Tag

Sightseeing

Travel, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, Amsterdam Centraal, Where to Go, What to See, Sightseeing, Dutch, Holland, Netherlands, Rijksmuseum, National Maritime Museum, Canal Cruise, Amsterdam Canal Cruise, Cruise, Going Around Amsterdam, Amsterdam Tours
in Amsterdam, Europe, Travel

Travel: Canal Cruise in Amsterdam

September 20, 2015

There are quite a lot of canal cruise companies operating in Amsterdam and I’ve been getting a couple of questions as to which one is the best. It’s pretty hard to determine which company is actually the best as I haven’t tried them all – only a few. 😀

So I thought I’d do just a real quick post on the last one we tried when we were in Amsterdam last August which left both my husband and I happy with the experience.

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After our visit to the Rijksmuseum, we proceeded towards the Heineken Experience building where the small docks for the Amsterdam Canal Cruise‘s boats can be found. Need directions going there? Click here for a map.

We had to pay €16 each for a 75 minute tour. This is a pretty sweet deal since you’ll be seeing more of the city as some of the tours operated by other companies only last for 60 minutes and will charge you the same amount.

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The best time to board a boat would be around 4:00 to 5:00 as even in the summer, it wasn’t so crowded.

You will be given disposable earphones which you can plug into audio sources near your table. You can choose among 20 languages (as seen above) for the narration/audio guide which will play you go through several places of interest.

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in The Netherlands

Travel: Volendam and Marken, The Netherlands (Where to Buy Souvenirs!)

September 5, 2015

Just a stone’s throw away from Amsterdam are two fishing villages which have kept Dutch tradition and architecture alive. If you’re not into touristy places, then at first glance, Marken and Volendam might not be for you. However, there are still lots to see here once you veer away from the usual route.

Marken

There’s a saying that goes something like – If God created the world, then the Dutch created the Netherlands. Which is pretty much true since the Dutch have a long history of reclaiming land. Thus, most parts of the country is actually man-made. Ever wondered why Amsterdam looks so symmetrical when you’re looking down at it from your plane’s window?

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Islands, canals, dikes – for a country that’s actually below sea level, their relationship with water has evolved greatly in the past few centuries. To say that water is their friend is even an understatement – They are its masters as they can practically control it nowadays.

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They did come a long way from being flooded all the freakin’ time and being considered as a marsh land. Marken, meanwhile, is a village that was separated from the mainland due to a storm in the 13th century. From then on, the people living on the newly made island, set their sights on fishing as their main source of livelihood

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Travel, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, Zaanse Schans, Amsterdam Centraal, Where to Go, How to Go to Zaanse Schans, What to See, Sightseeing, Old Dutch Town, Volendam, Marken, The Hague, Windmills, Dutch, Holland, Netherlands, Rijksmuseum, Van Gogh,
in Europe, Video

Travel + Video: Netherlands 2015

September 4, 2015

So as you guys might know by now, my new hobby has been making Youtube videos. I do enjoy making travel and beauty videos the most, to be honest. So before I post more travel entries on the places we’ve been to, I figured I’ll put together all the videos we took during our trip per country.

Here’s the video on The Netherlands which will serve as a sneak peek on what you’ll be seeing in this blog in the coming days.

I hope you enjoyed it as much as we did filming then editing it! And if you plan to go to the Netherlands in the summer, I hope this video somehow painted a picture of what you can expect there.

Do let me know what you think in the comments below! Questions, comments, and constructive criticism – always welcome. Will be making one for Paris, London, Scandinavia, and maybe Geneva too so do watch out for that and my next travel posts!

Much love!

xx,

Carol

Penang, Travel, Malaysia, Island, Georgetown, Georgetown Penang, What to do, What to see, Sightseeing, Food, Nyonya, Cheap Travel, Traveloka, Armenian Street, Love Lane, Little India, Church of the Assumption, Penang State Museum, St George's Church Anglican, Penang Town Hall, Penang City Hall, Fort Cornwallis, Church Street Pier, Chew Jetty, Yap Temple, Choo Chay Keong, Kapitan Keling Mosque,
in Asia, Malaysia, Penang, Travel

Travel + Photo Diary: Walking Tour of George Town in Penang (Must-see Stops!)

