Travel Journalism (See the world)

Let it snow,let it snow, let it snow....

noreply@blogger.com (David Tan & Lily) — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 02:08:00 +0000

It was amazing to witness a snow storm at the very city of Vancouver, Washington. The surrounding turns white when I wake up early in the morning.

New Zealand - South Island - Christchurch

noreply@blogger.com (David Tan & Lily) — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 00:31:00 +0000

Christchurch is the biggest city in South Island of New Zealand. Below are some unique buildings at the city centre of Christchurch.

New Zealand - South Island - Dunedin

noreply@blogger.com (David Tan & Lily) — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 00:02:00 +0000

Dunedin city is located at the east coast of New Zealand South Island. The unique feature of Dunedin is its' European style buildings. We stayed at Dunedin YHA as shown in the picture below. This hostel was previously a hospital. It is nice except that scary in the sense that at the kitchen, there is a factsheet which mentions: "Do you know that Room #1 beside was previously a operating theater, and this kitchen itself was a mortuary?" Sounds eerie (we are actually reading this at the old mortuary!!), and sent chill down our spine!

After moving back to our room, there was a catalog introducing this hostel. It mentioned who actually stayed in this hostel : 2 staffs and..... (3 ghost???). Oh man...what does this mean? I wanted to ask the receptionist the next day upon checkout, but yucks....just forget about it and get over it! Time to move on to Christchurch....the biggest city at South Island!

New Zealand - South Island - KaiKoura

noreply@blogger.com (David Tan & Lily) — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 06:58:00 +0000

Kaikoura is a beautiful city located at the eastern coast of South Island, between Christchurch and Picton. We stayed at YHA Kaikoura hostel which is highly recommended as it is located opposite the beautiful sea and mountain as shown below. It is also a place where seals hang out, just right in front of you!

New Zealand - South Island - Milford Sound

noreply@blogger.com (David Tan & Lily) — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 14:53:00 +0000

Road to Milford Sound is deemed one of the most scenic route in the world. You will not believe it till you experience it yourself, what to say when you are actually driving along it and snap pictures everywhere you want. But watch out for avalanche warnings where stopping is not allowed and check the weather condition before you depart. Recommended accommodation the night before Milford Sound tour is Te Anau. Below are the scenic view of the road leading to Milford Sound at the wee hour of the misty morning.

New Zealand - South Island - On the road to Queenstown & Milford Sound

noreply@blogger.com (David Tan & Lily) — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 15:18:00 +0000

New Zealand it is with its' amazing sceneries everywhere. Experience it truly with self-driving across its mountainous ranges. Below are some of the fantastic authentic New Zealand views:

New Zealand - South Island - Franz Josef Glacier

noreply@blogger.com (David Tan & Lily) — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 10:22:00 +0000

The next destination is the famous Franz Josef Glacier. It is learnt that the glacier was much longer but due to global warming, it had shortened. Hopefully this beauty will be preserved for generations. Staying at YHA Franz Josef against the majestic mountain is a memorable experience. As you step out from the hostel, snowy mountain can be seen against the clear sky.

New Zealand - South Island - Punakaiki Pancake Rocks Blowholes

noreply@blogger.com (David Tan & Lily) — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 10:05:00 +0000

After arriving Picton from North Island, our journey continues to the West of South Island. Our next stop is Punakaiki Pancake Rocks Blowholes. Discover the splendid rocks architecture carved by years of waves and winds in the man-made hiking route.

New Zealand - South Island

noreply@blogger.com (David Tan & Lily) — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 09:45:00 +0000

Crossing over from North Island of New Zealand to South Island provides spectacular view on the inter-island ferry ride. There are 2 companies providing the ferry services, mainly Interislander and Bluebridge.

If you are renting a car, it is advisable to make arrangement with the car rental company to return the car at Wellington before you board the ferry to South Island. After arriving Picton in South Island, you can pick up another car with the same rental company. This will save you bucks instead of transporting the same car over in the ferry.

New Zealand - North Island - Hot Water Beach & Catheral Cove

noreply@blogger.com (David Tan & Lily) — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 05:00:00 +0000

Located at the east of of North Island, Hot Water Beach & Catheral Cove in Coromandel unveil an amazing view of the Pacific Ocean. The night before my adventure to the attractions, I stayed at YHA backpackers' hostel at Whitianga. This is a hostel with great sea view, kayaking and ping pong game facility. Along our journey to Catheral Cove, there was a sign indicating best spot to view sunrise but argh...I was too late. The sun was already up on the sky!

