Thessaloniki, Greece

On August 12, 2019August 12, 2019 By touristnat1 Comment

Thessaloniki is a Greek port city on the Thermaic Gulf of the Aegean Sea. Evidence of Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman history remains, especially around Ano Poli, the upper town. Much of the city center was destroyed in the Great Fire of 1917. The rebuilt 20th-century city has a modern European layout. There are so many beautiful churches dotted around so be sure to hunt for them.

Note: Some museums close as early as 2pm, so plan ahead. Everything is really walkable and you can cover it in one day if you wish!

Here are the key things to visit:

Roman Forum
Agios Dimitrios
Rotonta
Kamara Arch
Church Panagia Dexia right opposite the arch
The White Tower along the harbour front
Try a funky boat tour, you have a few to choose from! Not sure where they go but they definitely caught my eye.
Alexander the Great statue further down from the White Tower
Continuing walking along the harbour beyond the statue towards the famous umbrellas, artwork by Giorgos Zongolopoulos made in 1997.
Metropolitan Church of Saint Gregory Palamas
Aristolelous Square. I would recommend visiting at night, it’s much prettier and you will also get a chance to see bboy’s busking.
Ladadika an area filled with restaurants and bars, again great for the night
I ate at Neotabepna (not even sure if that’s the right name but look out for this restaurant based on my photos and definitely try Greek pasta!). They call it Orzo and it’s a much better version of risotto as you still get the chewy pasta texture.
The best Gyros you will ever have, the name is in Greek so again just look out for the word that matches the photo and it’s on Ptolemon street, around the corner from the hostel I stayed at.
Stay Hybrid Hostel was excellent. Air-conditioned room, much needed for the Summer, spacious and clean. Plenty of common room areas and in the heart of the city.

Tokyo, Japan

On May 25, 2019May 27, 2019 By touristnat2 Comments

The last time I visited Tokyo was during a school trip back when I was 12! All I could really remember was sticker photos, Disneyland and Universal Studios. This time I got to do my own research on what to do and had the privilege of having many friends take me around too. Here are my top recommendations in Tokyo/from Tokyo:

Watch a Sumo fight in Ryogkoku. Check when sumo season is on, I was lucky it was tournament season but when I tried to get tickets on the spot, it was sold out! So pre-booking is vital.
Harry’s Hedgehog cafe Harajuku (you can hold em!) 30min or 1h time slots with unlimited free drinks from the machine.
Takeshita Street Harajuku is my favourite because it has everything. Shops, cool cafes such as the Owl cafe, vintage shopping, and street food (plenty of crepe and unique desserts). Kawaii culture came from there so you will also find maid cafes.
Ichiran Ramen. You will start to realise Japan can be quite anti-social when it comes to amazing food places. Booth and bar stool culture where you just eat and then go. They are so efficient that you pre-pay for what you want from a machine before you enter.
Enjoy a free city view from the Tokyo Metropolitan Government building in Shinjuku
Shibuya Crossing and the view from the Mag building where you pay 300yen to go up and 1000yen extra if you want the drone type shot!
Consider trying the Robot restaurant
Visit Sensoji, Asakusa – the older temple with traditional shops all around
Meiji Shrine in the city forest near Harajuku station
Tokyo Tower
Rainbow bridge and Giant Robot
Team Lab – Borderless or Planet exhibition. Pre-buy tickets to avoid lines.
Hachi statue, a very common meeting spot in Shibuya
Dancer’s collection for all your Hip Hop gear
Sky tree
Akihabara – all your tech in one place
Don Quijote – 24h shop with everything! They have branches all around
Kura, Genki, Uobei and Sushi Ro for good sushi
Geisha/Samurai show
Bonus if you can catch cherry blossom season
Day trip to Mount Fuji

Extra: My food list

Melon bread
Katsu Curry
Katsu Don
Ramen
Tsukemen
Yakitori
Crepe (they are everywhere especially in Takeshita)
Rainbow toastie
Anura Soba – my fave!
Cheese hotdog
Train Sushi
Takoyaki (Originated in Osaka)
Wagyu beef
Chicken Karaage
Gyudon (beef bowl rice)
Tsukiyaki
Okonomiyaki
Monja (only in Tokyo)
Gyoza
Tamago
Chawanmushi
Daifuku
Mocha (handmade, red bean inside)
Dango (plain mocha on skewer)
Taiyoki (fish shape waffle)
Piyanee Thai Milk Bubble tea (amazing bubble tea in Shibuya near H&M)

Singapore

On March 23, 2018March 23, 2018 By touristnatLeave a comment

Singapore is a global financial center with a tropical climate and multicultural population. If I were to ask my Singaporean friends what they would recommend, they are all very proud of their food and hawker food centres! Hawker centres (also known as food courts) are down-to-earth culinary destinations where you can find a wide variety of local dishes, from Chicken Rice, Fried Kway Teow, Hokkien Mee, Bak Kut Teh, Satay, Laksa, and Chilli Crab to the vegetarian Yong Tau Fu dish. So be ready to eat a lot when you visit and be blown away by how cheap the food is. I find all hawker centres foods are just as good, so best to ask a Singaporean which one they would recommend.

