The Hidden Jewel of Central America

So my apologies... it's been ages since I've had time to sit down and just blog about my summer. If you have me on facebook or instagram, you would know I had a craaaazy summer! So let's start off with one of my favorite destinations this summer.... Nicaragua. This place is known as a hidden treasure of Central America because it is still relatively unknown to travellers. It's a beautiful country that has a very rich history that tourists should definitely learn about.

Well my family and I travelled to about 3 different parts of Central America and I must say Nicaragua was my favourite. The people were so friendly and the place is so cheap! Since there aren't many tourists there, it was nice to enjoy a destination without an insane amount of people running around everywhere. We also had the sweetest guide, Hulio, who was so smart and extremely kind.

When we arrived from the airport, our tour guide took us to the Plaza de Revolution in Managua. It's just a massive open space and since it was a Sunday, we were the only people there. It was a really hot day and very quiet so it was nice just to walk around and explore without people disturbing us.

A chapel that was destroyed in one of the worst earthquakes that hit the country about 20 years ago... You can't go into the church as it's all closed due to it falling apart. The funny thing was that everything was destroyed except the church bell. It still rings to this day!

After a day of sightseeing, we drove up to León which is north west of Managua. It's also the second largest city in Nicaragua. We stayed in the Hotel La Perla which was a lovely colonial building surrounded with statues of lions. The hotel had a beautiful courtyard in the middle where tourists could enjoy some delicious meals and cocktails. 

Since our hotel was very close to the city center, we walked everywhere! It was pretty safe, just a lot of large lorries and buses that didn't really stop for people to cross the road.. so you just had to be careful! It's difficult to communicate with the people as they only speak Spanish but they helped us to the best of their abilities and are extremely friendly! 

There's a lot of street art around the city! Some of the street art we saw tells of the Turbulent story of Nicaragua's past and it's struggle for independence. Much of the art is so detailed and vibrant! 

Necessary family picture in front of one of the hundreds of churches in the city! I must admit, the one thing that we did not do a lot of was visit churches because there were just SO many! The square we're standing on in this picture is a huge open space with a couple of restaurants on the right side. We had dinner at this square one night and there was a huge group of people singing church songs and celebrating life. One of the coolest things I've ever seen!

The best thing about Nicaragua was HOW INSANELY CHEAP THE ALCOHOL IS! My sister and I were so shocked at the fact that we could get a beer for $1.50!!!  That's  is an absolute rip off.. not that I'm complaining! 

This was one of the many volcanoes that we saw in Nicaragua! There's an active volcano and Lake Nicaragua right behind us in the above photo! I mean how cool is an active volcano?! Scary but insanely cool! Especially when we got the chance to walk around and look into an active one! 

Granada, Nicaragua, is one of the most beautiful cities I've ever visited! It's the 5th largest city in Nicaragua and the one with the most tourists since it's about a 2 hour drive to the border with Costa Rica! We stayed in the beautiful Hotel Plaza de Colon which was smack bang in the middle of the city and walking distance to the bar and restaurant street! We spent 3 days there and really enjoyed walking around the city! The city is not that big and relatively safe. We were told not to go down certain streets during the day/night as it could be of danger but as long as you listen to your tour guide, you'll be okay! My sister and I went out one night to a bar and the whole street is just surrounded with tourists so we felt pretty safe!

The houses were all pretty small and simple but they were SO colorful! Each house was painted a different color which gave streets variety and were great to look at!

One of the coolest activities that we got to partake in was making our very own chocolate! We got to grind the beans and make all different types of flavours while learning the process!

Nicaragua, you are one extremely beautiful country and we had an awesome time. We cannot wait to go back and see how you will develop in times to come!

The Capital of US of A

Okay so I know I've been a bit MIA on my blogs but it's because I've just embarked on a 3 week journey to USA, Central America and Southern Caribbean. I am currently in Washington DC and I've fallen in love with the city.

So I've traveled to many different parts of the US but I've never been to Washington DC till this trip. This city is possibly one of the nicest cities I've been to in the US.

My family and I are staying at the Fairmont in Georgetown. It's a really lovely neighborhood and super safe as well. Yesterday, we walked around Georgetown and tried to explore the place. Georgetown is like a small little town with lovely shops and restaurants. It was absolutely adorable! The atmosphere was great, on the sidewalk people were playing music and dancing. We also had a peek into a Nike Store and they had shut down the whole store for a mega workout session so there were people on the street doing workout and everyone seemed to really enjoy themselves. There were some great boutique stores and of course the more known brands like BCBG, American Apparel, Aldo etc. It's also SO green so it's really nice to run outside!

