Check Out Your Own Backyard

For most people, when thinking of a great holiday, they would almost always think of a place somewhere far, somewhere exotic, and somewhere that requires flying or taking a boat. Many people dream of that nice exotic island, or those vibrant cities far afield that they forget about what’s around them. If you’re one of those people, then you need to think again about your holiday plans.

I have been guilty of this myself. I’ve always looked for somewhere distant, somewhere different from what my usual is. The funny thing is that the places I have lived in are all dream destinations of other people from other parts of the world, and yet, I took it for granted. Now, here’s one term I have learned pretty much in the recent times. It’s called Staycation.

What Is Staycation

Staycation is a term that became popular in the last 2 years since the global financial crisis have made people become more conscious of their spending. It’s made of the combination of the words “stay” and “vacation”, and it effectively means taking a break just within your home town or a short drive from where you live. When I heard of this term, I thought, this is very appropriate for many people who take their own city/town/country for granted as I have. It’s only been in the recent years that I have come to realise what I’ve missed out!

My Staycation

When my friends ask me about the Philippines, the country I grew up in, I can tell them a few things about it. I’ve been to a few places around my home country, but still not enough for me to say I’ve travelled all over the Philippines. Especially not when I get to meet some adventurous young foreigner who would tell me they have been to Batanes (a remote island in the very northern part of the Philippines that is only accessible for 2-3 months in a year due to severe typhoons hitting the island), or dived in the Tubbataha Reef (one of the best diving spots in the world – according to many divers), or holidayed in Palawan and I have not been to any of those.. And this is considering I grew up in the Philippines and spent 22 years of my life there! I started to get embarrassed when I get asked about certain places in my home country.

I realised then on that I need to check out my own backyard. I started doing this when I was living in New Zealand. People have been telling me that I grew up in practically a tropical paradise, but I never appreciated it so much. Maybe partly because growing up, my parents never let me go to obscure but wonderful places in the Philippines, but that is another story.. So, when I was living in New Zealand, going anywhere outside of the country can be quite expensive due to the distance of New Zealand from anywhere else in the world. It was a perfect time for a Staycation.

I’ve since moved to Sydney, Australia, and I have taken any chance I get to explore the area and the country. Since then, I have been to Port Stephens, did the Grand Pacific Drive, and enjoyed what has been claimed to be the World’s whitest beach in Jervis Bay. Further afield, I’ve visited Melbourne a few times, and had a chance to visit Darwin, on the Top End of Australia. I’ve also been to the Gold Coast, Brisbane and Adelaide, but I have yet to write about them. With all these trips around Australia, it made me truly appreciate what a wonderful country I live in, and how fortunate I am to be living in this place.

So, if you think travelling is too expensive for you, think again! When was the last time you explored a town or a National Park 2 hours drive from your place? Or even somewhere 30 minutes away? Travelling doesn’t always mean you have to go very far to see the world. Start from your own backyard and do a Staycation. You will be glad to have stayed and vacationed in your nick of the woods..

Happy Staycations ahead!

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All In A Small Island

There are only very few places in the world where you get nice beaches, lush rainforests, exquisite waterfalls and a variety of hot and cold springs all in one island. Camiguin is one of them. Many people from outside the Philippines may not know where this island is, especially since this is not one of those at the top of the list for tourist brochures. Some who have been to the Philippines would have heard of this island, and to those who managed to visit, many have said it’s paradise rediscovered.

The first time I went to this island in 1996, the island was just starting to become recognised in the Philippines as the next tourist destination. The roads were still not very developed, and hardly any decent infrastructure were in place. I recently went back after nearly 15 years, and the island has now been improved to make it more tourist-friendly. The sealed road network now covers the entire island, and there are even smaller roads inland that can cut through to some of the villages in the interior. They now have more accommdations available, coverage for mobile phones, internet, and a more organised public transport.

Camiguin – Location And Getting There

Camiguin is situated in the southern part of the Philippines, between the main island of Mindanao and the island of Bohol in the Visayas. The island sits northeast of Cagayan de Oro City, the city where I grew up in the Philippines. It’s an easy 2-hour ferry ride from Cagayan de Oro to Camiguin. In my recent trip there, I found that they have reinstated the once-defunct service between Cagayan de Oro and Camiguin, and now travels at least once a day in each direction. It makes travelling to the island much easier, as Cagayan de Oro is a major hub and centre in the northern part of Mindanao, and it is where you can get flights to from Manila, the capital of the Philippines.

