After Shiraz, our plan was to spend a night in Farvardinn on our way to Yazd. It sounded charming staying in a desert inn, and had arranged for them to take us from Pasargarde to the hotel. It was a long drive over several hours, more dramatic than I envisioned it to be - through fog, snowfall, frozen roads, and starry skies. I'm sure it would have ( Read more... )

Our introduction to Iran began with Shiraz, one of the oldest cities of ancient Persia and not to be missed. The flight from Dubai to Shiraz, though short, had a fascinating view of the desert which I enjoyed tremendously.

For our 3 day visit, we stayed at Niayesh Hotel, which was simple but comfortable. Conveniently located in walking distance of ( Read more... )

Reminiscing about Iran, the trip felt like a lifetime ago. Y was the one who suggested the destination. I said yes without really knowing anything about the country, except that it was somewhere I haven't been, and it would be cool to experience something totally new.

Best (snap) decision I ever made.

Now this was some 5 years ago, and things may ( Read more... )

My first free and easy visit to Korea was with the girls back in Spring 2012. It was so enjoyable, I came back with the intention of going back every year, and even took up Korean classes. Alas, life got in the way and it took 3 years before I managed to return.

This time, not only did I revisit old favourites, I got to pick up some new ones too. ( Read more... )

After an amazing Patagonia experience, it was time to head back to the city. It's impossible to visit Argentina without spending some time in Buenos Aires, the capital city and one of the best cities in South America

Some of my recommendations:

• Be introduced to the city with Buenos Aires Free Walking Tours. Our guides Laura and Mariano (yeah we went ( Read more... )

I never quite imagined that I would one day visit Uruguay. But given that it made for a day trip, only an hour away by fast ferry from Buenos Aires (a regular one takes 3 hours), why not?

Colonial del Sacramento is one of the oldest towns in Uruguay. Originally founded by the Portuguese in the 1600s, it was occupied by the Spanish as well. Melding ( Read more... )

This post is WAY overdue but since travels are on hiatus, no thanks to COVID-19, I'm going to hop on this bandwagon of reminiscing about past travels.

Bonita Bariloche was our next stop. The lake district of Argentina, it wouldn't be remiss to think you're in Switzerland (not that I have visited it). Design Suites Bariloche had a lovely space for ( Read more... )

"Whenever fear is present, especially when it comes to walking upon untraveled paths, there’s something special that’s about to happen ( Read more... )

…revolves around eating copious amounts of pastries called mooncakes, carrying lanterns and playing with sparklers. This takes place during the mid autumn festival which is a literal translation of it Chinese name 中秋节 ( Read more... )

You tell yourself, let's take a leap of faith. What's there to lose?

And sometimes, hope fluttered. Hope - that this time it may, could, possibly work out, even if in your head, you could never figure out how it would.

Then the realisation, that this isn't the destination, but just another part of the journey. That sinking feeling at that all too ( Read more... )