Apart from that, here are my other top recommendations:

A very easy night time walk to see Singapore’s prettiest skyline: Walk from Clark Quay (restaurants and clubs) to the MCI Rainbow Building (nice photo spot) to Fullerton hotel (beautiful bridge and hotel, you can also use this hotel as a short cut to the bay front). You will see Boat Quay across the river along the way as well as City Hall on your side of the river footpath. Once you reach the bay front, you can do a circular loop where you’ll see the Merlion, random art sculptures along the way, Marina Bay Sands, Gardens by the Bay, Helix Bridge, Lotus looking Art and Science building, tall office buildings, Louis Vuitton and the Ferris Wheel. I was lucky to have also caught a temporary Carnival. You can definitely repeat this during the day but be aware that Singapore is really HOT!
Haji lane (hipster, soho like alley with live music and bars) and Zam Zam restaurant for famous murtabak (stuffed pancake with egg, onion and a meat of your choice)
Visit Katong to see typical Peranakan style houses and why not try a typical Singaporean breakfast (Kaya toast dipped in soft boiled egg)
CHIJMES is a historic building complex in Singapore, which began life as a Catholic convent. It is now used for weddings and many restaurants have opened up. You can even do yoga in the courtyard.
Sentosa Island – the happiest island ever. You have Universal Studios and a lot of other activities such as flow boarding. Be sure to give yourself at least 3 days to enjoy everything on this man made beach island.
Orchard Road is known for shopping if you’re into malls that follow one after another.

Xiamen, China

On January 14, 2018January 14, 2018 By touristnatLeave a comment

Xiamen is a port city on China’s southeast coast, across a strait from Taiwan. It encompasses 2 main islands and a region on the mainland. Formerly known as Amoy, it was a British-run treaty port from 1842 to 1912. Many Europeans and Japanese lived on Gulangyu, today a vehicle-free island with beaches and meandering streets lined with old colonial villas. I went straight to the countryside as part of my volunteer trip!

Great for mountain biking as they have so much open land
Teach at a local school, they could do with volunteers teaching English
Stay in a traditional ‘Tu Lou’ protected by UNESCO World Heritage. A Tu Lou is usually circular in configuration, between three and fie stories high and housing up to 800 people. Smaller interior buildings are often enclosed by these huge peripheral walls which can contain halls, storehouses, wells and living areas, the whole structure resembling a small fortified city. There are several you can visit including Chuxi tulou group, Tianluokeng tulou cluster, Hekeng tulou cluster, Gaobei tulou cluster, Dadi tulou cluster, Hongkeng tulou cluster, Yangxian lou, Huiyuan lou, Zhengfu lou and Hegui lou
Get a view from the top of the traditional houses
Visit a tea plantation and pick tea leaves!

Trento and Asiago, Italy

On December 2, 2017December 2, 2017 By touristnatLeave a comment

Trento is a city in the Trentino–Alto Adige region of northern Italy. I was lucky enough to have had a local friend take me around which also included visiting Lake caldonazzo and Asiago town. Catch the Christmas markets if you go in December! Top 5 recommendations:

Visit Piaza Fiera where you can find the Christmas market selling local products and food stalls. You will have to try Goulash and plantain, a common dish here. Just outside Trento train station there is also a nice park (although I was told the park was created to try improve the safety of that particular area, so be careful).
Trento Cathedral, featuring a rose window and a baroque chapel, sits on Piazza Duomo and Neptune fountain right in front. And diagonal from the cathedral, behind the fountain, you can find Case Cazuffi-Rella, a Renaissance building with a frescoed facade (washed out painting on the building, bottom left image).
Loacker cafe! Even though it’s an Austrian brand, they have a dedicated Loacker cafe in the city centre, great for breakfast.
Lake Caldonazzo. In the Summer, a lot of people visit from Germany to chill here
Asiago town centre – a minor township in the surrounding plateau region in the Province of Vicenza in the Veneto region of Northeastern Italy. It took about 1h to drive from Trento, passing by the lake along the way.

