I took a bus back to Sumatra International Airport and waited for 2 hours before taking a flight back to Singapore. As I was on my way back to Singapore, I recalled on all the places that I have visited in the past 8 days of my Journey. I have learnt so much as I visited these places. This trip is one that I will always remember!!!:) The time now is 12.36am, and I am back in Singapore!!!:)
HOME SWEET HOME~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~!
Thursday, 5 April 2012
Lake Toba - Indonesia
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| View of Lake Toba from my room balcony! |
I woke up at about 10am in the morning, had my breakfast at
the same cafeteria, before checking out of the hotel. Today, I would be
travelling to Lake Toba in Indonesia which Lake Toba is actually a crater lake.
It would be a 9 hours plane there to Sumatra Indonesia.
I boarded the plane at 12pm in the afternoon and reached
there at 9pm. I checked in at the Niagara Hotel and Resort which was a 1 hour
drive from Sumatra International Airport. Upon checking in, I washed up, and I
slept as I was tired after the plane ride.
The next morning, I woke up at 9am and had breakfast at the
cafeteria in the hotel. After that, I walked around the perimeter of the hotel
before heading off to Lake toba which is very near the hotel. Lake toba is
indeed a very beautiful lake. It is also a supervolcano. The lake is about 100
km long, 30 km wide and a dept of 505m !!(1,666fts) With a surface elevation of
about 900m(2,953fts), the lake stretches from 2.88 degree north,98.52
degreeeast to 2.35 degree north and 99.1 degree east. It is the largest lake in
indonesia and the largest volcanic lake around the world. It is also known as the largest explosive eruption anywhere on earth in the last 25 million years, according to the toba catastrophe theory. I took some pictures before heading back to my hotel.
Back at the hotel, I went for spa treatment as it is so cheap here at only 500,000 rupiah! I would not get such a cheap spa back in Singapore! After my spa, I went back to my hotel, packed up and checked out. Before leaving, I took a picture of Lake Toba from my balcony!! This picture will last with me for eternity!!:)
Some pictures that I took:
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| Surroundings of Lake Toba |
 |
| Zoomed view of the beautiful lake Source: http://www.sumatra-indonesia.com/laketoba.jpg http://www.itravelnet.com/photos/as/indonesia/tuk-tuk/lake-toba.jpg https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHNe4SuY3ZrQNidggvIi7_u-fk_ogqRaPtkNCSDkKIJC_NqzThl2QbvqIHdZQzReeI51Xfev2IJd4NokWMRhx36RrL7lYxvzf3UWiKB3LevIlAgwvNsuUQaWSVc7iNlot8wGhqFRlShLrl/s320/DSC00582.JPG |
Iwate Prefecture - Japan
I took a flight from Kenya to Tokyo Japan. I boarded the flight at 8pm, which will take me 8 hours to reach Tokyo. I am very excited as I have always been a great fan of Japan Anime, Therefore my this trip to Japan is not only to check out the region which is badly affected by the earthquake but also to do some shopping.
I reach Tokyo at 4 am in the morning. I checked in at the hotel closest to the airport.(Could not remember the name as it is complicated:/) I took a short nap in the hotel but I ended up sleeping for 7 straight hours:P I woke up, make my way down to the cafeteria for lunch. I ate some sushi, some tempura before ending of with some of their local mint ice-cream!! It has been a long time since I last ate Japanese food and to be able to eat it in the country of its origin, it was simply marvelous.
After lunch, I took a cab down to Shibuya 109 building. This shopping mall was famous for Japan most fashionable clothings. Unfortunately for me, most shops are for girls:( But I still bought some V-neck tee and some jeans! Though it is nice, the prices for each item is very nasty. It is so expensive!!!! However, thinking that I wont be here again for a long time to come, it was worth it. I also managed to buy some Anime like Naruto , Bleach , One- Piece from a shop that is located a few street down. I ate raw salmon for my dinner with some wasabi toppings at a small 'restaurant' that is located near the Shibuya 109 building, before heading back to the hotel.
The next morning, I woke up at 8am, had breakfast at the same cafeteria that I had lunch the previous day before hiring a guide to bring me to Iwate Prefecture in Sendai. I could not take a domestic flight to Sendai Airport as it is still in the process of rebuilding. Therefore me and my guide had to take a bus from Tokyo to Iwate Prefecture. Luckily for me, my guide is able to speak English and it allowed me to communicate and ask him some questions!
