Grand Californian Honeymoon (+Vegas & Grand Canyon)

Possible the best trip in my life so far, it's our Grand Californian Voyage. (+Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon) 20 days of pure bliss across San francisco, Point Reyes, Napa, Tahoe, Yosemite, Sequoia, Ventura, Santa Barbara, Death Valley, Vegas, Grand Canyon, L.A., Disney Theme parks, Solvang, San Simeon, Big Sur, Carmel and the Monterey Peninsula. From shopping at the outlets (watch her go) to roughing it out in nature (in our trusty rental car mostly), fine dining to thrill rides, livin it large at 5 star premium view resorts to experiencing cheap motels... I think we did it all. Biggest splurge in my life, but oh well - it's our honeymoon, so it's worth it. Too many photos to choose from, the least i could show are these 23. Ok, time to go work my butt off to pay the credit card bills... ...

View of the San Francisco City Skyline from our Hotel at Fisherman's Wharf

Point Reyes Lighthouse - too much fog for an afternoon


Domaine Chandon, Fall Foliage and Golden leaves - NICE!


First Class views at Emerald Bay in South Lake Tahoe

View of Half Dome from Sentinel Bridge

Amazing scenery at Yosemite - Gotta see it yourself, photos mean nothing

Same goes for Hume lake, Sequoia Kings Canyon National Park

A Sequoia Tree - BIG BIG BIG

Hard earned view after trek near Morro Rock

Santa Barbara County Courthouse, Imagine being tried in all that History

Devil's Golf Course - Surreal Landscape in Death Valley

It's Paris, NO, it's ViVaaa Las Vegas!

Venice, NO, ViVaaa Las Vegas!

Mother of all Canyons, the lazy way to name it is to just use 'Grand'

Dusk at Rodeo Drive, Beverly Hills

Going space-age at Disney concert Hall, L.A.

Still the Happiest Place on Earth - Disneyland!

The Magic never ends - "It's a small World after all"

Water World show set, Universal Studios Hollywood

Touristy Solvang - "More Danish than Denmark"

Elephant Seals lazing around at Piedra Blancas

Spectacular coastline scenery at Big Sur

Point Lobos - 'The Greatest meeting of Land and Water in the World'

Visit Indonesia 2008: Dream Island Bali

Dream Island Bali- every bit as lovely as the travel literature says. Touristy, yes, but nevertheless beautiful and the locals here are some of the most friendly and accomodating around - from farmers to merchants to service staff, most are always smiling and eager to show their lengedary Balinese hospitality. I'll be back, soon i hope.

Sunset over Uluwatu- Watch out for those monkeys!

My favourite Balinese temple - Uluwatu

Photographer's favourite: Terraced padi fields at Tegalalang

Susut, a real Balinese village - Padi field green & blue Sky blue

Tanah Lot- The Legendary break-up temple

Restaurant with a view- "that's where our rice comes from!"

Taman Ayun: One of many evocative temples in Bali

Local Guide San: "Kuta is not Bali!"

Visit Indonesia 2008: Beautiful Central Java

To many Singaporeans, a holiday in Indonesia means a short holiday in Bali, or possibly a weekend in Bintan or Batam. For so long, we've been missing out lots on what our neighbour is able to offer us, as i have have just found out from this most recent trip to central Java. Other than the famous UNESCO heritage sites of Prambanan and Borobudur, Central Java has some of the most beautiful pastoral scenery i've ever seen in all my years of travelling- A mix of padi fields and other crops set amidst the backdrop of lush tropical jungle and the occasional volcano, it looks a lot more natural then the endless palm plantations in many other parts of South East Asia. Of particular mention is Dieng Plateau, with its dramatic mountains and valleys of terraced fields, cool and crisp mountain air, and ancient hindu temples, it is truly deserving of its name- 'Abode of the Gods'.

Beautiful local restaurant at Solo

First look at Gunung Merapi, one of the most active volcanoes in the world

Sun rising from between Merbabu and Merapi

Telaga Warna - Reminds me of JiuZhaiGou

The magnificent Borobudur Temple Complex - Built 100years befor Angkor

Misty Morning at Borobudur

My personal favourite - Prambanan Temple Complex

Padi Fields near Yogyakarta with Merapi smoking in the background

Vinh Ha long - Bay of the Descending Dragon

Another long weekend in North Vietnam- we spent 3 contrasting days from cruising along the peaceful waters of Halong Bay to prowling the frenetic streets of Hanoi, which has since made me much more skillful as a jaywalker now...

Our Beautiful luxury Junk - The Lagoon Explorer 2

Romantic sunset over Halong Bay

A quiet moment in the Charming old quarter of Hanoi

4 Nights in Beijing

Phew! - Though having to pay for a really expensive SQ ticket and squeeze as much sight-seeing as possible over a 4-day long weekend, i must say that it's still really worth it. Every chinese has got to visit the chinese capital and every chinese man has got to climb the great wall, isn't it? Been there, done that!

Beautiful tree-lined boulevards among ancient architecture

Prayer ceremony at the Lama Temple

One of many magnificent structures at the immense Summer Palace

Stone boats build with absconded funds by Empress Cixi

Sections of the Great Wall at Badaling

Forbidden City - World's biggest Palace complex

Throne hall reputed to hide the forged will that made Yongzheng Emperor

Another palace hall, this place is really really huge

Krung Thep - City of Angels

To all Singaporeans: Bangkok's great for a weekend shopping spree, i know, but there's more to it then that! Check out the amazing sights as well; even with one full day devoted to sight-seeing, we still missed out quite a fair bit like the Royal Barge Museum, Wat Pho, Baan Jim Thompson etc. - an excuse for us to be back again to visit the sights, and of course, to do more shopping...

View of Wat Arun from Chao Phraya Tourist boat

Intricate details adorning Wat Phra Keow

City of angels- Bankok skyline at dusk as seen from Vertigo bar

It's a Beautiful World

On a Beautiful day ...

... Somewhere in this Beautiful World ...

... ... We shared a Beautiful moment together...

Summertime in Hokkaido

Finally, a trip to Hokkaido in summer, totally different from the freezing, but nevertheless enchanting winter i spent in Akanko last year. What's more, we covered most of the major spots on the island, making us probably more well-travelled in the province then most of the Japanese themselves. It was'nt all that perfect though, given that some days were either rainy or cloudy coz of the class 4 typhoon approaching Japan, but all in all, it was still great, and certainly most special (I'll reveal more in a later post) to me. In the meantime, please enjoy the pics.

The spectacular night view makes any visit to Hakodate worthwhile

Canals are a dime a dozen in many places, but the one in Otaru is just plain charming

One day i'm going back for the Sapporo Snow festival

A view of Cape Gorota with Mt Rishiri in the background, one of the rewards of taking the splendid hikes in Rebun Island

With Asahidake looking in the background, the Alpine flowers flaunt their beauty

Asahidake with its reflection in one of the snow-melt pools

A sight to behold -The entire Daisetsuzan carpeted with alpine flowers

Neat rows of flowers in the ever-popular Farm Tomita, Furano

Romantic Sundown at Biei

Iconic trees and patchwork fields - a pastoral paradise

Rugged yet beautiful coastline of the Okhotsk Sea, Utoro

Outdoor bath in our amazing hotel overlooking the sea

Eluding me yet again, the mysterious Lake Mashu