Holland Village

Holland Village? Are we in Holland? Well, no...this is Singapore's Holland Village where you can find a good mix of old and new, such as traditional coffee shops and a wet market amidst ritzy wine bars and fine dining restaurants. It's a popular venue for young Singaporeans as well as expatriates and it's often called Holland V. It's distinctive windmill was newly added (can't remember when) at the top of a building to create a "Holland flavor".

Apart from all the supermarkets, banks, pharmacies, you can find interesting craft stores, exotic furniture stores, art galleries and tons of magazines stands, where local and international publications can be found!

Here's the wet market on the left and on the right, a good range of old shophouses with spas, cafes, convenience store (7-Eleven), restaurants, bars, etc.



Back lanes of some of the restaurants and shops

Singapore....COMING SOON

Ok...I'm on a "mission" to take some photos of where I come from, specially for someone from California. Stay tuned....right now, thinking of going Penang in December to savour all the good food there, so if the trip materialise, I will post in new stuff here!

Patong Beach

Patong Beach (Thai หาดป่าตอง) is on Phuket's west coast, is the main tourist resort in Phuket. It also contains an important centre of Phuket's nightlife and is the centre of cheap shopping on the island. The beach became popular with western tourists, especially Europeans, in the late 1980s. Unfortunately, the beach was wiped out in Tsunami 2004. I wonder what it's like now.

(Picture taken in 2001)

Let's take a break and have a Cuppa!

How about a cuppa? Picture taken at Park Road, Milton, Queensland. Visited La Dolce Vita Cafe for a cuppa. Used to frequent this cafe in the mid 90s. The owner of this cafe used to own a red ferrari (that was in the mid 90s) and most of the time, it's parked right infront of the cafe. Not sure about now.....And of course...note this little Eiffel Tower (Brisbane, Queensland)

Flowers....to enjoy!

Just enjoy the flowers....nothing to really talk about except that when they bloom....gosh, it's just lovely! (Vienna)

Belvedere Palace

Austria - Vienna...picture of Belvedere Palace. I must confess that after seeing quite a number of palaces, I can't really recall what is it that I saw here. So, just enjoy the magnificent building and the view of the Palace. :)

(Vienna, Austria)

Buda + Pest = Budapest

Here's the city of Budapest. Budapest as "one" city has only existed since 1873 - when the twin cities of Buda and Pest were united into a single city, together with the smaller Óbuda (old Buda) which became part of Buda. Buda is more hilly...on the left of the river and Pest is more flat, on the right of the river, from this picture. (Budapest, Hungary)

Fans of Winter Sonata

Yongpyong Ski Resort in South Korea. This picture taken at Dragon Valley hotel, in the pub. This is the exact spot where the filming took place.

Kyongbok Palace

Picture taken from the inside of Kyongbok Palace (South Korea)

Sand and Sea

Check out the sand sculpture at Surfers' Paradise....excellent, isn't it??! (Gold Coast, Queensland)

Brisbane River

Brisbane River, taken from a pathway at the Botanical gardens. (Brisbane City, Queensland)

Ettamogah Pub

Most photographed Pub in the world!! Built in 1989, a replica of the Ken Maynard cartoon series made famous in the Australian and New Zealand Post Magazines. The pubs quirky shape and caricature appearance makes it a must to visit. The Pubs internal features are an eclectic display of everything Australian. A visit to the Ettamogah Pub is a visit to an Australian icon.

(Sunshine Coast, Queensland)

QLD/NSW Border

At the border of Queensland and New South Wales, Australia. Check out the different tiles for the different state. QLD is the lighter shade tiles and NSW is the darker shade tiles. I'm in two STATES at one go!

Temple at Tanah Lot

Temple at Tanah Lot

(Bali, Indonesia)

Tanah Lot

Tanah Lot, one of the most popular places of interest in Bali, is located on the coast of West Bali, at the village of Beraban in the Tabanan Regency.It is also called Tanah Let which means ancient land and also Tanah Lod, which means the land to the south.
The temple Pura Tanah Lot, simple in its construction, is dramatic in its ocean-front location and is one of the main temples in the worship of Balinese gods.

(Bali, Indonesia)

Temple on the Lake Goddess

The Temple of the Lake Goddess at Bratan, in northern Bali, is one of Bali's most visited and most spiritually important temples. Dedicated to Dewi Danu, the goddess of the waters, it is the focus of numerous ceremonies and pilgrimages to ensure supplies of water. A temple sits on the shore of the lake, but visitors cannot enter it. It's the multitiered thatch-roof shrines, or meru, perched on tiny islands just offshore that are best known.

(Pura Ulun Danu Bratan)

(Bali, Indonesia)

Langkawi Island, Malaysia

Well, no particular significance about this place and boat. Was strolling on the broadwalk and happened to see this...I love this pic...what about you?

(Langkawi Island, Malaysia)

Where's Anna? And where's the King??

Yes, this is one of the location where Anna and the King was filmed. Set in Langkawi Island, Malaysia, this is where the palace is supposed to be. Most of the furnishing used in the set still remained as it is and is now a visitor spot.

