara. It has the nicest views ever. We stayed at Pokhara Grande but it felt like an average hotel rather than a 5 stars hotel. The services are not bad, just that the hotel is a bit old. The view is pretty nice though, we were able to see the Annapurna mountains from our room (if it is a clear day otherwise the mountains will be covered in clouds). Driving to Pokhara to Kathmandu is really long, about an 8 hours journey since there is a lot of constructions. It was not exactly a smooth ride as we are driving along the windy and bumpy road. We actually decided to take the flight back to Kathmandu which takes about 30 minutes. The only downside about taking the flight is the weather conditions. Our flight was scheduled in the morning but it was really foggy so the flight was delayed for 5 hours. Definitely not great waiting at the airport and not knowing what is going to happen.
1. Sunrise at Sarangkot
๐ Pokhara 33700 30 minutes drive from our hotel
It is a must go to catch the sunrise. It is stunning! There is a short climb from the carpark, about 10 to 15 minutes away depending on your speed. Sarangkot is located at 1600m altitude high. We were able to see the Annapurna mountains. Mount Annapurna is the tenth highest mountain in the world at 8,091m.
Devi’s fall is named after a Swiss lady whom drowned while swimming in the tunnel. The water actually came from Phewa Lake.
3. Gupteshwor Mahadev Cave
๐ 5XR6+QFQ, Pokhara 33700, Nepal
4. Tibetan Refugee Camp
๐ Chhore Patan, Near Davi’s Fall, Pokhara 33411, Nepal
5. Seti River Gorge
๐ Lamachaur Rd, Pokhara 33700, Nepal
6. Phewa lake
๐ 33700, Pokhara, Nepal
7. Hiking at Dhampus Village to Australian Base Camp
๐ Dhampus Village
The hike took us around 1 hour up. Longest one hour of my life, my legs were dying. The hike is worth it though, starting at 1060m high and ending at 2060m high.
I didn’t expect myself coming back to Bali after 2 or 3 years, it was kind of like an impromptu trip for me but a planned trip for a friend. I decided to go since it was my birthday week, I thought why not give it another break. I am always up for a new experiences (the only thing that takes my step back is probably my limited annual leaves). We took the taxi to Kintamani from the airport, which cost around $50 for a one way trip. It is actually about 2 hours drive away. So the main highlight about this trip is glamping at Black Lava camp! Going in and out of the campsite is not exactly convenient, since not any vehicle can actually go to the campsite as it is a hilly narrow off road track. Hence it is not recommended for visitors to drive in. It is also unexpectedly cold at night so do bring some sweaters or jacket!
1. Black Lava Camp
๐ Jalan Bukit Payang No.88, Desa Batur Tengah, Kintamani Banjar Bugbugan, Central Batur, Kintamani, Bangli Regency, Bali 80652, Indonesia Family suite cost $200 per night
The skies were really clear on our third day so we were lucky enough to stargaze at night!
2. Abiansila Adventures Bali ATV
๐ Jl. Raya Bresela No.8, Bresela, Kec. Payangan, Kabupaten Gianyar, Bali 80572, Indonesiaa $88 per pax for shared tandem ride for 1.5 hours, including transport
Super recommended! The track is really extreme but it is also soooo fun! PS: I actually did get myself injured (on my birthday!)
3. Snorkelling at Lovina
๐ R2RG+544, Sea, Anturan, Buleleng, Buleleng Regency, Bali 81152, Indonesia $100 for 2 pax, including transport
Lovina is by far one of the best place to snorkel so far, as compared to Nusa Penida. I am not sure if I recommend the dolphins tour though, as it is so uncomfortable seeing how many boats are chasing after the dolphins. Definitely not cool.
4. Beachwalk Kuta
๐ Jl. Pantai Kuta, Kuta, Kec. Kuta, Kabupaten Badung, Bali 80361, Indonesia
4. Beachbowl Cafe
๐ Jl. Benesari, Pantai, Kuta, Kec. Kuta, Kabupaten Badung, Bali 80361, Indonesiaal Batur, Kintamani, Bangli Regency, Bali 80652, Indonesia
Barcelona during summer, is just H O T. It is no doubt, easy to move around Barcelona since it is a city and super connected via bus or metro. We bought a 120 hours travel card which cost around $46 on Klook (after voucher has been applied). Hola Barcelona pass can be used at most of the public transport in Zone 1. We also stayed at an average hotel, Mercure Barcelona Hotel, which cost around $160 per night. Here’s what we did in Barcelona in 5 days! There are A LOT of attractions in Barcelona, it is pretty well known for it’s architecture so be prepared to spend some money. We did not actually paid for all the attractions, we had picked out top few “must go” attractions, and the rest we had just seen the building from the outside.
1. Casa Vicens, Gaudi
๐ Carrer de les Carolines, 20-26, 08012 Barcelona, Spain Tickets can be purchased to explore the building
2. Taverna El Glop
๐ C/ de Sant Lluรญs, 24, 08012 Barcelona, Spain Operates from 1 pm to 12 am everyday
3. Hospital De La Santa Creu I Sant Pau
๐ C/ de Sant Antoni Maria Claret, 167, 08025 Barcelona, Spain Tickets can be purchased to explore the building
4. Arc De Triomf
๐ Passeig de Lluรญs Companys, 08003 Barcelona, Spain
5. Ciutadella Park
๐ Passeig de Picasso, 21, 08003 Barcelona, Spain
Memories in the making 
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