He told me that the Iwate Prefecture was very badly affected by the Earthquake and Tsunami that was struck a year ago around the same time. Much of the buildings there were brought down and the people living there had to quickly adapt to such situations and think of how to rebuild their city. I was stun at what he said as I thought that usually after an earthquake, the people would be traumatized. He told me that the people living there are mentally strong and not easily brought down though some lost their love ones.At that instant, knowing myself, if Singapore were to suffer such damages and I lost my family to it, I would be on the verge of a mental breakdown. He further told me that Japan actually had frequent earthquake but it's magnitude on the richter scale is so little that it could be felt.
This Tohuku earthquake and tsunami however measures 8.9 on the richter scale which is one of the most powerful earthquake the world have ever experienced. As the bus drives along some street in the region of Iwate Prefecture, I could see that many houses were brought down, many broken cars were stacked up neatly and some of the highways actually collapsed. Roads are also badly destroyed.
I thanked my guide for showing me around after I have arrived back at my hotel. I felt that Singapore is a very lucky country due to its geographical location as it had never suffered such a disaster and during the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, our country were safe as neighboring countries protected us from it, like Sumatra.Though earthquake is rare in Singapore, we should be like Japan which schools there, conducted drills regularly to familiarize and educate people on what to do in an event of earthquake. Students have to crouch under the nearest table when the earthquake warning signs goes off.
Credits: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_T%C5%8Dhoku_earthquake_and_tsunami
Geography Textbook.
Some pictures that I took:
I reach Tokyo at 4 am in the morning. I checked in at the hotel closest to the airport.(Could not remember the name as it is complicated:/) I took a short nap in the hotel but I ended up sleeping for 7 straight hours:P I woke up, make my way down to the cafeteria for lunch. I ate some sushi, some tempura before ending of with some of their local mint ice-cream!! It has been a long time since I last ate Japanese food and to be able to eat it in the country of its origin, it was simply marvelous.
After lunch, I took a cab down to Shibuya 109 building. This shopping mall was famous for Japan most fashionable clothings. Unfortunately for me, most shops are for girls:( But I still bought some V-neck tee and some jeans! Though it is nice, the prices for each item is very nasty. It is so expensive!!!! However, thinking that I wont be here again for a long time to come, it was worth it. I also managed to buy some Anime like Naruto , Bleach , One- Piece from a shop that is located a few street down. I ate raw salmon for my dinner with some wasabi toppings at a small 'restaurant' that is located near the Shibuya 109 building, before heading back to the hotel.
The next morning, I woke up at 8am, had breakfast at the same cafeteria that I had lunch the previous day before hiring a guide to bring me to Iwate Prefecture in Sendai. I could not take a domestic flight to Sendai Airport as it is still in the process of rebuilding. Therefore me and my guide had to take a bus from Tokyo to Iwate Prefecture. Luckily for me, my guide is able to speak English and it allowed me to communicate and ask him some questions!
He told me that the Iwate Prefecture was very badly affected by the Earthquake and Tsunami that was struck a year ago around the same time. Much of the buildings there were brought down and the people living there had to quickly adapt to such situations and think of how to rebuild their city. I was stun at what he said as I thought that usually after an earthquake, the people would be traumatized. He told me that the people living there are mentally strong and not easily brought down though some lost their love ones.At that instant, knowing myself, if Singapore were to suffer such damages and I lost my family to it, I would be on the verge of a mental breakdown. He further told me that Japan actually had frequent earthquake but it's magnitude on the richter scale is so little that it could be felt.
This Tohuku earthquake and tsunami however measures 8.9 on the richter scale which is one of the most powerful earthquake the world have ever experienced. As the bus drives along some street in the region of Iwate Prefecture, I could see that many houses were brought down, many broken cars were stacked up neatly and some of the highways actually collapsed. Roads are also badly destroyed.
I thanked my guide for showing me around after I have arrived back at my hotel. I felt that Singapore is a very lucky country due to its geographical location as it had never suffered such a disaster and during the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, our country were safe as neighboring countries protected us from it, like Sumatra.Though earthquake is rare in Singapore, we should be like Japan which schools there, conducted drills regularly to familiarize and educate people on what to do in an event of earthquake. Students have to crouch under the nearest table when the earthquake warning signs goes off.
Credits: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_T%C5%8Dhoku_earthquake_and_tsunami
Geography Textbook.