The Best Bits Of Camiguin

Camiguin is more than just your tropical island with a white sand beach. With so much to offer, here’s a list of the best places to see on the island:

White Island

Perhaps the most popular attraction of Camiguin, White Island is not actually an island. It’s a sandbar that lies just off the coast of Camiguin island. What makes it fascinating is its nice powder white sand that changes shape every single day depending on the tides. There are days that the sandbar is so tiny that you only have enough space to fit literally 10 people on it, and days that it looks reasonably sized that you can walk on it from end to end in 15 minutes. The waters are also crystal clear, making it very enticing to go for a dip.

Katibawasan Falls

This falls is one of the few around the island, but it is perhaps the grandest looking and most accessible of the waterfalls in Camiguin. It’s 76 meters high, and has a nice pool at the bottom of the falls where people can take a dip. The water can be a bit cool but it’s such a refreshing treat to the tropical heat of the island.

Guiob Church Ruins & Sunken Cemetery

Concrete cross - Sunken Cemetery

There are a few volcanos on Camiguin island, some being dormant and one other still considered an active volcano. Though there hasn’t been any eruptions for a while, Camiguin had suffered a devastating eruption from one of the now-dormant volcanos in 1871. This eruption had quite a huge impact that it destroyed much of the island and buried and sank some of its towns. One specific area that sank is the Sunken Cemetery. A huge cross has been erected as a reminder of the eruption that nearly wiped out the island. Nearby is the Guiob Church Ruins, another reminder of the devastation that occurred in 1871.

Ardent Hot Springs

This may not be a natural wonder, but it comes from a natural source. Having many volcanoes, Camiguin naturally has a lot of geothermal activity and resources. As a result, the Ardent hot springs came about to utilise the water from a natural hot spring in the area. Ardent is now a developed resort, and though it has somewhat become commercialised, it still offers a great place to soak up and enjoy the soothing hot spring waters.

Mantigue Island

This is another island just off Camiguin island and a proper island. It is a 20-minute boat ride from Camiguin on a motorised bangka (a local outrigger). It offers a nice white sand beach and has a marine sanctuary. The island is considered a nature park, and is home to some native birds and bats. It’s a great place to check out. Snorkelling on the marine sanctuary is very rewarding, with colourful fish of all shapes and sizes swimming around.

These are what I thought would be the best places to see in Camiguin. Of course there are more spots, but some of them are not as good as these ones. I hope you have enjoyed this post. Please spread this to your friends.

2010 Is Here!

Happy New Year to all readers of my blog! A new decade begins in the 21st Century! 2010 will be an exciting year for me. I have more travels planned, and I get really excited thinking about where I will be going this year! But before I get carried away with talking about my travel plans for 2010, I’d like to share with you some of the photos I took of the Sydney New Year’s Eve fireworks.

This is my third consecutive year of watching the fireworks by the Sydney Harbour Bridge, and it never ceases to amaze me how beautiful the fireworks display here is during New Year’s Eve! Each year is a different theme. Last year, it was more aboriginal themed, and this year, it is more of “awakening the spirit”. I suppose this has a lot to do with the recent financial crisis which has affected the overall mood of people, especially those who have invested in the markets.

The photos I focused on was mainly the 9PM fireworks, as I had a great view of the harbour from a friend’s balcony in Milsons Point. Check out some of the images of the Sydney NYE fireworks for 2009 below:

Sydney NYE 2009 Fireworks - First shots

Sydney NYE 2009 Fireworks - more 9PM fireworks at the harbour

Sydney NYE 2009 Fireworks - Up close

Sydney NYE 2009 Fireworks - sparkles

Sydney NYE 2009 Fireworks - more 9PM fireworks

Sydney NYE 2009 Fireworks - about to finish

Sydney NYE 2009 Fireworks - to the finale of the 9PM fireworks

Sydney NYE 2009 Fireworks - the smoke after the 9PM fireworks

Happy New Year! - the Harbour Bridge comes alive

More midnight fireworks from the Sydney Harbour Bridge

Sydney Harbour Bridge is lit up!