Okay so one of the reasons why I really really wanted to go to DC was to see the famous Lincoln Memorial. I didn't really know what to expect because I had only seen the memorial in pictures but I remember the minute we got off our tour bus my mouth literally just hung open. The memorial is so marvelous. It's just so so beautiful and as I didn't know what to expect, I was even more surprised. On the rims on the building, there are the 36 states that Lincoln ran during his time as President. They're engraved on the sides of the building. The structure itself is very impressive. It's fairly large and is surrounded by grass and has a perfect view on the National Mall. The best thing about visiting the memorial in the morning is that there aren't very many people so great photo opportunities!

My dad and I in front of the Lincoln Memorial.

The statue of Abraham Lincoln is incredibly stunning. The statue is HUGE and I actually expected it to be tiny so I was very happy that it was really big like in the movies! I really wanted to sit on his lap but there's a fence around him so you can't really do that :( The statue is very detailed and in my opinion it really resembles him. I could just stand there for ages gazing at this statue because it was just so surreal that I was standing in front of it.

Finally got a picture in front of Abraham Lincoln!

The view from the top of the Lincoln Memorial.

There it is... the famous White House! We were actually on a bus when I took this photo. You can't really go very close to the building. Today, I ran all the way from Georgetown to the White House and since I was on foot and not in a bus, I could at least stand by the fence and take a peek. It looks pretty much like how it's been portrayed to the public but what really fascinates me is the past and the present residence of The White House. It's crazy to think that so many important American Presidents once called The White House their home.

The famous Capitol building can be seen pretty much from every direction if you're walking down the National Mall. We didn't have much time to take a look at it today but it's the first thing I'm going to do tomorrow and then I'll let you know how it is inside. :)

America is so patriotic!

Smithsonian Institution is one of the most famous museum institutions in the whole world, especially the National Air and Space Museum! I've always wanted to take a look in the museum but I really never thought I'd ever have the opportunity, till today! The National Air and Space Museum is something I've never seen in my life. It's HUGE and so informative. I personally LOVE museums so it was my paradise and I had so much fun! The National Air and Space Museum was also featured the Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian.

Okay, that's all for today! Can't wait to explore Washington DC again tomorrow!

Cigars and Rum... Mmmmmm

Ok so another cool place I've been to has to be Havana, Cuba. Actually this is possibly one of the coolest cities I've ever been visited. Havana is somewhat hard to reach so there are not a lot of tourist visiting which is really nice because there's more places to explore without being crowded by other tourist. The city is absolutely beautiful! It was also declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site because of it's history and old architecture.

Honestly I was a bit nervous when visiting the first time because I really had no idea what to expect. I was told not to expect a whole lot in regards to accommodation and food but to expect that the country is an absolute dream.

Rum and Cigars... MMMMM. Cuban rum is... AMAZING. Well I think when someone mentions Cuba to me, the first thing I think about is rum and cigars. There's a lot more to Cuba then just rum and cigars but for now let's just focus on this. They sell Havana Club EVERYWHERE and it sure it delicious! The Havana Club factory/museum was right next to the hotel we stayed so it was pretty convenient to have a drink once in a while ;) I also had NO IDEA that mojitos where from Cuba and they taste good everywhere that you order them! So cigars were a huge part of our trip because I think the main reason why my dad wanted to go to Cuba was because of cigars! My dad collects/smokes cigars so this was basically his heaven. The most awesome thing about this place was that you could smoke cigars EVERYWHERE and people wouldn't be irritated about the smell of the cigar (in Singapore, my dad gets complaints and weird glares about the cigar smoke). Also pretty much everyone is smoking cigars so it's like a bonding experience!

So as I said above, everyone pretty much smokes cigars, even the ladies :) We were walking down a small alley way and saw these lovely ladies singing, playing instruments and smoking cigars. They were just joyful dancing around and enjoying each other's company. As Cuba is so called "communist", the people don't have much and it's very clear as I noticed it during my 10 day stay. People aren't wealthy but they pretty much love life. From what I observed, their lives didn't look glamorous or easy but they made the best out of it. We witness people just dancing and singing everywhere and everyone was just so friendly. It made me so happy to see how people who don't have a whole lot, make their lives so meaningful.

