Travel Photos Series#24-Sunset at Mount Faber

View from Mount Faber

We had been planning to do a family trek up Mount Faber and finally did it on 3 June 2017. At the top of the hill, we could see beautiful panoramic view of our Singapore city🌆from various prospective.

One of the views that would etch deeply in my mind was the sunset view from the highest point of the hill. It overlooked the residential area of Telok Blangah. The area used to be a village and Singapore has grown beyond many people imagination to what we are today.

I always remind Charlotte never to take what we see and have as granted. We were, not very long ago, a less developed country like a lot of others.

🔺 We recently have a collaboration with Gogoprint. They are a print business and can help you to produce business cards, brochures, postcards, posters, leaflets and flyers etc at reasonable price and send to your residential area or office for free. 

We ordered postcards from them with our unique "Sunset at Mount Faber"🌄photo (see above photo) and we are happy with the quality and resolution of the print. Please can go to their website for more information.


We are holding a small contest here 😊. Tell us what you feel proud about your country (use comments column below)  and the top 3 comments will receive a free unique"Sunset at Mount Faber"postcard from us.  

Travel Photos Series#21-Sunset at Torrey Pines Gliderport

I was away on business trip at San Diego, USA recently and was introduced to this amazing place by my colleague. Located on the cliffs above Black's beach, the Torrey Pines Gliderport is a paradise for paragliders displaying their paragliding skills with help of the strong, cooling wind.

The cliffs overlooked the majestic Pacific Ocean and we were lucky enough to witness the amazing sunset on that day. I did not bring my DSLR camera but managed to capture the amazing scenes in my I-phone.

Photo taken on 2 October 2016.

Travel Photo Series#5-Sunset at Tamsui-Taiwan

Sunset at Tamsui

This photo was taken on 5 Dec 2013 during our family trip to Tamsui ( 淡水) at Taiwan. We were rushing to catch the sunset at the Lover's Bridge but had to make do with enjoying the sunset scene from the ferry. The sunset moment was breathtaking and I was glad to capture the photo and share it with everyone here.

Related Posts: Taiwan Travel Tips, Family Bonding Tour at Taiwan Famosa

Cheung Chau Trip (Part 2)

Cheung Chau Sunset View

urning the corner after the last seafood restaurant, we saw the famous Pak Tai temple which was built in 1783. A set of short steps led up to the temple. Just right in front of the temple was a big soccer pitch. This is where the annual Bun Festival is held. During the celebrations there were street processions, theatrical performance and of course the not to be missed Bun Scrambling competition. Competitors climbed up towers made of buns (14 meters in height) and competed to collect the most number of buns in a determined time.

Pak Tai Temple

We wasted no time to explore the Pak Tai temple. It was not a big temple with a main hall flanked by two side chambers. I have visited many Chinese temples before and  found the Pak Tai temple was not a lot of difference from the rest. But the temple was filled with historic and cultural values and I deemed it was a must to visit to immerse in it's atmosphere.

We tried more street foods after the temples' visit. If you have the chance to be here, remember to try the Giant Curry Fish Balls (my favourite..yummy), Fried Fish Balls and Squid Balls, Fried Mango Roll and Fried Ice Cream. Of course, the list did not end here but I just mentioned on those that we have savoured. 

Yummy Street Foods

Being fans of sunset view, Alison and I would not want the miss the one at Cheung Chau. After taking a rest at the hotel, we set off to the harbour at around 5 pm to capture the beautiful moment. We were just in time at the harbour to see the sun making it's descend into the horizon. The sea, fishing boats and mountains provided a perfect backdrop as the orange glow emitted by the sun embraced the sky. It was always a wonderful feeling to enjoy this magic moment with your loved ones.

Sunset at Cheung Chau

We took our dinner at one of the strongly recommended seafood restaurants-New Baccarat Restaurant (新金湖海鮮酒家). It was located at the end of  Pak She Praya Street, the last restaurant right before the Pak Tai temple. I would say the seafood was the not the best I have tasted. But for a net price below SGD$50 for the dinner set which included a steamed fish, fried mantis prawns, scallops, vegetables and a bowl of soup, it was relatively cheap compared to those one would find in the main land. Thumb up for the values for money for this long standing restaurant.

Seafood Dinner

We woke up early next morning to catch the sunrise and spending family bonding time at the Tung Wan beach. The beach was almost empty apart from some old folks who were having their early morning dip. I have full admiration for them as not many could tolerate the cold temperature, let alone swim in the chilling water.

Family Bonding

We took time to visit the Cheung Chau market. Needless to say, the seafood on sales were fresh and in abundance.

Wet Market

I would like to specially mention this eatery-Hometown Teahouse(故鄉茶寮), which is famous for it's sushi and red bean pastries. It is operated by an Japanese couple. We were lucky that the eatery was just right below our hotel. Perhaps it was still early hours, there was no queue in sight. Although already filled with street foods, I gobbled down three red bean pastries. No prize for guessing how delicious they were.

Hometown Teahouse

We left Cheung Chau in the noon.  If you visit Hong Kong, at least plan for a day trip to this island. Enjoy the nostalgic atmosphere and savour the good foods on offer at good value. Remember to capture the sunset view over the harbour while tasting wines and seafood at one of the restaurants. Just like us, you will not regret to visit Cheung Chau island.