More snippets of the Sydney NYE firework 2009

Sydney is definitely in one of the top 10 locations in the world for New Year’s Eve. The amazing fireworks by the beautiful and picturesque harbour and the numerous parties happening all over the city makes it just a cut above the rest. Even if I have spent my third year watching the fireworks in Sydney, I never grew tired of it, as it is just simply superb.

Come and see the fireworks spectacle here in the New Year in Sydney!

Melbourne’s Unique Charm

Melbourne

I recently spent a few days in Melbourne to watch the Melbourne Cup and also celebrate my birthday there. I’ve been to Melbourne a few times and the city never ceases to fascinate me! There is always something new to discover in Melbourne. From eclectic to artistic, Melbourne packs a lot of interesting sights, architecture and cultural activities in a small place. Its laneways, trams and parks give it a very European feel to the city. It’s distinctly different from the rest of the Australian capital cities. Despite not having iconic landmarks like Sydney has, Melbourne still offers a lot of things to be explored and enjoyed. Here’s my top ten list of things to see and do in Melbourne:

1.) Art and Cafe Culture

Brunetti's

One of the first things I noticed when I landed in Melbourne is the way the freeways and buildings are so stylishly designed and decorated. Certainly the road from Tullamarine airport into Melbourne CBD felt like a big modern art exhibit, with colourful, modern architecture and art structures along the highway, and the best part, hardly any vandals can be seen! When you walk around the city centre, it’s all funky buildings, sculptures and designs.

There is also a cafe culture in the city. Nearly every corner of the city has a small cafe, and because there is a big Italian community in Melbourne, you can almost guarantee that they take their coffees seriously! I have always had a great cup of coffee in those small cafes. After so many visits, I managed to find my favourite cafe there called Brunetti’s. They have a great range of pastries, cakes, and best of all, their hot dark Italian chocolate is really something not to be missed! The biggest cafe is near Lygon Street, but they also have a small outlet in the CBD on Swanston Street.

2.) Laneways

The myriad of laneways that dot the city centre are remnants of the original city planning of Melbourne, which dates back to the 1800s. This system of small alleyways used to be the lifeblood of the city and has now given the city its unique charm. The laneways have been spruced up and converted into nice shops, bars and restaurants. There certainly is that European character feel with these laneways, and definitely worth checking out.

3.) Museums and Art Galleries

NGV

Melbourne is considered to be the art capital of Australia, with a wide range of museums, art galleries and performance theatres dotting the city. You will never run out of things to look at and do if you love art and culture, as nearly each day, something new comes up in one of these galleries or a new theatrical production opens its curtains.

The Museum of Melbourne near the Carlton Gardens is a great place to check out. It has displays ranging from dinosaurs and the Australian bush to the Aboriginal life and culture. More importantly, it has an exhibit on the Melbourne story (how Melbourne evolved into the city it is now).

If you love art, another great museum to check out is the National Gallery of Victoria. This is where you find paintings and artwork from famous local and international artists such as Andy Warhol and Frank Gehry to name a few. It has moving exhibitions of different art forms and genres that are worth looking out for.

4.) Gardens and Parks

Conservatorium, Fitzroy Gardens

The one surprising thing with Melbourne is the fact that it is a compact city yet it is filled with a number of gardens and parks surrounding its CBD. One garden truly worth checking out is Fitzroy Gardens. This has the Conservatorium, which houses so many colourful flowering plants and tropical varieties. Next door to it is Cook’s Cottage, which is the original cottage where Captain Cook’s family lived in and was shipped from England as a gift to the people of Melbourne and reconstructed in the Fitzroy Gardens.

Another great park to check out is the Carlton Gardens. It has a nice pond in the middle, and a beautiful fountain at one end of the park. It is adjacent to the Melbourne Museum, so worth checking it out if you are on your way to the museum.

The Shrine of Remembrance is also another great place to check out. It is an ANZAC memorial built on top of a small hill, with great views of the city. The botanical garden is just next door and is definitely worth checking out.