Morocco

On July 1, 2017February 26, 2019 By touristnatLeave a comment

This was the absolute trip of a life time and definitely falls in my top three destinations! Starting in Marrakech and then doing a 3 day Sahara desert tour with RAK adventures, I have so much to recommend:

When visiting Marrakech, make sure you stay in a riad, a traditional Moroccan house or palace with an interior garden or courtyard. I stayed at Riad Alwachma where they welcomed me with Moroccan mint tea and I even had a traditional hammam spa for the first time there too.
See the Kotoubia mosque and medina both in the day and at night because of the different atmosphere you can experience. Don’t get ripped off by the people trying to get you to tour around on horse carriages like I did because you can easily walk around yourself and make sure you bargain at the Medina. At the Medina you’ll be able to have the cheapest and freshest orange juice in your life! Other things to do but not a must in my opinion: Bahia Palace (had no signs to indicate what I was looking at) and Majorelle garden (completely man made).
A restaurant I would recommend in the Medina is Le Marrakchi. It’s a bit more fancy and pricy but a good start to getting a full sample of Moroccan food. They gave you so much to try for a set price and there was a little band playing which was a nice touch.
Learn how argan oil is produced, carpets are made and the use of fire to change the colour of natural plant dye to use in art. Consider buying these local products!
Join the 3 day sahara desert tour to
- Explore the High Atlas mountains, seen as snowcaps in the background as well.
- Pass Berber villages
- View the Tizi n Tichka pass
- Visit Unesco kasbah of Ait Benhaddou
- Visit Ouarzazate movie studios
- Visit Dades and Todra Gorges
- Camel ride in Merzouga desert
- Sleep in a desert camp which included a bonfire, and traditional berber music playing under the stars. Try sandboarding too!
- Wake up early to catch sun rise behind the dunes

Others: Some people say it is worth visiting a tannery where they tan animal skin (leather) but I was too afraid of the smell!

Note: The only time I felt a bit uncomfortable was in Marrakesh where it was very crowded, dusty and people kept trying to convince you to buy stuff. But once I went out into the country side, my trip was just incredible.

Siem Reap, Cambodia

On June 27, 2017June 27, 2017 By touristnatLeave a comment

Siem Reap is a resort town in northwestern Cambodia and the main reason tourists visit is to see the ruins of Angkor. There are so many sites and recent historical events to Cambodia which is why hiring a tour guide would be the best way to really understand what you are looking at as well as to get to know the country better. This is the company I used (link) and my tour guide Mr Chet was absolutely incredible. You could ask him anything about world history and he also knew the best spots to take photos which is always helpful considering how packed the place can get.

Note: The temples can and will flood if it rains, so make sure you don’t go during their rainy season. Our guide told us there are major issues with the drainage system sadly.

Visit Angkor Watt and all the other temples such as where Tomb Raider was filmed. Definitely worth catching sunrise and seeing the reflection in the waters at Angkor Watt.
See the monks wondering around or meditating. I love how their orange garment stands out.
Dine at Crystal Angkor restaurant while watching a really relaxing traditional dance show.
Stay at Lotus Blanc Resort and try their Damnak fine dining restaurant. Did you know Cambodia is famous for its dining and has a wide range of cuisines?
Travel around by ‘tuk tuk‘, visit Angkor National Museum and shop at Angkor’s night market in Siem Reap. Buy comfortable clothes and art work for super cheap!

Lima, Machu Picchu and Cusco, Peru

On June 24, 2017June 25, 2017 By touristnatLeave a comment

Conquering Machu Picchu was such a lifetime experience and am so glad I took a bold step to do this trail having only ever hiked in Hong Kong. It made seeing Machu Picchu on the last day so much better because you earned it after hiking for 4 days 3 nights. I joined Intrepid Adventures (link) in order to guarantee being able to do the hike as they are extremely strict with handing out passes and you must always be accompanied with qualified guides. I also extended my stay beyond the 8 day plan to explore Cusco further as there is a lot you can do!

Tip: People found it helpful to take coca leaves or coca tea to help the altitude sickness. Don’t bother with water tablets or altitude pills! Don’t forget to get a bunch of injections to be safe even though I felt Peru was extremely clean and bug free compared to Asia.

