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 |
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| 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!:) |
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