5.) Eureka Skydeck and Rialto Melbourne 360 Observation Deck

Eureka Tower

Melbourne has some of Australia’s tallest buildings, and 2 of them offer great views of the city and the surrounding areas. The Rialto was the tallest building in Melbourne and was the first to offer a viewing platform called the Melbourne 360 Observation Deck. It offers a fantastic view of the city and across to Southbank, the Dandenong Ranges, and to St. Kilda and the Bass Strait. It seems that the Rialto has just announced that it will be closing its doors on 31st December 2009, so before it does, make sure you avail of their $7 closing entry deal and enjoy the great view!

The Eureka Tower’s Skydeck 88 is a more recent addition to the Melbourne skyline and is much taller than the Rialto. The Eureka Skydeck 88 is the highest viewing platform in the Southern Hemisphere and offers a  slightly different perspective to the Rialto. The Eureka Tower is on Southbank, which is on the other side of the Yarra River.

6.) Crossing the bridges over the Yarra

Princes Bridge

It may not sound like much, but the many bridges crossing the Yarra River each have a unique design to it. The Yarra River is a prominent feature of the city.  Walking and crossing the bridges by foot is a great way to explore Melbourne, and a great exercise as well. A couple of these bridges are pedestrian-only bridges, and each are designed differently from the other. One of the bridges has a list of countries where the settlers in Melbourne came from and some details on when and how they have arrived into Melbourne. The Princes Bridge is one of the oldest bridges crossing the Yarra and links Swanston Street to the Southbank area. The view of the city from the different bridges is great and worth exploring.

7.) St. Kilda and Port Melbourne

The seaside suburbs of St. Kilda and Port Melbourne has recently had a facelift and resurgence from being a rough area of Melbourne to one of the best place to live in the city. It has a great cafe culture, and a great lifestyle being close to the beach. In St. Kilda, there is a weekend market near the Pier and St. Kilda Baths which is worth checking out for works of local artists and businesses. Port Melbourne, on the other hand, has a good beach and is where you can take the ferry over to Tasmania.

8.) Day Trip to the Yarra Valley

Domaine Chandon - Yarra Valley

The Yarra Valley is a wine region just 45 minutes away from Melbourne CBD. This wine region produces one of the best wines in the country, and has over 70 wineries in the area. The makers of Moet & Chandon have a winery here called Domaine Chandon, and proves to be a popular one for many tourists. They make a sparkling red wine, which is quite an unusual one. Another great winery to check out is Yering Farm, which is one of the smaller boutique wineries in the region. It’s a family-owned vineyard and only sells its wines in a few restaurants and hotels in Victoria (apart from the winery itself). One of the more popular wineries is the Rochford winery. What makes this winery so popular are the numerous events and concerts that they hold on the grounds of their winery. They do make great wines as well!

9.) Shopping

Shops

Melbourne is known to be the shopping capital of Australia. It’s not that the rest of the capital cities of Australia don’t have much choices, but it is more of the number of quaint boutique stores that are available in the city. I’m not into shopping myself, but I can tell that there are so many cool boutique stores dotted around the city. The shopping malls have also started to crop up. Direct Factory Outlet (DFO) has the most branches in Melbourne than any other city in Australia. Melbourne has capitalised on this, and even has organised shopping tours where a tour guide will take you to the best bargains in the city!

10.) Docklands

The Docklands is one of the areas very near to the CBD that is being developed into a nice urban residential and entertainment complex. What used to have old warehouse and dockyards have now been demolished and transformed into nice brand new apartments and cafes and restaurants. A new shopping complex called Harbour Town has been built with a good range of outlet shops. This area being by the water has a nice waterfront walk where you can just relax and chill out.

Melbourne may not necessarily have the distinctive landmarks and the beautiful harbour that some other major cities can boast of, but it definitely has a unique charm that is worth exploring. If you find great deals on flights domestically or if you plan to visit Australia as an overseas holiday destination, I suggest you have a look at Melbourne.

Have a Fabulous Journey ahead!

Travel Is Not About Bragging Rights

I recently read an article from the Sydney Morning Herald about “Where to get your travel credibility” and this really sparked me to write about my views on travel. The article describes how certain travel destinations have become more accessible to tourists, and you can’t say you’re a great traveller just by mentioning these places. Apparently, your travel credibility is measured by the toughness and remoteness of the places that you go to. Being an avid traveller, I totally despise people who talk about their travels for the sake of bragging where they have been and what they have done.