Related Posts: Cheung Chau Trip (Part 1)
 

2014 Wrap Up (Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!)

Family Photo at Cheung Chau, Hong Kong

Time flies. It's December again and Christmas is around the corner. I made a resolution last year for my Travel Bugs blog. I told myself that I must write and post more in Year 2014 than Year 2013. In 2013, I posted 12 blogs. For this year, I have posted 15 blogs (this blog included). I know it works out to be only 1.25 blogs per month but nevertheless, I have achieved what I intended to do. It is never easy to find time to write amid my busy work and family life but this excuse is last on my list for not writing. For those following my posts, I apologize for the frustration of awaiting my posts. Hopefully, I am able to post more of my travel stories for the coming year. This will be one of my resolutions for Year 2015.

During last year wrap up, I penned down on the destinations that I planned to visit. I listed Japan, Indonesia (Yogyakarta) and Hong Kong. Out of the three, I managed to travel to Tokyo, Japan and Hong Kong. For Yogyakarta (I meant to visit it for the famous Borobudur), I missed it due to the eruption of Mount Kelud in February and other reasons. I shall find time to visit it in 2015.

Family Photo at Kamakura,  Japan

Tokyo is always a place where we want to visit again. I had in mind to include Kyoto and Osaka but finally settled on Tokyo only. The reason was simple. We want to experience Tokyo at a relax pace. Taking a side trip to nearby Kamakura was the highlight of the trip. We finally got to visit the famous Daibutsu at the Kotokuin Temple.The deletable foods in Japan have left their marks on our tongues. We hoped to be back very soon.


During my Company department outing in October , I got to visit Kukup at Malaysia. It reminded me of Tai O, the Fishing Village in Hong Kong. My colleagues and I had a great time at the resort and the sunset on that day was very captivating.

Sunset at Kukup, Malaysia

Finally at end November, we took our (countless) trip back to Hong Kong to visit my In-laws. The "Occupy Central" movement did not deter our plan. My wife planned a 2 day trip to one of it's island-Cheung Chau. It was an enjoyable stay with the good foods, beaches and most importantly, laid back life style. As usual, I would take a "one day break" and go for a "Photography Day". This was the day I would take my time and capture the photos that I want without the complaints from my wife and daughter ;-) I hope to share those photos in the coming blogs.


I do not have any concrete travel plans for 2015. But in the back of my mind, I hope to travel to somewhere further. Europe (and Italy) is in our thoughts but we have not firm up anything yet. I hope to visit Thailand again. My wife suggested Chiang Mai for it's cooler weather. Of course, I will also target Borobudur as mentioned earlier.

Last but not least, wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! May all your travel wishes come true in Year 2015!

Pura Tanah Lot, Bali-Indonesia

Pura Tanah Lot

My mind was filled with anticipation as the van approached Pura Tanah Lot (often known as Tanah Lot only). I have heard a lot of this temple before coming here. It was the star icon of Bali. During our journey, our driver Aple stressed on the fact that one has not consider visited Bali without visiting Tanah Lot. I agreed with him wholeheartedly after witnessing the effort of the local tourism authority has put in to promote this star attraction.

Gate to Tanah Lot

As expected, we saw loads of tourists at the entrance to Tanah Lot. Many of them were from China. We have to walk a distance through alleys lined with tourists' shops to the temple. I could not stop feeling a bit disappointed that this attraction has become overly-commercialized and evolved into a tourist trap. On the other hand, I was also comforted by the fact that the temple has provided many locals there a kind of livelihood. Well, life was always so ironical.

Charlotte with deity's statue

We knew we were closed when the crowd got thicker and the smell of sea struck our nose. We could also hear the sound of the waves crushing against the rocks. Our paces picked up. Finally we saw what we came to witness. The temple was a simple one but the setting was not. Set on top of a rocky formation- "Tanah" which means land in Balinese, the temple stood facing the Indian Ocean which represented the "Lot" and thus came the combined name Tanah Lot. The ferocious waves struck mercilessly and relentlessly against the temple ground. But like a monstrous guardian, Tanah Lot stood firm on it's ground and seemed to protect it's believers safely before the shoreline. Many locals believed a gigantic snake guarded the temple ground from those visiting the holy ground with ill intents.

Tanah Lot at Sunset 1

Welcome to Tanah Lot

As the tide was not too high, many visitors took the opportunity to wet their feet and  visited the temple area (You cannot visit the temple at high tide). Priests were at the temple to bless those who gave a donation for a good cause. We chose not to visit the temple. Instead, we went to  higher ground to wait for the sunset. The sunset at Tanah Lot was always described as something one would die for. It might be overly exaggerated but it was truly something worth waiting for.

Family Photo at Tanah Lot

We could hear religious music when the sun began to set. I guessed it should be telling the visitors to get ready for the sunset view. When the sun began it's descend into the blue horizon, Tanah Lot was bathed in it's heavenly-like golden rays.  The view was indeed breathtaking. We knew the golden moment would be short and hardly blinked our eyes as we absorbed the beautiful scenery. The waves seemed to got stronger and added to the spectacular aura of the whole place.

Golden Sunset at Tanah Lot

We have visited many temples before but was still fascinated by Tanah Lot. It's presence by the sea made the temple unique.  Is it a must to visit when you are in Bali? Well, it always depends on one's perspective and what he/she is looking for. My philosophy is always "Relax and do not hold high expectation. You will have a more fruitful and enjoyable trip". Have a great time when you are here next time ;-)!   

Tanah Lot at Sunset 2

 *This article was a recap during my visit to Pura Tanah Lot on 19 March 2013

Related Posts: We Love Bali!

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