Coolest part about Havana/Cuba? THE OLD CARS! My dad had been to Cuba about 30 years ago and he kept going on and on about how they have really old cars but somehow I didn't believe him... We got out of the airport and we were picked up by two really old old cars and it was possible the coolest ride of my life. There are old cars EVERYWHERE. I mentioned above that since Cuba isn't as wealthy as other nations and their communist status also plays a role in this, they don't really have all the newest technologies or in this case, the newest cars. This is what makes the country/city super duper unique. I felt like I was in the 60's/70's because there wasn't a single new car on the road. Made the experience so much more real.

Well there was bound to be a cigar smoking picture. Okay so we weren't actually smoking the cigars (as you can see, I have no idea what I'm doing) but it was a perfect photo opportunity. We were actually outside a cigar factory and thought we'd take this "awesome" picture! So if you go to Cuba, YOU MUST SMOKE A CIGAR.

So we did a lot of driving around the country and stopped by loads of little towns/villages and one thing that I spotted was that almost every place we stopped at there were people selling these beautiful paintings of Cuba. I actually bought a few and have them hung up at home. Most of these paintings were actually painted on wood and you can buy them in different sizes.

Well that's it for now! If you do visit Cuba, please do let me know because I'd love to hear about your adventures!

The City of Dreams

So it's about time I create a post about Ameeeeerica. I love the States, it's one of my favorite places to travel to. I especially love California. My family and I visit LA almost once a year. It's a great city. Every time I visit, I try to skip all the touristy activities and try to find places where more of the locals go to.

The Santa Monica Pier is a great place to visit anytime of the week. I love the pier because there is just so much to do! Of course it's a little touristic but there are some quiet spots along the pier and it's just so much fun to discover them. What I love to do in Santa Monica is just borrow a bike and ride along the pavement for ages. It's a great way to see the pier as well as doing some sports on the way! It's also possible to rent roller skates and just skate around.

The Santa Monica Pier has something for everyone. There's a theme park, an exercise park and even a small aquarium! There are also some nice restaurants along the beach and some stalls where you can just enjoy a drink and a ice cream!

My aunt, my sister and I actually came across Venice Beach on the way back from the airport. We had heard about it a couple of times and thought we'd check it out. Venice Beach is really different to Santa Monica Pier. It feels a lot more alive. There were people dancing on the side walk, playing music and singing. It felt a lot more real than the touristic Santa Monica Pier. There were many vendors selling clothes, shoes, jewelry and even people telling fortunes. Around Venice Beach there are some great little cafes and really nice boutique shops.

Hollywood and Highlands... Whenever I'm in LA, this is one of the places where I love to just grab a coffee and people watch. It is located in the heart of Hollywood and definitely a tourist attraction but somehow it's a really nice place to just chill and watch the world go by. There are tons of stores with famous brand names and it's right next to the Grauman's Chinese Theatre and the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The famous Kodak Theatre is located here (the Oscars are held every year at the Kodak Theatre). What I've discovered is if you go to the 3rd floor, you'll have an amazing view of the famous Hollywood Sign.

If it's your first time in LA, you'll have to visit the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Basically it's a pedestrian walkway full of stars with celebrities names on it. Also, if you visit the front of the Grauman Chinese Theatre, you'll see loads of handprints of famous celebrities. It's always really busy during the day so I'd advise you to visit it in the morning when there are less people!

So The Grove is another must see. I LOVE The Grove. It's basically an outdoor shopping arena with great restaurants and a Farmers Market. I've been to The Grove many times and I still never get bored of it. The shops are great and there's just a lot to do there. Sometimes, if you're lucky you'll see celebrities shopping around. From Monday to Friday "Extra" is being filmed on location at The Grove! If you don't know what "Extra" is, it's hosted by Mario Lopez and it's where he interviews celebrities and there are music performances.

The Farmers Market is great as well! My sister and I love walking around the market. There are lots of really cute shops and nice places to eat. I'd advise you, if you have a full day to spare, do spend it at The Grove/Farmers Market. You won't be disappointed!

If you like shopping, you'll love Rodeo Drive. Rodeo Drive is one of the most expensive shopping streets in the world but you'll still be able to find shops where you can shop reasonably! There not much that you can do here except shop, keep a look out for celebrities, and take really nice pictures outside the famous Beverly Wilshire (Pretty Women, Entourage).

Okay guys, that's all for now! I'll be visiting Washington DC next week so I can't wait to post about that! And thank you guys for checking out my blog!