Check out what I visited:

Lima is the capital of Peru and a key place to visit is the The Plaza de Armas and the 16th-century cathedral at the heart of old Lima Centro. I only managed to see the buildings at night but they were so grand and beautiful regardless. Lima can get a bit intense and busy so always stay alert.
Cusco. In my opinion, it is the most incredible and beautiful city in the world. Their flag happens to be the rainbow btw. Photos can’t capture what I saw and experienced!
Inca Trail. The hike could not have been possible without our amazing porters who carried so much to make our lives as comfortable as possible on the tough but doable hike. The views were absolutely breath-taking and changed each day depending on where we were on the path. It definitely got pretty cold when we reached the peak. The hike is 26 kilometres long in total and its highest pass is at 4,450 meters above sea level.
Machu Picchu. The end result of our hike and a memory the group of us will keep forever.
Saqsayhuaman Horse riding from Cusco. This is actually the town of our assistant tour guide Sebastian. They are famous for horse riding and I can see why! The amount space to ride is huge and the horses are so free with plenty of greens.
Salinas salt flats and Maras Moray from Cusco. The photos look nice but the tour to get there through a local company we booked through when we were at Cusco was awful. Try grab a cab instead if you can to avoid them trying to fill up a huge bus and go in circles.
Supposedly natural! Maras Moray

Salinas salt flats
Zip-lining was sick! Definitely a bit dodgy but YOLO. They let you hold your mobile phone to film whilst on the zip-line which I definitely did haha. The views were to die for.
Ready to zip-line!

Extra: Fried Quinoa Chicken strips @ Seledonia’s Mesa Cusco. Literally could have eaten here everyday including trying all their other dishes. And of course… why not take a selfie with the lammas and alpacas you’ll see roaming everywhere, they are really cute.

13100866_10155085121733849_2921235628549054651_n — Alpaca Selfie

Ha Noi, Vietnam

On June 17, 2017June 25, 2017 By touristnatLeave a comment

Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam, is known for its centuries-old architecture and a rich culture with Southeast Asian, Chinese and French influences. At its heart is the chaotic Old Quarter, where the narrow streets are roughly arranged by trade. And I thought Ho Chi Minh was chaotic…

Heads up: Most restaurants had very low tables and stools, especially if you want to try local options, so if you’re a tall person, be prepared!

Take a cyclo tour within the old quarter to understand the general structure, go around the main Hoan Kiem lake
Try a food and walking tour. What better way than to get a local guide to take you to all the famous restaurants, covering all types of Vietnamese foods. I would suggest coming with an empty stomach because they are so generous with the portions and you have about 7 meals on the tour! http://www.hanoistreetfoodtour.com/
Visit Ha Long Bay where you take a cruise trip to view a scatter of islands, towering limestone pillars and eroded grottoes.
As part of your Ha Long Bay tour, you should stop by an organisation that helps disabled people who were affected by the chemical agent orange, come back into the work place through art. Here you can purchase some of their work to support them.
Visit Trang An caves in Ninh Binh Province. You can enjoy the traditional rowboats along the Sao Khe River through limestone caves and watch your boat rower do it with their feet!

Bergen, Norway

On June 12, 2017June 25, 2017 By touristnatLeave a comment

Bergen is surrounded by mountains and fjords, including Sognefjord, the country’s longest and deepest. It is therefore a great start or end point for you to visit Norway’s famous fjords. Here are my top 5 recommendations in Bergen:

Bryggen features colorful wooden houses on the old wharf, once a centre of the Hanseatic League’s trading empire. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and does look like it will fall apart soon!
Visit museums. There is a three in one museum entry ticket option which will take you about 2 hours in total to complete. The Hanseatic museum (45mins), Schotstuene (15mins) and fisheries museum (1h). You cannot buy individual tickets unless it is 3:45pm or later. Your ticket includes a free shuttle transfer to get to the fisheries museum which is just slightly further out although still walkable in 25mins. My favourite museum was the Fisheries one where you learn about the history that has shaped modern Norway, learn about the ocean and be engaged with the interactive games.
Eat at the fish market. All the seafood you want to eat and extremely fresh! You do end up paying quite a lot though so budget carefully. The fish market is right opposite the Hanseatic museum and 1 minute from Bryggen.
Ride the Mount Floyen funicular. You could hike up in 25minutes or if you are short on time, ride the funicular which closes at 11pm. This photo was taken at 10:30pm believe it or not!
Make sure you try Skillingsbolle (cinnamon roll) @Godt Brod or any cafe really because they originated from Bergen.

Restaurant recommendation: Bryggeloftet & Stuene at Bryggen in one of the main wooden houses. The restaurant was super cozy, food was good and staff was very friendly.