Some pictures that I took:
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| Raw salmon that I have eaten there!! (YUMMY!):P Source:http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lv5aun127R1qaregt.jpg |
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| Japanese Tempura! Source: http://www.examiner.com/images/blog/EXID1445/images/tempura.jpg |
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| A picture of the damaged caused to Iwate Prefecture by the Earthquake and Tsunami! Source:http://www.globalpost.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/medium/japan_debris_us_coast.jpg |
Kenya - East African Rift Valley
I reached Kenya international airport of Jomo Kenyatta and I took a mini bus down to the East African Rift Valley. I was perspiring profusely as the weather is scorching hot. In addition, the bus has no air-con!!!!( U kidding me?) Nevertheless, I reached the East African Rift Valley in about an hour's time. The view of it is amazing!! It seems that the places I have visited are all so beautiful in their own ways.
The East African Rift Valley is form due to the divergent movements of the African Plate and the Arabian Plate. As both crusts diverge away from each other, tensional force from opposite ends of the crust pulls the rock within the area away from each other. The tensional forces causes normal faults or cracks to appear. As the crust on either side of the normal faults pull apart, the crust in between sinks to form a rift valley. The area within the East African Rift Valley, also known as the East African Rift Zone, includes a number of active as well as dormant volcanoes. Some examples are Mount Kenya, Mount Karisimbi, Mount Meru, etc.
I took some pictures of the rift valley and began heading back to the airport. I got a plane to catch to Japan in the next morning.
Credits: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_African_Rift
Geography Textbook!
Some pictures that i took:
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| The geographical location of the East African Rift Valley + East African Rift Zone:) Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5a/EAfrica.gi |
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| A picture I took of the Rift Valley!:):) Amazing View from above:) Source:http://www.afro-asia.info/assets/images/photos/ethiopia/valley-Rift-Valley.jpg |
Sunday, 1 April 2012
Nepal - The Himalayas
Immediately after I landed, I hired a guide to bring me around this new country. I took a bus along with him to the foot of Himalayas. As we were moving to our destination, he told me many interesting facts about Himalayas. He told me that, fold mountains result from the bending and folding of the Earth's crust as tectonic plate collide into each other. When two plates collide, the rock layers or rock strata along the boundary are pushed together or compressed, causing rock strata to buckle and fold. This process is known as folding!(Impressive!!!)
He also told me that the origin of the Himalayas is the impact of the Indian tectonic plate traveling northward at 15 cm per year to impact the Eurasian continent. Its first contact came about 70 million years ago and it is currently still moving! ( Was relatively shocked at this!!!! :O) The formation of the Himalayan arc peaks eventually resulted from this, since the lighter rock of the seabeds of that time were easily uplifted into mountains. An often-cited fact used to illustrate this process is that the summit of Mount Everest is made of marine limestone!!!!!! The Himalayan mountain is currently the world's highest fold mountain at 8000m(26000feet) and it had risen about 2000m (6600feet) for the past 20000 years and continue to rise at a range of 7.5-10cm (3-4 inches) every year!!(Was amazed at his last few words)
Finally, I have reached the foot of Himalaya!!! Yes!!!! I have always wondered how it looked like in reality. The Himalayer is as beautiful as Mount Mayon that I have just recently visited. I took some pictures of it and bought some souvenir at the shop there. I then walked around the area to explore before having lunch at their native restaurant. They served me their specialty and it was scrumptious. The taste kind of reminded me of Singapore's Hainanese Chicken Rice! Nevertheless, time is getting late and I went back to the airport as I have another flight to catch in the early morning. I thanked my guide and bid farewell to the beautiful country of Nepal!:)
Hopefully, I will be able to return here again next time!!!:):):)
Credits: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Himalayas , Geography Textbook
Some pictures that I took:
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| Picture of Native village |
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| Picture of Himalaya as I walked towards it!:) |
Saturday, 31 March 2012
Philippines - Mount Mayon
Finally arrived at Manila, the capital of Philippines.I waited at the airport for about an hour before taking a domestic flight from Manila to Legaspi city, the nearest city to Mount Mayon. After reaching Legaspi airport, I took a cab down to villa angelina hotel where i will stay for the next two nights! When I reached the hotel, I checked in and got a room high enough to glimpse a view of Mount Mayon!
As I entered my room, I was impress with the designs of the room! It was one of a kind! The bed is very comfortable which reminded of the one that I have at home. It was so comfortable that I found myself sleeping a minute later. I woke up after six hours of nap, changed out to my casual wear and went down for my dinner. I ate their local delicacies which comprises of seafood like butter prawn. It was heavenly!!!! After dinner, I walk to the hotel reception to ask them for a tour guide to Mount Mayon which is a service they provided for tourist. I was very thankful for that as it will help me get there faster.I went back to my room and rest for the day ahead.