Ciaaao Roma!

Pasta, Pizza, Italia! 

Italy has got to be one of the most fascinating destinations I've ever been visited. This is PARADISE for anyone that loves/appreciates History. During my trip, I actually visited Capri and Rome but today I'm going to share with you my adventures in Romaaa! So I had visited Italy in the past but never been to Rome till this trip. Rome is wonderful! Everything about this city makes me want to come back. Well I love History so for me this trip was perfect. Everyone's so friendly and the food is just so tasty! Rome is a MUST to visit when traveling to Europe. Also what I loved was walking around the city at night. The only irritating thing was trying to walk in heels through cobble stone streets! We went during July/August and it was REALLY hot so I'd advise to go between May/June (also might have less tourists!). 

I honestly did not know what to expect when I saw the Trevi Fountain. I had actually seen it in a lot of movies but I really didn't expect it to be a beauty. The whole structure itself struck me by surprise because I had though it to be much bigger and more grand but when seeing it, it was much smaller than my imagination but even more beautiful. We arrived there around 11 am and the place was CROWDED! There were people EVERYWHERE. It was also really difficult to take a picture with hundreds of people trying to do the exact same thing! My sister and I also made a wish and threw pennies into the fountain. If you visit the Trevi Fountain, make sure to go as early as possible and take as many pictures as you can before more people arrive!

This photo was taken while I was standing on The Spanish Steps (which is something I'd recommend you to do, the view from the top is stunning). This whole street was just flooded with tourist and of course.... Gucci, Prada! We briefly walked down this street and it was full of designer shops and local boutiques. 

Ok so since I was little, I've always really wanted to go to Vatican City (don't ask me why, I have no idea!), so finally I actually got to visit it! It's advised to spend your whole day just touring around because it's SUPER DUPER interesting and there are some great photo opportunities. We woke up early and arrived around 9:30 am so we had the entire day to explore. It's also advised to buy tickets online or at your hotel because then you can avoid the horribly long queue. 

After getting our tickets, we were led through a huge open space with a beautiful garden and in the garden were LOADS of statues. We had fun taking lots of pictures but then it got super hot so we decided to go in the museum. Basically the Vatican City is made up of like little passages of rooms that all link to one another. One thing you must see when visiting is the Sistine Chapel. You're not allowed to take photos and also you have a limit of time for how long you can actually be in the Chapel but it's SO SO SO beautiful. 

The piazza in front of the basilica is really nice and SO MASSIVE! It took me ages just to walk around the whole thing. There are some great photo opportunities in the piazza. I really wanted to go into the basilica but the line was about 3 hours long so I'd advise you to take a look at the basilica when you first arrive in Vatican City! 

The last thing I want is to turn this into a food blog but how can I not talk about food when Italy is famous for its PASTA. In every corner of Rome there's a restaurant which serves pasta and pizza and it's so delicious. I'm more of a pasta person (not really a fan of pizza) so I tried almost all their pastas. My favorite was the Carbonara and their Seafood pasta. 

So this is possibly my favorite thing in Rome, The Colosseum. As you all know by now, I LOVE HISTORY so this was like heaven for me. I actually spent 5 hours sitting in front of The Colosseum on a bench with a cold beer and a book. I could just stare at this structure for ages and still be fascinated by it. 

There are tours daily that takes you inside and under the Colosseum. This was really cool because the guides had so much knowledge and it made me feel like I was living in the Roman Empire. In 2011, they opened a new route which takes tourist under the Colosseum and inside tunnels where gladiators would prepare for fights. 

There is so much more to see in Rome and maybe I'll make another post about it! I had an amazing time exploring this beautiful city and I can't wait to go back! 

Chateau Lake Louise

Okay well this place isn't really a city or a town or a village but it's one of the best hotels I've ever stayed in. Chateau Lake Louise is part of the Fairmont Hotel Chain and this hotel.. OH MY it is so beautiful!

The hotel is located on the edge of Lake Louise near Banff in Alberta. We did a road trip around Canada and were fortunate enough to have stayed at this stunning hotel. The hotel is isolated from the town of Banff which is really nice because you can really connect to nature and it's nice and quiet. I really could appreciate the Canadian nature so much more. Oh and the lake water was SO ICE COLD. We wanted to go kayaking but the water was just so freezing that we were scared we'd fall in!