There are still aplenty stuffs to be seen and do though. Do check out the tides at the hostel before you depart to Hot Water Beach. There are prime time when tides are low and you can dig a hole at the beach and pamper yourself in it as warm water surfaces. It is usually in the evening and early morning.

I parked my car and took almost an hour's hike to the Catheral Cove. I took a cool picture with the Cove as the background, and it was exactly the same as featured on many travel websites. Check it out below!

New Zealand - North Island - Rotorua

noreply@blogger.com (David Tan & Lily) — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 04:31:00 +0000

Land where the famous The Lord of The Ring movie was made, the country is indeed up to its name for sceneries.

Rotorua is one of the geothermal hotspots in Northern Island of New Zealand. I arrived at Auckland airport and in 4 hours' drive, I can see signs guiding to Rotorua and smokes coming out from left and right of the road welcoming me. Upon getting down from my car, there is a strong sulphuric smell which I can barely tolerate. But after a while, that had become nothing and replaced by my enthusiasm to explore the area. There was boiling muds everywhere in the middle of the Rotorua city.

A must-visit place in Rotorua is Wai-O-Tapu. With entrance fee of NZD25 per person, experience the wonder of geysers in a journey of 2 hours hike! Main attraction in Wai-O-Tapu is Lady's Knox Geyser which erupts daily at 10.15am. If you arrive Wai-O-Tapu later of the day and miss the Lady's Knox Geyser, just keep the entrance ticket and come back the next day for that.

United States of America - Lincoln City & Newport Beach (Oregon)

noreply@blogger.com (David Tan & Lily) — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 07:43:00 +0000

Lincoln City & Newport are another 2 beautiful coastal areas of West America along Highway 101. I enjoyed the drive by the coast while listening to the sound of the wave. We also managed to catch the beautiful sunset down the Pacific Ocean.

Lincoln City has a casino and branded factory outlets like Coach.

Sunset at Pacific Ocean:

United States of America - Cannon Beach (Oregon)

noreply@blogger.com (David Tan & Lily) — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 07:31:00 +0000

Cannon beach is one of the popular summer destinations to appreciate the beauty of Pacific Ocean. During summer, it was packed with people grabbing chances to enjoy the sunlight. Accommodation is also aplenty just by the beach side for a good stay.

Complete your tour to Cannon beach with a nice seafood sumptuous meal!

United States of America - Bend (Oregon)

noreply@blogger.com (David Tan & Lily) — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 06:59:00 +0000

When you are in Oregon, do not miss out Bend. Land where 3 Sisters Mountain are situated, it also hosts a large Lava Butte which is the remains of historic volcanic activities. Join in to the spectacular scenery is Painted Hills (bottom left) and magnificient rocks where rock climbing enthusiasts hang around.

The memorable experience which I encountered was driving in the middle of the black lava from previous volcanic eruption. It was so beautfiul against the backdrop of snowy mountains.

United States of America - Mt Hood (Oregon)

noreply@blogger.com (David Tan & Lily) — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 15:50:00 +0000

Located just 2 hours drive from downtown Portland, Mt Hood stands up as a landmark visibly most of the time from Portland (Oregon). Starting November each year, the mountain turns snowy white gradually as winter approaches and become popular skiing destination starting end Dec or Jan.

From Portland (OR) or Vancouver (WA), I can see the mountain just at the east where sun rises. The journey to Mt Hood is great during winter when it was snowing. From drizzling rain, I can see pieces of ice and later on snow on the windshield. It could be dangerous though, so remember to bring the snow chain. Experience hooking up snow chain is another challenges for beginners. Luckily there are some good souls helping us with that. Imagine doing that with heavy wind blowing and snows falling!

Mt Hood is the perfect skiing resort for all levels of skiing/snowboarding. There are packages for beginners at US$100 for 3 lessons from reputable instructors and different difficulties of slopes. You can choose either skiing, snowboarding or combination of both. Do remember to browse the official Mt Hood website to check the snow condition (the resort might be close due to extreme weather or insufficient snow falls).
As winter closes up and spring/summer approaches, Mt Hood is a best place for hiking. Pictures below show hiking at Timberline Resort, Mt Hood.

