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Loy Krathong Festival Day 3
Finally the last day of the Loy Krathong Festival in Chiang Mai and the big parade! While we had watched (or rather tried to watch) the parade from the street level and we were mad at all the people walking right into the moving parade to take their selfies, we organized a private and undisclosed location this time to watch the parade from higher up. What a difference this made. We actually enjoyed the parade this time much more!
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Loy Krathong Festival Day 2
Loy Krathong Day is the day of the full moon and traditionally the day of the celebrating the festival in a ceremonial way. So, going to a temple for prayers and chanting and setting your personal krathong (floating device) into the river with prayers and good thoughts and wishes. I have my preferred temple to go to for an evening prayer and this year it was a very beautiful ceremony with chanting, praying and a short meditation with the monks. Unfortunately we have to go through all the trouble with the party tourists who are not really interested in any traditional way of celebrating Loy Krathong, so on the way…
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Loy Krathong Festival Day 1
Back in Thailand and again back in the North of the Kingdom for another year of Loy Krathong festival celebration! While this festival and the location become more and more touristy year after year, it is still something I like to attend. However, I do it selectively and only go to certain parts of the festivities and only to certain locations. While the opening ceremony at the well known Tapae Gate is now totally overrun by foreignerns and crazy selfie-takers, I found the opening ceremony at the Three Kings Monument more traditional. However, a lot of the ceremonies are done in Thai language and with very traditional Thai music and…
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Heavenly views in Singapore
Awhhhh…what a view!! Always wanted to enjoy the view from the Swissôtel The Stamford during a Formula One race in Singapore. But in the end I chose the get the view without the race. And what a view it is! And what a room it is! Definitely one of the best hotel rooms I have enjoyed over all of my trips. Loved the bed, the spacious room, the huge TV set, the service and of course the view! It leaves no wishes open. The location is perfect as well, right in the heart of Singapore. Only downside in my mind is the automated check-in procedure for which you use one…
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Mount Faber & Co.
Long ignored by myself, I finally made it to Mount Faber. Chosing the easy way up, I took the MF Line1 Round Trip cable car, got out at the top and then started my little hike up the mountain and over to the famous Henderson Waves. Though it was in the morning, I found it extremely hot and humid, so no way I would continue to hike into the Southern Ridges sections. Instead I walked back up to Mount Faber station and took the included round trip of the cable car over to Sentosa Island which gave me a good overview of the Resorts, Waterworlds and Universal Studio’s buildings from…
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Jewel at Changi
Did I mention that I love Changi Airport? Well, I usually hate airports and try to spend as little time there as possible. But with Singapore’s Changi it is a completely different thing! I did actually take out a half day to just visit Changi Airport during my last trip. Unbelievable!! The latest addition to Changi’s Airport, the Jewel, is a world for itself! It’s an entertainment center with some of the best shopping and dining experiences worldwide. Cheaper to reach than most other airports, by either taxi or mass transport. FREE of charge!!! Entertaining and with food and drink prices far below those of, lets say, Munich. In Munich…
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Gardens By The Bay
During this visit to Singapore I focussed on the Supertree Grove and not the glass domes of the Flower Dome or the Cloud Forest. Those are really overrun with tourists now and it also depends a bit on the specific exhibition they feature. So, Supertree Grove and one of my favourites – the OCBC Skywalk with an awesome view over Singapore and the Gardens. I also enjoyed a long walk over Dragonfly Bridge, Malay Garden, Chinese Garden, Colonial Garden and then over to „The Planet“ and „The Meadow“, some areas which were new to me. Several other new sections of the Gardens will have to wait for another visit to…
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Kampong Glam
One of my favourite areas of Singapore – Kampong Glam. By day and by night always a treat. While touristy nowadays, it is well worth to experience. During Ramadan and specially in the evening for Ifar, the breaking from fasting, it is visited by lots of locals. The restaurants are mostly targetted to tourists now, but we have been coming here with locals and expatriates for dinners which is always fun, while prices are of course not even close to the cheap hawker centers in other parts of Singapore.
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Haji Lane in Kampong Glam
Very touristy, but I like to go early in the day when the shops are still closed to see the mural paintings and the „pretty“ Haji Lane in the district of Kampong Glam. There is really nothing local there but it is all made for tourists – bars and shops. But it is nice to stroll through, specially when I combine it with other visits to Kampong Glam. There are some good places for lunch or dinner though, but most of them are now frequented by expatriates or tourists.
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Fort Canning Walk
Another green spot in Singapore is Fort Canning which is right in the middle of the city and easy to reach for a few hours walk. But it is actually a rather sweaty walk! I was fortunate enough to meet up with a leading individual, responsible for the recent improvements at Fort Canning and the surrounding area. So, I did get a first hand guided tour! I was delighted to see that Singapore not only builds new streets but also doesn’t shy away from converting an existing street back into a park-like environment. Armenian Street is such an example where there is no more traffic flowing but it has instead…