(Langkawi Island, Malaysia)

Blue Mosque

The Blue Mosque is one of the most prominent landmarks of Istanbul, especially when viewed from the First Hill or from the Asian shore of the Sea of Marmara. It is very impressive with its beautiful domes and semidomes, nice courtyards and six slender minarets.

Completed in 1616, the Blue Mosque is just opposite of the splendid Church of Hagia Sophia as it is trying to compete with it.

(Istanbul, Turkey)

Hagia Sophia

One of the greatest monuments of Byzantium, Hagia Sophia was built in the 6th century, but its exterior does not exhibit the characteristics of that century.

Since it was used as a mosque for almost five hundred years after 1453, Islamic structures such as the minarets built on the corners of the main edifice, the fountain (sadirvan), mausoleum (turbe), and soup-kitchen (imare) etc. give Hagia Sophia a mosque-like appearance. Consequently, the 6th century architectural characteristics are much more apparent in the interior of the building.

In 1935 Hagia Sophia was converted into a museum, and it is now one of Turkey's two most popular museums.

(Istanbul, Turkey)

Hot Air Balloon at Goreme

One of the best way to explore the valleys of Goreme, Cappadocia.

In case of Fire

Here's the fire station....self-service, will ya!

Fiji

Fiji is one of the best islands I've ever visited, but getting there is really a long journey. The beautiful sunset, sand and sea....amazing! Did some island hopping and even visited the island that was used to film "Cast Away". Only thing about the place....Fiji time is very "slow"!

Trevi Fountain

The Trevi fountain is at the ending part of the Aqua Virgo, an aqueduct constructed in 19 BC. It brings water all the way from the Salone Springs (approx 20km from Rome) and supplies the fountains in the historic center of Rome with water.

The water at the bottom of the fountain represents the sea. Legend has it you will return to Rome if you throw a coin into the water. You should toss it over your shoulder with your back to the fountain. Well, I didn't toss as it was so crowded, guess I will not return to Rome.

Colesseum

In the Colosseum, Rome, Italy.

City of Prague

The Astronomical Clock on the side of the Old Town Hall Tower dates back to the 15th century. To appreciate this intricate construction to it's fullest, join the crowd in front of the tower to observe the procession of the Twelve Apostles: on the hour, every hour, a small trap door opens and Christ marches out ahead of his disciples, while the skeleton of death tolls the bell to a defiant statue of a Turk.

And who can resist a LIVE PONY merry-go-round??

The beautiful city of Prague

Salt Mine

Sculptures in the salt mine....and of course, these are made of salt.

Behind the barbed wire

The Auschwitz concentration camp complex was the largest of its kind established by the Nazi regime. The camps were located approximately 37 miles west of Krakow, near the prewar German-Polish border in Upper Silesia, an area that Nazi Germany annexed in 1939 after invading and conquering Poland.

Delicacies, anyone?!

How about some crickets and spiders?? Anyone? Crispy fried delicacy....mmm....not exactly for me though!

Cheoung Ek (The Killing Fields Memorial)

Mass graves and a stupa in remembrance to the people who died during the Pol Pot regime. It is estimated that over 17 000 people were buried at this site after having been tortured and murdered at the notorious 'Toul Sleng Prison'. Some of the remains of these people have been unearthed and have been put on display in the stupa present at the site.

Toul Sleng (S-21) Prison

S-21 was a high school when Pol Pot turned it into an important secret prison operated in Phnom Penh from mid-1975 through the end of 1978. Those that were brought to S-21 were those inside the Khmer Rouge, and thought to have betrayed the movement. The families of offenders were often brought to the prison as well in order to keep the deaths of their loved one from being avenged. Almost all of the prisoners had worked in the armed forces, factories, or administration. Upon arrival at S-21, the prisoners were photographed, tortured until they confessed to whatever crimes their captors charged them with, and then executed in Choeung Ek or the Killing Fields. The prisoners' photographs and completed confessions formed dossiers that were submitted to Khmer Rouge authorities as proof that the "traitors" had been eliminated. This precise record keeping resembled that of the Nazis and the Jewish Holocaust.
Of the approximately 20,000 people who were imprisoned at S-21, there were only seven known survivors. At least 20 other similar centers operated throughout the country. Today, S-21 prison is now the Toul Sleng Genocide Museum, a reminder to the world of Cambodia’s darkest days

Angkor Wat

The most beautiful and most famous monument in the city, Angkor Wat, lies about one kilometre south of the Royal town of Angkor Thom which was founded by Jayavarman VII.
The Temple of Angkor Wat was dedicated to the Hindu God Vishnu by King Suryavarman II, who reigned between AD 1131 and 1150. The Temple was constructed over a period of 30 years, and illustrates some of the most beautiful examples of Khmer and Hindu art. Covering an area of about 81 hectares, the complex consists of five towers, which are presently shown on the Cambodian national flag. These towers are believed to represent the five peaks of Mount Meru, the Home of Gods and Center of the Hindu Universe.