United States of America - Grand Canyon (Arizona)

noreply@blogger.com (David Tan & Lily) — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 14:57:00 +0000

This is a must-see when you are in Arizona. The canyon was created after millions of years by the famous Colorado River and the wonder of the wind shaping the rocks.

From the viewpoint, I can see the Colorado river flows through the Canyon. If you have the stamina, you can try to hike down the canyon or take a water rafting tour. However, do bring along lots of water as it was very hot during summer which causes dehydration. I also visited the visitor centre which provided great information on the canyon.

United States of America - Hoover Dam (Nevada)

noreply@blogger.com (David Tan & Lily) — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 14:50:00 +0000

The magnificient engineering wonder of the world. When completed in 1935, it was both the world's largest electric power producing facility and the world's largest concrete structure. Recommend to take the tour and see for yourself!

I was there during summer and it was scorching hot at 40Celcius. Still amazed by the dam, I took some photos shots and ran back into the shelter. The tour into the body of the dam took us into the machineries involved in making the dam works.

United States of America - Mt Rainier, Crater Lake, Redwood, Los Angeles, Las Vegas

noreply@blogger.com (David Tan & Lily) — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 17:03:00 +0000

a) Washington State
i) Mount Rainier

Mount Rainier is located about 2.5 hours' drive North East of Vancouver City. It is famous for its magnificent range of mountains (snowy white during winter and flush with flora and fauna during summer). I like this national park so much that I visited it 5 times at different time, and even camp overnight!

Camping at Mt Rainier is an unforgetable experience. It was freezing at 5Celcius at night and do remember to get all the right gears before you embark on one. Check out the official Mt Rainier website in the useful links to see how to book a camping site.

b) Oregon State
i) Crater Lake

Crater Lake was formed as part of volcanic activities that sunk the whole land forming the big crater. Years after years, water from rain forms the lake. Either in summer or winter, the lake offers superb view of the wonder of the world.

See the small island in the middle of the lake? That was formed after the whole crater sunk, and a small aftermath of volcano erupted in the middle of the crater bringing the small island up.

It was a great experience driving along the rim of the crater and stopped by different viewpoints. Every view angle of the crater is beautiful with its amazing blue color. My second visit to the lake was at the end of winter (somewhere Mar) and some snow still remains on the rim. During summer, I can see boats moving on the lake. That is kind of activity which you can engage or do a little hiking down the lake.

ii) Redwood National Park

The park is famous for gigantic trees you can hardly imagine. As you drive into the heart of the national park, the landscape changes with super tall trees appearing along the journey. I enjoyed the drive through the bottom of a giant tree...imagine that! Do take your time to stop and do a little hiking. It just amazed me and feel me so tiny among jungle of gigantic trees.
c) California State
i) Los Angeles

Places to visit is aplenty in Las Vegas. Must-go places including Disneyland & Universal Studio. Live in the world of animations, movie & cartoon-characters and visit living city of many celebrities.

There are 2 main parks in Disneyland. To cover most of the areas for these 2 parks, 3 days is usually sufficient. There are many motels nearby which you can stay (good source will be travel website like Expedia). The motels normally sell tickets to Disneyland as well at a discount, so do remember to check with the receptionist.

In Universal Studio, the most memorable experience is watching live simulation of movie-making. During that time, the title is Water World where there are speedboats, explosions and high jumps just in front of me. WOW~!! That is how movies were made!

d) Nevada State

i) Las Vegas

I drove from Los Angeles to Las Vegas. From a grand city of Los Angeles, the view along the journey changes to brownish desert with no plants and very light traffic. After about 6 hours of driving, a brightly lit city surfaced out of nowhere. That's is Las Vegas! A city alive in the middle of the desert!

Whatever happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas. A casino and entertainment city indeed! With every step from the street to hotel lobby, sound of slot machines is everywhere. A city that never sleeps entices visitors with tonnes of never ending entertainment.

I tried my luck on some slot machines but hmm..I was just not lucky :P But I still enjoy walking on the main street of Las Vegas where it was always crowded. If you have lots of money, you will not be bored as the city is full with entertainments and shows.