The growing list of Surabaya cafes

Coffee addict on the loose. Bringing you an ever-growing list of cafes in Surabaya. 6. Gather Inc  This spacious and light-filled bistro is a joy to be in, and as the name suggests, it’s a good gathering place. It also has created nalu bowls( 65K to 70K IDR), which the bistro termed as healthy bowls….

18 days in South America – 8 great reasons to stay at Belmond Sanctuary Lodge Machu Picchu

You can choose to stay at one of the many accommodations at the foot of Machu Picchu (around Machu Picchu station) or head to Belmond Sanctuary Lodge which sits at the entrance of the Machu Picchu Citadel. We booked El Albergue Ollantaytambo which was our lodging after the Machu Picchu leg, where we left most luggage…

18 days in South America – Tips to scaling Machu Picchu

Besides taking a historical guided tour within the Machu Picchu Citadel, one of the other popular activities to do in this UNESCO World Heritage Site is to hike up to the submit of Machu Picchu and/or Huayna Picchu. Between Machu Picchu and Huayna Picchu, the hiker husband chose Machu Picchu as it was less steep for the…

18 days in South America – traveling from Lima to Machu Picchu

From Lima, there are many ways to plan your trip to Machu Picchu. We chose a tiring, but less risky way of traveling to Machu Picchu with minimal risk of getting hit by altitude sickness – arrive in Cusco with the highest altitude, and travel immediately to Machu Picchu so that the body does not…

18 days in South America – the planning (Lima, Cusco, Machu Picchu, Galapagos)

It’s been a long while since I updated, as my work took me to places across the globe. The last year in Shanghai was hectic, and now that I have a little more time in Surabaya, it’s time for updates! So now, back to one of the greatest adventures in my life thus far! The…

可遇不可求 冰岛极光Aurora Borealis

冬季到冰岛旅游的我们，也希望能够一睹极光的风采，但是极光实在可遇不可求。 一整个星期下来，我们每晚都轮流起床，摸黑偷看外头，希望那晚的我们是幸运的。 但是三月的冰岛天气变化多端，并不易碰见晴朗的夜空，到了最后，我们也就随缘。 One of the possible highlights of visiting Iceland in winter is catching the Northern Lights or Aurora Borealis. The Aurora is an incredible light show caused by collisions between electrically charged particles released from the sun that enter the earth’s atmosphere and collide with gases such as oxygen and nitrogen. The lights…

A Winter Wonderland Dog Sledding Experience

Dog sledding was organized by him as the highlight of the final day after hanging out at the Geysir and checking out the Mid-Atlantic Ridge earlier. We drove all the way into the sledding area on our 4×4 vehicle, walked towards the huts where they kept the equipment. Introducing the dogs I was under the…

3 free things to do in and around Thingvellir

Thingvellir (or Þingvellir) was the final stop of our Iceland roadtrip (click here to see the whole roadtrip map), and turned out to be the most awesome day ever! Before you head up to Thingvellir (approx 50 min drive from the Reykjavík city), have a good breakfast, top up your tank and check the weather and…

10 things to pack for Iceland roadtrip

Don’t freeze in Iceland. The locals are not kidding when they say the weather’s unpredictable. You get the idea 😀 This packing list is valid for Feb / March, basically when Iceland is still in winter and the temperatures hover around 0 degrees celsius. It is cold & windy, snow-packed, wet and slippery. Windproof, waterproof and…

5 reasons to visit Seydisfjordur (East Iceland)

A view of the Seydisfjordur town 5 reasons to visit Seydisfjordur 1. One of Lonely Planet’s top “must visit” destinations in Iceland, Seydisfjordur is the biggest town in East Iceland, inhabited by 653 people (yes 653 only, Jan 2015), and we were marvelled by how surreal it felt when we finally landed in the town in the…

The luminous blue icebergs in Jökulsárlón

Touring Iceland, in many ways, was filled with excitement and surprises. I was a geography student till A levels, and I read so much about natural formations, including retreating glaciers. I hiked up my first glacier, Fox Glacier, in New Zealand 2013. This time round, we visited the spectacular glacier lagoon Jökulsárlón in the southeastern…

A (damn awesome) week in Iceland

Iceland, famous for her geographical wonders and the Eyjafjallajökull volcanic eruption that took the world by storm in 2010. Iceland, an island of charm and warm people. A place I may not have ventured into without him 🙂 We decided to give Iceland a week as we arrived in the afternoon on our first day. It’s…