August 5, 2015

I love how travelling, in this day and age, has become a lot more affordable. Gone were the days when only the upper class can hop on a plane to see different places & soak in new cultures.

Travelling has also become a lot easier & convenient with all the options available. Before I give you a run through & show you my photo diary of my walking tour in George Town in Penang, let me just tell you guys of this new website where booking for your future adventures is made a lot easier.

Traveloka is the largest flight & hotel online booking service in Southeast Asia. You can book your flights & hotels on their site (and save a great deal of money & time in the process) for your next holiday which could be anywhere in the world! 😉 They also have round-the-clock customer service to make sure you don’t encounter any bumps in your booking. Do check them out. I’m actually booking with them for my next holiday after our Europe trip this August! 😉

A few months ago, I found myself in Penang with my husband who was there for a conference. I tagged along & decided to explore the UNESCO World Heritage City on my own while he attended his meetings. 😉 Today, I’ll be sharing with you guys the attractions I saw & visited while doing a walking tour around George Town.

Traveloka actually has over 200 Penang hotels in their listing so if you want to visit some of the sites I will be listing down below, do book your hotel with them!

(READ: Travel+ Food + Photos: Getting to Penang, Penang Hill, and some Food Worship)

Tokong Han Jiang (Han Jiang Ancestral Temple)

A Teochew-style temple right in the middle of George Town. I got off the bus (from Batu Ferringhi) right in front of this temple and since it was still quite early (10am on a weekday), I decided to just wander inside. Especially since there weren’t a lot of people yet. Penang, Travel, Malaysia, Island, Georgetown, Georgetown Penang, What to do, What to see, Sightseeing, Food, Nyonya, Tokong Han Jiang, Han Jiang Temple,

Penang, Travel, Malaysia, Island, Georgetown, Georgetown Penang, What to do, What to see, Sightseeing, Food, Nyonya, Tokong Han Jiang, Han Jiang Temple,

Kapitan Keling Mosque

Just a short walk from Han Jiang Ancestral Temple in Lebuh Chulia is the Kapitan Keling Mosque. Built in the 1800s, it was built to cater to the growing Indian-Muslim community at the time in Penang. The architecture of the mosque is quite interesting, incorporating Islamic & Indian elements in the design.

Penang, Travel, Malaysia, Island, Georgetown, Georgetown Penang, What to do, What to see, Sightseeing, Food, Nyonya, Kapitan Keling Mosque, Little India,

Choo Chay Keong (Yap) Temple

Penang has no shortage of Chinese temples. Choo Chay Keong is located at the junction of the well-known Armenian and Cannon Streets in George Town. This temple is quite small but it makes up for it with the beautiful and detailed decor not just at the facade but indoors as well.

Penang, Travel, Malaysia, Island, Georgetown, Georgetown Penang, What to do, What to see, Sightseeing, Food, Nyonya, Yap Temple, Choo Chay Keong

Penang, Travel, Malaysia, Island, Georgetown, Georgetown Penang, What to do, What to see, Sightseeing, Food, Nyonya, Cheap Travel, Traveloka, Yap Temple, Choo Chay Keong

Penang, Travel, Malaysia, Island, Georgetown, Georgetown Penang, What to do, What to see, Sightseeing, Food, Nyonya, Cheap Travel, Traveloka, Yap Temple, Choo Chay Keong

Penang, Travel, Malaysia, Island, Georgetown, Georgetown Penang, What to do, What to see, Sightseeing, Food, Nyonya, Cheap Travel, Traveloka, Yap Temple, Choo Chay Keong

Chew Jetty

A waterfront settlement built on stilts, the Chew jetty is built by one of the biggest Chinese migrant families in Penang. The Chews come from the Fujian province in China and migrated to Penang for work opportunities. This jetty started out with only 10 families and nowadays, it has 1,500 residents.

Here, you can have some refreshments and shop for trinkets and souvenirs. After a short walk into the complex, you will also be treated to a nice view of the sea.

