2017 Showcase Gallery - Second Half
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VancouverThere is good reason why Vancouver regularly features at the top of quality of life rankings. While it is a warm place by Canadian standards, it does get a sprinkle of snow every now and then during the winter. Yet summer is a different world altogether with very manageable warm temperatures and comfortably cool nights.
With plenty of waterfront space, walking around becomes a rewarding option.
Many residentials line the downtown waterfront, all with lovely views that don't necessarily block each other.
Vancouver is not a major business centre compared to cities on the East Coast, yet there is some architectural heritage lurking around.
Feeling right at home, Vancouver has a huge Asian community and even street food reflects this diversity. Japadog offers non-standard hot dogs that include Kurobuta sausage, turkey sausage and miso sauce, yakiniku rice, tempura shrimp, and even tonkatsu.
Abu Dhabi Airfares to Europe through the Middle East are sometimes too good to ignore. I returned to the UAE to explore the major changes since my last visit years ago. The Louvre wasn't open yet but the Etihad Towers have, with an observation deck to impress.
Like Dubai, the city is still under deep construction.
Abu Dhabi is a much smaller version of Dubai, with a scattered skyline. You don't see as many people on the streets or on buses, so it is a good place to rest for a day or two before your next long flight.
What tends to get overlooked is the beautiful sea that fronts the city. Even the city beaches offer crystal-clear water.
Yet despite overshadowed, this city also has a few interesting architectural masterpieces, such as Capital Gate's leaning stance.
Dubai No visit to the UAE will be complete without a stop in Dubai. This place is an architecture fan's dream come true. Riding the train line above the streets is a great way to see the city's massive linear skyline.
The Marina area seems to be filling up nicely, and now even has a decent tram network to connect the dots in the large district.
Perceptions say this is a city built for the car, but the Marina area has lots of wide pedestrian paths with nice waterfront views such as what I saw in Vancouver. The biggest difference is the awfully hot weather. 41C in early September is enough to deter most people from walking out for long.
Geneva I first came here during my school days for a brief stopover. Disappointed by rain, I vowed to return. My epic trip to Switzerland began here, with the autumn sun greeting my arrival. Wedged by France, it is an easy border crossing to the other side for an aerial view of the city.
The Cathedrale of Saint Pierre dates from the 12th century and has a good view from the tower for a surprisingly cheap admission fee.
Simply beautiful.
Lausanne With a Swiss Travel Pass, I had free public transport access to the railway network so I used Geneva as a base to explore the region. Lausanne is both a lakeside and hillside town that offers plenty to pack a full day at least. The Town Hall was built in the 17th century and still serves the same purpose today.
Like in other European cities, churches offer a quiet rest break and are elaborately-decorated to keep visitors looking.
The Flon area used to be a decrepit place for storage and shipping - an industrial wasteland. Now it is being rejuvenated. It is hard to think there is a poor area in a country like Switzerland.
Lausanne is home to the Olympic movements. Their museum has an extensive collection of medals, equipment, and souvenirs.
Lavaux Just a short commuter train ride away, the vineyards are spread on terraces overlooking the lake. Many trails criss-cross the area, allowing tourists to hop from one town to another in relative ease.
Gruyères The biggest benefit of the Swiss Travel Pass is the flexibility to change my itinerary depending on the weather. On a rainy day, I decided to head to the cheese factory in Gruyères to try the famous cheese of the same name.
With time left, I headed uphill into the old town to explore. This appears to be a popular day trip destination with hordes of tourists.
Montreux A playground for the rich, I chose here to have my first mountain ascent on the trip. The cog railway gets up to Les Rochers-de-Naye, a 2042m mountain hovering behind the city, in less than an hour.
By the sea, Chillon Castle once had a monopoly over the Alps trade route for some 400 years as merchants needed to pass through this area and get taxed.
Lauterbrunnen Enjoying my mountain ascents so far, I headed to Lauterbrunnen for more. My last visit here was not pleasant with rain and fog preventing any sort of trip uphill. This time, I had half a day of sunshine and I rushed up Schilthorn, seemingly the less busy one compared to Jungfrau.
Gimmelwald Despite the mountain views, don't overlook the smaller mountain towns scattered around here. Locals make a good effort to beautify their surroundings with flowers everywhere.
Zermatt Encouraged, I rushed to take advantage of the good weather to head up more mountains in the Zermatt area. For the budget traveller, an affordable yet scenic option is to take the underground funicular to Sunnegga, followed by a cable car to Blauherd.