I woke up 6am in the morning and got changed. I brought my camera down to the cafeteria so that I would not make another trip up later. I ate their breakfast which is quite unique. They served me tropical fruit salad, which is their specialty. It was refreshing for a breakfast!! Now i shall begin my journey to Mount Mayon!!!
My tour guide is a local who lived in a village nearby. Luckily for me, he was one of the few who knows english around here. He told me that we are going to walk to the foot of the mountain before having lunch at the 'cafe' at the foot of the mountain. On my way there, he explained to me the history of Mount Mayon and its recent eruption. It was a pleasure for me to learnt more about my destination. As I arrived there, I could see that the mountain are generally very steep. My tour guide told me that due to the viscous acid lava, it is able to only move over short distances before solidifying. Therefore the slopes are very steep. Furthermore, this lava solidifies easily, blocking rising magma and gas to escape from the magma chamber which pressure eventually build up and causes violent eruption.
I had my lunch, took some pictures and head back to my hotel. I thanked my guide profusely for his help and gave him some tips:). I showered as I return to my room, rest a while before heading down for my last dinner here! After dinner, I walked around the hotel to check out its facilities and took my final picture of Mount Mayon as my guide suggested me to take a picture of it at night as it is gorgeous. I went back to my room, rest for the night and will checked out the next morning.
Credits: Wikipedia and Geography Textbook
Credits: Wikipedia and Geography Textbook
Some pictures that I took:
My gorgeous room:) Big and Comfy!!!
The view of Mount Mayon as I walked towards it in the early morning!! The shape of it is very steep indeed!!!
The zoom view of Mount Mayon at night. It is a volcano that I will always remember due to it spectacular and gorgeous look!:)
Tuesday, 20 March 2012
The Great Escape
The sky is dark and I am already up, preparing to embark on my journey around the world! This is a 8D7N trip and the excitement within me is exhilarating!! I got changed and left home at around 3.30am in the morning to catch my plane to my first destination, Philippines which departs at 6.15 as I have to be early to check in. When I arrived at Changi Airport Terminal 3, I immediately checked in my luggage and collect my boarding pass. After which, got a usual breakfast at MAC!
Times passes by, and it is already 5.45. I boarded the A380 plane and when I step into the plane, the seats and everything were spectacular!!:D As I sat on the seat, the comfortable feeling resembles my bed at home!! It is therefore not surprising that much actually paid the expensive price just for a trip to close country like Philippines instead of opting for a cheaper option like budget airline.
The time now is 6.42am on my watch and the plane took off for Philippines. Bye Singapore!!!! :( & Here I come Philippines!!!!!!!!!!:)
The view of the Airport in the early morning!:) Beautiful!:) Source:http://28degree.com/external_images/sgdaily/sgd20081219.jpg
My plane!!:)
Source:https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLov476YmkMt14jInOfJ4FbWNrB6tVRnh6QfcNDaKXQpp6f8v4D8Rlhudykk5orTOEXQ_pJSPMC5hfRu2X-spXtBEte6RzvUYavsQ7tyYg-Xvx5fRCXHMnuMzHtIG2PABW0nr1UVFQsSoZ/s1600/a380sialivery.jpg
Look at how comfortable the seat is!! How I wish that all my trip oversea will be on this plane!!!! Source:https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJNBBAnhuufsGkgkU5LztlitUXogPKHSsQmkjip9M_uyzZqFcCNPo4OF3uP-3oLie6lzyoaOqkeMBPSnrdSU_Ovr-mIRSkt4Mc4mnYcu9U7qx_4vKJvxHNnSnykbeYefxzi67YfnwdkfFW/s640/airbus-a380-panorama.jpg
Times passes by, and it is already 5.45. I boarded the A380 plane and when I step into the plane, the seats and everything were spectacular!!:D As I sat on the seat, the comfortable feeling resembles my bed at home!! It is therefore not surprising that much actually paid the expensive price just for a trip to close country like Philippines instead of opting for a cheaper option like budget airline.
The time now is 6.42am on my watch and the plane took off for Philippines. Bye Singapore!!!! :( & Here I come Philippines!!!!!!!!!!:)
The view of the Airport in the early morning!:) Beautiful!:) Source:http://28degree.com/external_images/sgdaily/sgd20081219.jpg
Source:https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLov476YmkMt14jInOfJ4FbWNrB6tVRnh6QfcNDaKXQpp6f8v4D8Rlhudykk5orTOEXQ_pJSPMC5hfRu2X-spXtBEte6RzvUYavsQ7tyYg-Xvx5fRCXHMnuMzHtIG2PABW0nr1UVFQsSoZ/s1600/a380sialivery.jpg
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