Travel is not about having bragging rights of where you’ve been and what you’ve done. Travel to me is an experience, a personal journey that people embark for themselves to experience different things in different places. It may not necessarily be a very spiritual experience, but the mere fact of seeing something different and being in a different environment offers the mind and soul a whole new perspective. Travel, whether it be for leisure, adventure, luxury, or business, is not an area where you need to build credibility on.

Each person has a different take and reasons for travelling. Some people may want to travel to relax themselves from the usual stresses and pressures of everyday life. Some people may love to travel to seek out new adventures and to experience new cultures. And there will be some people who want to travel for the sake of being said that they have been to certain places. Whatever your purpose or reasons for travel, the whole idea is not to have a scale of how good or “seasoned” a traveller you are. It is all about what you want out of travel.

Travel As Food For The Soul

Travel enriches someone’s knowledge of the world, of perspective, of humanity, and of life. Oftentimes, people tend to live in their own silos and enclosed world that they forget that there is a bigger world out there. When you think you have had the worst job and the worst day of your life, you forget that there are other people in this planet that have it a million times worse than you, and yet, they don’t moan as much. Travel can offer you that experience and realization that it is a matter of perspective. Travel can open people’s eyes, no matter where you go. It may be through a package tour to Africa or some real intrepid adventure through the Amazon rainforest, but the truth is, people who travel can see different things in a different light.

What Travel Means To Me

I may have already said this through the previous paragraphs, but I truly believe that travel is a personal journey in many ways. It’s a journey of discovery of new things, new perspective, new realizations and learnings. I believe people have different ways of discovering and embracing new things, and hence, travel is done in many different ways to suit a person. I believe that every person on this planet has the right to travel, and the right to say that they are a traveller regardless of how they travel. We all travel, one way or another, and there is no scoring system.

So, to those who think certain people have less credibility as a traveller than others, think again. Different people have different agenda for travel, and there is no set standard on what constitutes a fabulous traveller or a great traveller. For all intents and purposes, it all boils down to personal experience.

Have A Fabulous Journey Ahead, whatever it may be!

My kind of travel

Kelvin Lim

The Grand Pacific Drive

Many people are familiar with the Great Ocean Road along Victoria’s southern coast. It’s a fantastic stretch of road that offers dramatic scenery and has a great history around the construction of the road. One thing not many people or tourists are familiar about is the Grand Pacific Drive along the eastern shores of New South Wales. This stretch of road starts from the Royal National Park just south of Sydney and goes through small villages and towns including Wollongong, Shellharbour, Kiama, and finishes in the inland town of Nowra. The Grand Pacific Drive doesn’t have the rock formations like the Twelve Apostles of the Great Ocean Road, but having a bridge built on the side of a cliff face and passing through some gorgeous beaches is a great sight to behold.

Reason # 1: Catch The Sunrise

Watching the sunrise is one of nature’s best light displays, along with a sunset. However, I’m not an early riser, and I always find it difficult to catch the sunrise, and only do I occasionally wake up to see it. Since moving to Australia 2 years ago, I’ve never seen the sunrise, and I thought it would be awesome to coincide it with a road trip to the southern parts of New South Wales. I managed to convince 2 of my friends to come with me and drive down from Sydney to Wollongong for the day along the Grand Pacific Drive and check out the sights along the way. Catching the sunrise at Stanwell Park and Coalcliff was one of the highlights of the trip, and seriously, one of the most underrated (or unmentioned) activities along this coastline. Catching the sunrise is not a tourist activity along this coastline, and only locals know of this. Before any tour groups start descending along this stretch of magnificent road, go and witness it yourself really soon!

Reason #2: No Tour Groups Around

There are so many organised tours to the Great Ocean Road, and while this is great for those who don’t have cars or only have a short time to get around, having busloads of people fighting for the view can be annoying. The great thing with the Grand Pacific Drive is that it is not as far from Sydney as the Great Ocean Road is from Melbourne, and the drive is not that long. It generally only takes over 2 hours and you will be able to cover the entire distance. If you take some time to enjoy each spot, it might take a little bit longer. However, it is definitely more manageable on a day trip than the Great Ocean Road.