Penang, Travel, Malaysia, Island, Georgetown, Georgetown Penang, What to do, What to see, Sightseeing, Food, Nyonya, Cheap Travel, Traveloka, Chew Jetty,

Penang, Travel, Malaysia, Island, Georgetown, Georgetown Penang, What to do, What to see, Sightseeing, Food, Nyonya, Cheap Travel, Traveloka, Chew Jetty,

Penang, Travel, Malaysia, Island, Georgetown, Georgetown Penang, What to do, What to see, Sightseeing, Food, Nyonya, Cheap Travel, Traveloka, Chew Jetty,

Penang, Travel, Malaysia, Island, Georgetown, Georgetown Penang, What to do, What to see, Sightseeing, Food, Nyonya, Cheap Travel, Traveloka, Chew Jetty,

Penang, Travel, Malaysia, Island, Georgetown, Georgetown Penang, What to do, What to see, Sightseeing, Food, Nyonya, Cheap Travel, Traveloka, Chew Jetty,

Penang, Travel, Malaysia, Island, Georgetown, Georgetown Penang, What to do, What to see, Sightseeing, Food, Nyonya, Cheap Travel, Traveloka, Chew Jetty,

Church Street Pier

Built in 1897, this pier used to be the island’s main gateway when it comes to trade. But now, it’s more of a tourist area where people take photos. Though recently renovated, the pier still has that vintage appeal that reminds people of the golden years.

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in Expat Life, KL Where to Go

KL Adventures: Colourful Brickfields (Little India)

August 26, 2014

Right in the centre of Kuala Lumpur is its own Little India. The husband and I were able to walk around its main street during one of our weekend afternoons which we usually spend either sightseeing within the city or furniture shopping.

Brickfields is a neighbourhood near KL Sentral station. It’s easily accessible and is a place known for good bargains (from food, grocery items, to accessories) and a good mix of modern meets traditional architecture.

Just wanted to do a quick post on this neighbourhood (which we visited after our trip to the Planetarium) and share some photos taken along the area’s main street, Jalan Tun Sambanthan:

The KL Sentral side of Brickfields is filled with modern architecture.

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in Asia, Expat Life, KL Where to Go, Kuala Lumpur, Travel

KL Adventures: Islamic architecture in Putrajaya

August 15, 2014

Putrajaya on a holiday.

The husband and I are suckers for beautiful architecture – be it modern or more on the classical side. I’ve fallen in love with several European and Asian cities because of their skylines and the feeling I get when I walk around the city, surrounded by stunning buildings. They just add so much character (some even add to the city’s history) to a certain place.

So it’s no wonder that I enjoyed our short afternoon trip to Putrajaya, Malaysia’s seat of government, a couple of weeks back. We went with 3 of Alvin’s colleagues who were nice enough to drive us around.

It’s quite easy to get to Putrajaya from Kuala Lumpur – you can take the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) Transit (don’t take the express train as it won’t stop at Putrajaya station and will go straight to the airport!) or you can take a Rapid KL bus marked ‘E1’. It will pick up passengers in the Pasar Seni and KL Sentral train stations. However, once you actually get to Putrajaya, it’s quite hard to navigate without your own car. So some tourists opt to hire a taxi within the city and agree on a fixed price with the driver who will also act as your tour guide.

Fast facts:

  • Though Putrajaya is now the seat of government, Kuala Lumpur remains to be Malaysia’s national capital and the seat of the King.
  • Malaysia only shifted their seat of government in the late 90s to avoid congestion in the capital.
  • Almost all of the ministries are now in Putrajaya except for the Ministry of Defence, the Ministry of International Trade and Industry, and the Ministry of Works which are still in KL.
  • A 650-hectare, man-mad lake is found in the middle of the city. The Malaysian government has said before that the main reason (aside from the obvious aesthetics and recreation opportunities it can bring) the lake was made was to act as a “natural cooling system” for the city. And man, do they need it. Putrajaya is way more hot and humid than KL. I couldn’t stand not having a roof over my head for 2 minutes. I cannot possibly imagine how hot it would be without that lake.

Okay, enough yapping. Let me show you the breathtaking view from the elevated Putrajaya International Convention Centre:

I feel like I was looking at a real-life post card. Though I had to cut the sight seeing from here. PICC is on top of a hill and MUCH closer to the sun. I had to get back into the car right away.

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