Shortly after our Taiwan holiday we went for another family trip. This time however to an already familiar place: Ubud, Bali.
We spent a few relaxing days with my sister-in-law and her partner in a beautiful villa situated in a lush green environment, only a few minutes from the centre, from where we went to explore the whereabouts of the Monkey Forest, the rice paddies as well as the temples at Gunung Kawi and Tirta Empul.

We took our time to join a cooking class, to wander the narrow streets and lanes, to roam local markets, to stop at street stalls and enjoy the little delights of Old Town Bangkok.

We also included a day trip to Kanchanaburi, a small and historic-rich town where we visited the famous bridge over the River Kwai, the impressive WWII cemetery and an excellent museum before we walked the short but beautiful heritage street, still intact with houses dating back more than 100 years and showcasing the diverse influences that the town witnessed over the past century (Chinese, Indian, Portuguese, Japanese).

At the end of each day, delicious, fresh and spicy Thai food and replenishing Thai massages helped us gain back our much needed energy!

At home, we helped the feelings by putting up and decorating the Christmas tree a few weeks earlier, endless listening to the usual “Last Christmas”, “Let it Snow”, “All I want for Christmas is You” and seriously over-indulging on home-baked cookies prepared according to Mum’s recipes.

All in all, as good as it gets for a Christmas in the City (and without family)!

I started my tour with breakfast at Tian Kee, a retro-styled café. I have read that it had taken over the premises of the Tian Kee Provision Shop which was privately run and for 54 years catered to the daily needs of the neighbourhood.

In the late afternoon I came back in order to stroll around the blocks and take some pictures. I was initially not happy as the weather was rather hazy. After review I find however that it adds a special touch and conveys the nostalgic feeling really well.

Actually, we only came back to get ready for the next adventure. Together with our driver, a tent and some more bottles of water we now set out to cross the desert. Luckily (for both the camels and for us), we chose the car to attack the 500km long desert highway. Halfway through we stopped to set up the tent for the night. The location in the middle of sand dunes was magic and to know that the very same landscape spreads for hundreds of kilometres in all directions just added to this feeling. So did as well the sandstorm which made for a rough (but still beautiful) night and left us and the tent windswept and covered with a thick layer of sand.

To change the scenery we headed to Bayanbulak, a highland which consists of gorgeously vast and green pastures, surrounded by snow-capped mountains and inhabited by Kazhak nomad people and their sheep and cattle.

Back down to the heat and back in time. We spent some last days in and around Turpan, located at 50m below sea level where we discovered some fantastic sites such as the ruins of Jiaohe, the ancient capital and now utterly impressive remains of a city life 1600 years ago.

Taklamakan Desert

Bayanbulak

Ancient City Ruins

Pamir Mountains

Kashgar Life Stock Market

Our starting point was the city of Kashgar. It tells you a great deal on what to expect if you read that it is geographically closer to Teheran or Moscow than to Beijing; and even more if I add that I feel it is not only geographically! The largest ethnic group are the Uighurs, very friendly people who love to wear colourful silk dresses and hats in different shapes, who eat lamb – or rather sheep – as often as possible (as kebab, with noodles, with rice, with nan, as soup, the knuckles, the head, the liver and what other part you may think of…) and who as devoted Muslims have built mosques at almost every corner of a street.

All these characteristics are not normally associated with China and made this trip very special and so different from my previous adventures in China. Get a first impression (“it’s all about people”) with below pictures and then let’s go “wild west” in the second part.

Muslim Life

Yurt – Kyrgyz Style

Street Life

Bazaar

That is why two friends from my recent photo course and me headed there for a photo outing. I had lots of fun and spent a great time!
We chatted with some of the residents and got a feeling how life in Singapore must have been half a century ago. It is great to be reminded that Singapore offers so much more than shopping, eating and the CBD (central business district around Marina Bay).

Therefore, we headed to Ubud, a beautiful small town, with lots of artistic flair. An excellent spot to wind down and while away some time in one of the cafes or shopping for local products. I was positively surprised to see that the place had not changed much and that it is, albeit not impossible, still rare to see the ubiquitous global brands.

And there is much more… within short distance you can find temples and similar cultural highlights amid amazing nature (rainforest at its best; beautiful, (sometimes) hidden gorges and lots and lots of rice paddies). This all makes for a spectacular backdrop to day trips or to a bicycle tour and invites you to stop once in a while to take pictures (or catch your breath :-)).

Bukit Brown is all about heritage, habitat and history. It is an old Chinese Cemetery used at the beginning of the 20th century. By now it is mostly abandoned and nature has taken over… think rare bird species and rainforest!
A stroll through the area makes a great escape from the hustle and bustle of the city. A must see for all residents of Singapore! But hurry, there are plans to construct a highway …

2014 – Year of the Horse
Every year, Singapore’s Chinatown features beautiful decoration in the style of the Chinese zodiac. Galloping to prosperity is the motto for this year of the horse. Prosperity being one of the most important things for Chinese, Chinese New Year with its red packets, full of money, and its wishes for Gong Xi Fa Cai (translated as I wish you to become rich) is all about it.

Chiang Mai

Wat Nokor Kampong Cham, Cambodia

Wat Pho Bangkok

Pyay Myanmar

Nyaung U Myanmar

Buddhist Monk Myanmar

Buddhist Nun Myanmar

Giant Buddha Pyay, Myanmar