Reason #3: Great Beaches and Views

The view along the Grand Pacific Drive is awesome! It’s either totally underrated, or underpromoted by the general public. It may not offer such dramatic scenery, but the numerous beaches and the sea views from Stanwell Tops are great! The city of Wollongong and the township of Kiama are also great attractions on this stretch of road. Wollongong has a nice beach and harbour, and an old lighthouse that adds to the character of the harbour. In the city itself is the largest buddhist temple in the southern hemisphere, the Nan Tien temple. It’s architecture is distinctly Chinese, and it was built by the members of the Chinese Fo Guang Shan community who have migrated to Australia. Which leads me to the next reason..

Reason #4: Interesting attractions in the area

Sunset at Kiama Lighthouse - Grand Pacific Drive

Before reaching Wollongong, I had the impression that there is totally nothing interesting to see in the town itself apart from the usual shops on the main town centre. I thought it was just another industrial town, with totally nothing to offer. Was I completely wrong! The harbour and beach is an attraction on its own, and the lighthouse adds character to the place as well. If you drive all the way down to the town of Kiama, you can find some blowholes along its coast. It’s a natural phenomenon wherein holes are formed from the erosion of rocks on the coastline. If you do a slight detour from the Grand Pacific Drive, you can check out the Illawarra Fly Tree Top Walk, which is about a 30-minute drive from Kiama. It offers a spectacular view of the Illawarra coastline, and the structure itself is quite a unique in its design. Its edges are suspended from the cantilever, making it bouncy and quite challenging to those afraid of heights.

Reason #5 : Relaxing, Laid Back Atmosphere

The Grand Pacific Drive is only 45 minutes away from the CBD, and yet, the pace of life is totally different from the buzz of the big city. If you are ever tired of being always on the go, squeezing in with other people and the long queues, this place can soothe those angst and worry aside. The towns along the Grand Pacific Drive are quite small, and people are just totally laid-back. The beautiful beaches along the way would have been a highlight of the trip, and something that you can look forward to, if you’re never been down the Grand Pacific Drive.

Enjoy a drive down the Grand Pacific Drive, from sunrise til sunset on a nice clear sunny day, and you won’t regret it!

Have a Fabulous Journey ahead!

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The Run With A View

Sydney Harbor - after the bridge run

On 20th September 2009, I was fortunate enough to have participated in possibly one of the best running events in the world in terms of scenery of the course. I participated in the Sydney Bridge Run, which started from the suburb of Milsons Point, and then crossed over the Sydney Harbour Bridge, and finishing at the Sydney Opera House. The run covers two of Sydney’s most popular landmarks, the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Sydney Opera House. It’s an amazing experience, to be able to run across the middle of the Sydney Harbour Bridge (possibly the only time people are allowed in the middle of the bridge itself).

I did this run for 2 reasons: one was to raise money for charity, and two, to help a friend achieve a weight loss objective by training for an event like this.

Running For A Cause

The charity I supported was the Diabetes Australia. I decided to raise money for this charity because my dad had suffered from Type 2 diabetes which caused a number of his internal organs to fail over the course of 11 years. He passed away 6 years ago, and I felt that I wanted to help raise awareness of how terrible this disease is, and how it can really kill you if you’re not careful with your health and your diet. Diabetes Australia is involved in doing research and education about diabetes, how to prevent it and how to best control it. Diabetes is one of those illnesses that once contracted, will never be healed, but can only be controlled before it starts destroying the other organs of your body. If you want to donate for this cause, it would be very much appreciated. The website is on this link.

I decided to do this run only 3 weeks before the actual event itself. I was not entirely well prepared to do this, but I have a friend at work who has been wanting to lose weight, and I wanted to help him achieve his goal. Having an event to do is something he can look forward to with his workout training/exercise, and that can help him push himself with his exercise. The run was only 9km, but at the start of the training, I was only fit to run 2km. It wasn’t an easy task to push myself to get up to the fitness level to run 9km in a matter of 3 weeks! I had no expectations of how long it will take me, but I just did as much training as I can in the limited amount of time.