That being said, the Matterhorn experience cannot end with just a hike. I chose to go up the Gornergrat Bahn up to 3089m. The other option up to glacier paradise seemed a bit high and I was concerned about altitude sickness.
While this is a popular tourist destination, the viewing platform was big enough to spread the crowds out.
The bahn ticket allows stopovers en route, so I took advantage and browsed around a few of the stops along the way where there were even fewer crowds.
The Swiss sure know how to build towns high in the mountains. Perched above the Rhone Valley with huge mountains surrounding it, Bettmeralp is a car-free village with the ultimate view and natural protective barrier. Further uphill is the scenic Aletsch Glacier, and Jungfau is just on the other side! Meanwhile, the train journey around the mountains takes a much further 2 hours.
Lugano Lugano was special as it was not on my original itinerary. While the rest of Switzerland north of the Alps was having a wet and grey day, the mountains kept Lugano sunny. Chasing for good weather, I decided to do a day trip from Zurich to the Italian-speaking part of Switzerland.
Outside the city centre, Gandria is the start of the Olive Tree Trail, a relatively-flat paved walking with plenty of water views and quaint houses along the way.
Chubu Region During Edo times, travelers walked along the Nakasendo Road between Kyoto and Edo, which passed through the Kiso Valley. 69 post towns lined the route offering accommodations and food, of which 11 were in this valley. The route from Magome to Tsumago takes about 3 hours to cover the 8km and is a pleasant hike.
Parts were deep in the woods so it was a bit unnerving to expect wild bears around. Ring the bell to scare them away before entering.
Narai was the most prosperous town in the Kiso Valley thanks to its location near the highest pass on the Nakasendo. A 1km-long preserved main street is only a short walk from the train station.
This part of Japan has a lot of small towns with lots of temples and historic streets. Takayama had a lot to offer in both and also a famous local beef specialty.
Some of the more interesting local experiences on offer include a visit to the wasabi farm to see how this spicy dish originates. You need plenty of clean water to actually grow this crop.
There is also a miso paste factory that also gives you a sample to try out their delicious product.
China's Silk Road - Gansu and Xinjiang The Silk Road refers to trading routes on land through western China, Central Asia,and into Europe, and also by sea from southern China to Europe via India and the Middle East. Dunhuang was one of the key stopover towns along the long journey, with the Great Wall making it all the way here.
You don't need to go to Africa for a camel ride either. But my focus was Crescent Lake, which is an oasis in the middle of the desert just outside the city.
Hard to believe the brave merchants tried to conquer this to traffic goods to Europe.
The dry climate means this region, from Gansu stretching all the way to Xinjiang along the Silk Road, is a major source of raisins and nuts.
Turpan is a desert oasis some 200 feet below sea level, making it one of the lowest places on Earth. Jiaohe is now in ruins after being abandoned in the 14th century. Historians estimate it to be 2300 years old.
Away from the desert, Tianchi resembles a scene out of New Zealand or Canada. Surrounded by mountains that are snow-covered year-round, the scenery here is quite "heavenly".
Wuyishan Wuyishan was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1999 for both its subtropical forest and cultural heritage. Considered a sacred place by the emperors since the Han dynasty, today it attracts tourist hordes who arrive by a convenient new high-speed train connection. Once here, switch to a slow-moving manually-powered bamboo raft to float down the river in serenity.
Seoul Soaring 555m into the sky, Lotte World Tower is the country's new tallest building. The Signiel Hotel occupies the 76th to 101st floors.
Naejangsan A bit off the beaten track to foreign tourists, this mountain a long way south of Seoul is a spectacular place to enjoy the fall colours. You will join thousands of other Koreans on the long walks and hikes around the park.
Kyoto Foliage in Kyoto is a different experience altogether than Naejangsan. You have temples, shrines, and even night-time illuminations to keep you busy after dark.
Doha Doha is not a typical end destination vacation spot for travelers. Qatar Airways is trying to change that with a generous stopover program. Like the UAE, the architecture is made to impress.
Despite the blockade, life goes on and the markets continue to bustle.
London London's skyline has drastically changed in the past decade. No wonder Prince Charles is worried the historic aspect of the City is being wiped out. Canary Wharf used to be the big skyscraper cluster in the east, but it seems they have been surpassed already.
Malta With snow in London, I escaped to the warmer corners of Europe down south. The prices are low, the weather is good, the history is rich, and the sea is beautiful. What more can you ask for?
Hallstatt, Austria My dose of sun would only last a week, and I would end up seeing a lot of snow in Austria, as expected.
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