The hotel is fairly big and it takes a while to get from one place to the other. The interior of the hotel is very grand and elegant. During Winter time, Chateau Lake Louise is popular for ski tourist. They have a big ski cellular where one can keep their ski equipment and they also have a ski rental shop. The hotel has a fitness center (very small for a hotel this big) and a indoor heated swimming pool. There are also plenty of restaurants (a great breakfast buffet) and gift shops. The hotel is about a 45 min bus ride to Banff but everything you really need is located in the hotel. The hotel has a great variety of activities for hotel guest (kayaking, yoga, nature walks, horse riding). They have a great nature trail around the lake but beware, THERE ARE BEARS!

Salmon Capital of the World.. Or so they say

I'm not joking when I say that the whole town smells of Salmon.. Welcome to Ketchikan, Alaska! So when I say I travel to exotic places, I REALLY TRAVEL TO EXOTIC PLACES. Last summer, my dad, my sister, my aunt and I went on a week long cruise to Alaska! One of the stops was Ketchikan.

Ketchikan isn't a huge town but a small fishing village. THEY HAVE THE BEST SALMON IN THE WORLD! Ketchikan, being the 5th largest "city" in Alaska, supplies most of the worlds salmon. When I was walking around the town, there were little tables set up almost at every corner selling salmon products and boy were they tasty! There were salmon cookies, salmon pies, salmon vitamin tablets.. Everything was made out of salmon. It was great! 

So there's a lot more to this town than just salmon.. We took a sea plane to look at the surroundings and also to spot bears! The scenery is just breath taking. It's so green and untouched. We also got to see several bears which was a nice surprise. Alaska is known for its nature so it's advised to do little excursions around the town to explore! 

This cute little neighborhood/shopping area was actually found by accident. My sister and I went exploring and we found this! Basically the whole thing is made out of wood and it's floating on stilts by the water. In every house there was something different. There were gift shops, restaurants and even small museums! 

A sea plane! To be honest with you, this was one of the most terrifying things ever! It was a tiny plane that floated on water and again I'm terrified of heights so it didn't work in my favor! But the flight was AMAZING apart from turbulence! Since these planes are small in size, they can fly really low and it gives you a chance to look at the wildlife and to spot brown bears! We landed by a forest full of bears that were catching fish in the water! It was an incredible site. If you're not afraid of heights and small planes, this is a must!

More blogs to come on Alaska! This is just the first :) 

Tulips, Windmills, Bicycles and Coffee Shops..?

Oh Amsterdam..

Last May, my best friends and I decided to book a ticket to Amsterdam for 4 days. I had heard a lot about the city but I was actually stunned at how STUNNING this city truly is. Of course it is known for its red light district and coffee shops but there is SO much more to this city. My best friends and I didn't want to just do the coffee shop hopping but we wanted to actually spend our time sightseeing and seeing what the city had to offer.

One thing I loved about Amsterdam are all these canals that run through the whole city. We took a boat and got to go through some of the bigger canals. Also what was so great about them was that on sunny days, you would see families taking their kids out on their little boats and just driving through the canals. Some families even lived on the water which was super cool.

Bicycles are a must in Amsterdam! I am SO terrible at riding a bicycle (rode into so many people) but I must say it's the best way to see the city since pretty much everyone owns a bicycle. It's nice to be on bikes all day because you really get a feel of how the locals get around. It's also the fastest way as there are paths just for bicycles!

I didn't actually have the time to visit the Science Center NEMO but the building on the water was very impressive. My friends had the time to go visit and they really enjoyed it saying it was very hands on and there was a lot of new things to learn. It's also the largest Science Center in Holland.

This picture was actually taken from Anne Frank's House. Sadly I don't have a picture of the actual Anne Frank's House. We wanted to go in and take a look and we arrived at around 9 am and the queue was already so long! I visited Anne Frank;s House when I was about 12 years old and I wish I could have seen it again. Being a History student, I want to take every opportunity to be able to visit famous sites like this. Anne Frank's House is completely renovated on the outside. When you walk in, there's a cafe on the right hand side as well as a gift shop that sells her diary. The house itself is basically just exhibitions of her time there. None of the furniture is there anymore as the Nazis took it away but the secret book shelf is still there in one piece. All the posters and stickers that Anne Frank stuck on the walls are still present. If you're into World War 2 or just appreciate a bit of History, I'd advise you to go there! But book tickets online so you can jump the queue :)

Amsterdam, you still remain my favorite city in Europe and I cannot wait to go back!