Admittedly though, I’ve been into running for the past 7 years, but over the last 8 months, I have been very inconsistent about my training, and I’ve not done any running events since a year ago. It can be hard work trying to get back into the swing of things, and you really notice the difference in your fitness level. I love running, and if I can afford it, I would love to take part in the numerous running events all over the world! It seems that there is a growing trend that a lot of cities around the world are hosting their own city marathon event. London has one, New York and Boston have one, and even Queenstown in New Zealand has one!

State Of Mind

I’ve been a believer that the mind is a very powerful tool that can enable you to do anything you want from it. I really believe that as long as I focus on the task at hand, visualise my outcome that I’ve achieved it, that it will happen for me. Thus, when I started training, I had in my mind the time that I wanted to finish at. I kept on thinking about, and well, true enough, I crossed the finishline at the time that I had wanted (to the exact second!). I literally had goosebumps on the back of my neck when I saw the time on my stopwatch, as it was really what I wanted to finish at!

Photos from my run are below:

If you’re ever in Sydney for the Sydney Running Festival, it’s a fantastic way to see the 2 most iconic landmarks of Sydney and getting fit! Great offers are always available with Zuji.

Have a Fabulous Journey ahead!

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Finding The Lost City of Machu Picchu

Machu Picchu has long been one of the places I’ve always wanted to go in this lifetime. Ever since I was a kid, I read it through history books and learned about the ancient Inca empire that once ruled majority of South America. Machu Picchu was a sacred place for the Incas, and it was built in a very isolated area where it was hidden from the rest of the world until it was re-discovered in 1911. I got fascinated by the Inca culture and how they were able to build such great cities in very remote locations that no one from the outside world managed to find it until recently. The ingenuity of the Incas had me wanting to see this mystical place.

I finally fulfilled my dream of seeing Machu Picchu in November last year, when I visited South America for the first time. Getting there was half the fun and excitement. Although Machu Picchu is reasonably accessible by train and coach, it’s not a straight-forward as flying into the city that is literally next door to the ruins.

Getting To Machu Picchu

Machu Picchu is accessible from a small town called Aguas Calientes, which is situated about 4 hours away by train from the city of Cuzco. Majority of tourists who come to visit the magnificent ruins of Machu Picchu start their journey from Cuzco. Cuzco is an amazing city, a great place to learn about the Inca culture, and perhaps the most preserved Inca city in Peru. Cuzco on its own should be explored in more detail, and I’ll leave this city for another post to tell you more on what it has to offer. From Cuzco, there are 3 alternatives to get to Machu Picchu:

1.) Take the PeruRail train from Cuzco railway station all the way to Aguas Calientes, and then a bus from Aguas Calientes to the ruins of Machu Picchu. This is by far the easiest way to get to Machu Picchu, and offers some spectacular scenery along the way. The train ride from Cuzco to Aguas Calientes takes 4 hours, and the bus from Aguas Calientes to Machu Picchu takes 25 minutes.

2.) Take the bus from Cuzco to the town of Ollantaytambo, and then catch the train from Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes. Then, from Aguas Calientes, take the bus to Machu Picchu. This is, according to some people, a bit of a time saver, as there are buses that go straight to Ollantaytambo through a shorter route than the train. However, you will be catch the same train on Ollantaytambo as the train that started from Cuzco anyway. Perhaps this is also cheaper as buses are generally cheaper in fares than trains.

3.) Trekking – The very popular Inca Trail starts from just outside Cuzco and finishes at Machu Picchu. This is ideal for the adventurous guys who want to see more of the countryside and local Inca life. It takes 4 days to do the trek, but you can hire a porter to carry your backpack gear for you and you can hire tents as part of the package. It’s an experience not to be missed.

The Views From Machu Picchu

Machu Picchu is better described through photos than words. The spectacular scenery of the mountains surrounding the ancient ruins, plus, the way it is designed, is much better seen by the eye than read as verbose text on a blog. Below are some of the shots I took during the trip:

Machu Picchu - view from the top

Machu Picchu - at the edge / mountain view

Machu Picchu - original main entrance to the city

Machu Picchu - Llamas roaming and resting

Machu Picchu - Terraces

Machu Picchu Guardhouse

My sister Irene, who travelled with me on this trip, took some great videos of the view, and also of a part of Machu Picchu’s walls that were used as some sort of megaphone. The walls were cleverly designed to resonate sound at a higher pitch, and it only worked when women used it (men’s voice are too low and deep)! Check out the videos below:

View of Machu Picchu (video):

Megaphone Wall video:

I hope you’ve enjoyed this post. Please feel free to leave your comments below, and if you want to get the latest updates to your mailbox, please subscribe by leaving your name and email address on the sidebar.

Have a Fabulous Journey ahead!

Kelvin Lim

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My Quest To Get To Antarctica

Antarctic Penguins

Antarctica – the final frontier. The southernmost continent on Earth has been a subject of my fascination ever since my younger days, and I’ve always wanted to see the white continent. I’ve met a few people who have been there and have recounted their experiences in the remote continent, and I must say that my fascination grew more and more.

I’m writing this post not because I have been there, but to appeal to you my readers to help me get there so I can share my experiences with you. I recently signed up to a competition for a chance to travel to Antarctica and blog about the experience. I thought that this is such a great opportunity for me to experience the place and to be able to share it to you my loyal readers. As it is, Antarctica is a tough place to get to, and a tough place to travel around on. Apart from the freezing temperatures, there are no public transports readily available, and only a few trips a year go to this isolated continent. Thus, getting a chance to be there and witness it is a great gift, and I would love that opportunity to get there. So if you’re reading this and would like to help me get there, please click the link below to vote for me, and please tell your friends to support my cause.

http://www.blogyourwaytoantarctica.com/blogs/view/354

Thank you in advance for your support and I do hope to have the chance to be able to share my experiences with you from there!

Here’s to the next Fabulous Journey!

Me at the International Antarctic Centre, Christchurch, New Zealand

Kelvin Lim

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One of the things I look for when I go travelling is to find a spot (if at all possible) to watch a magnificent sunset. Sunsets are one of nature’s great wonders, and the light and shades that it produces can be very dramatic and awe-inspiring. If you get to catch a glimpse of a fantastic sunset, you can say that it is one of the best light shows on earth! I recently wrote an article on the best spots to watch sunset in Australasia, which was published in the BootsnAll travel network.

Love The Sunsets

I was inspired by the outcome of my work that I decided to write more about it here on my blog. From my other travels, I’ve found a couple of other great places where you can watch a beautiful sunset. There is definitely more to be found around the world, and I’m looking forward to witnessing them as I travel the rest of the world bit by bit!

Angkor Wat, Siem Reap

The majestic temples of Angkor Wat are a sight to behold. Most people recommend seeing Angkor Wat for sunrise, as the sun rises behind the temples and gives it a unique glow. However, you can go into Angkor Wat itself, and watch the sunset from the top of the temple, it can be a great sight to see. You will see it set into the Tonle Sap Lake. Alternatively, if you want a more unobstructed view (apart from the many tourists that flock to see) of the sunset, you can head to nearby Phnom Bakheng (Bakheng Hill) where you can see it better. As mentioned, the only setback is that there are so many tourists who would want to get a piece of the action and watch the sunset from there.

Along the way from one of the temples in the archaeological complex, I went past numerous empty farmland, and at one point, saw the sun glowing brightly as it was about to set. It was possibly the best sunset I’ve seen while I was in Siem Reap, and one that I really remembered.

Manta Ray Island Resort, Fiji

Manta Ray Island Resort is on one of the islands in the Yasawas. It’s a 3 hour journey on the boat from the port of Denarau on the main island of Viti Levu. The resort has a couple of beaches, one is the main beach where everyone goes for a swim and snorkel and is the bigger of the 2 beaches. The other one is called Sunset beach, and the name says it all. The guests from the resort only go there to watch the sunset happen, and it’s absolutely gorgeous! You can get yourself a can of Fiji Bitter and sit on the sand and watch the sun slowly go down into the Pacific Ocean.

I hope you have enjoyed viewing these couple of sunset photos. And, please do check out that article in Bootsnall for more inspiration on the best places to watch sunsets!

Til the next Fabulous Journey!

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