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Hong Kong
As we all know Hong Kong is a vibrant urban city. It is one of the best places to visit for a short getaway and a perfect city for shopping in East Asia. It was an ideal place for a solo traveler like me who was on a shoestring budget. Some areas in Hong Kong can be very expensive so during my recent travel, I stayed in a hostel where I shared a room with five other ladies in Causeway Bay. The property is located along the main street and is just around five-minute walk to the train station. It is also within the area where you could find wide…
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Kathmandu Nepal – A glimpse of the Himalayas
Nepal is a landlocked country situated in South Asia bordering China in the north and India in the south, east and west, with Kathmandu as its capital. It has its share of the Himalayas where the highest mountains on Earth are found. On the mountainous north of Nepal is found the highest point on Earth, the prestigious peak in the Himalayas – Mount Everest, which has been the biggest challenge for trekking and mountaineering enthusiasts from all over the globe. It is known as High Asia, metaphorically described as the “Roof of the World” or “Top of the World”. It is still growing as it is pushed up higher by…
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Wonderful Prague!
Prague/Praha is the capital and the largest city of Czech Republic or Czechia which is a landlocked country situated in Central Europe. It is one of Europe’s best-preserved cities and is nicknamed “The Golden City of a Hundred Spires”. There’s a saying which goes, “All cities are jealous of Paris but Paris is jealous of Prague.“ The major attractions are all within walking distance of each other such as Charles Bridge, the Old Town Square, the Astronomical Clock, The Jewish Quarter, Old-New Synagogue, Petrin Hill, Prague Castle and even to what is called the modern Prague area – the Wenceslas Square, to name just a few of the mesmerizing sights.…
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Budapest Hungary
If I am being honest, Budapest is one of the cities that I was not very familiar with compared to Paris, Rome, London, etc… Probably my knowledge about its country was only acquired mostly from the movies that I have seen recently which featured some parts of Hungary such as: I Spy, Transporter 3, Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, to name a few. In the end, I was glad I joined the one-day trip to this beautiful city from Vienna, since we had an engaging day with our enthusiastic tour guide who educated us about Hungary’s rich history and culture. It included a visit to an authentic…
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Meeting with the “Cumil” in Bratislava, Slovakia
While walking along the busy streets of Bratislava, one of the things that caught my attention was this statue they called “Cumil” or “the watcher”. It’s a bronze sculpture of a man peeping out of the manhole. Apparently, this is one of the most popular statues. Since 1997, when it was first embedded in the ground, it has become one of the symbols of the Old Town and the most photographed statue of Bratislava. It is said that there are several possible explanations for this statue. First, he is a sewer worker resting. Second, he is heading down to clean up the mess. Others said, he is there looking under…
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GUM Department Store, Red Square
Moscow Gum Department store in Kitai-gorod facing the Red Square is the most glamorous and expensive shopping mall in Russia. Gum literally mean “main universal store“, was originally built in 1893. With its sky-high prices, to me it’s an excellent place to window shop and its collections of hundreds of exclusive boutiques and have a feel of being in this lavish shop for the rich and fortunate beings. This three-level glass-roofed state of the art building is quite exquisite and is well worth exploring even if you’re not literally buying anything. All the while, I had the impression that everything inside this enormous shopping mall was expensive until our eloquent…
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Saint Basil’s Cathedral, Red Square Moscow
The Saint Basil’s Cathedral in Moscow, is probably the most prominent & recognizable Russian architecture and world-famous landmark. It is shaped like a rising flame with a strikingly ornate red brick building, crowned with colored onion domes. Most people would say and it’s obvious that it is not the building’s interior artifacts that attract visitors, but rather the Cathedral’s exterior distinctive architecture. It is originally known as Trinity Church, but now commonly known as St. Basil’s Cathedral or The Cathedral of Vasily the Blessed; it is now serves as a museum. This Church is located in Red Square in Moscow built in 1555–1561, under the orders of Tsar Ivan IV,…
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The Church of the Savior of Spilled Blood, Saint Petersburg
Built between 1883 and 1907, the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood, with its official name, the Church of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, is conveniently located close to Nevsky Prospect. This Church has a similar grandeur and style to St Basil’s Cathedral in Moscow. With its beautiful mosaic, paintings and typical Russian architecture, it’s probably one of the most compelling site to see when visiting St Petersburg. For more details, please check my book INSPIRED TO TRAVEL; TRAVEL TO INSPIRE.
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Immense Peterhof Palace in Saint Petersburg
Peterhof Palace, also called the “Russian Versailles” is famous for its series of palaces, beautiful gardens, fountains and museums. Laid out on the orders of Tsar Peter the Great, it was officially opened on August 14, 1723. The palace-ensemble along with the city center is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Peterhof is a Dutch/German word meaning “Peter’s Court”. Peterhof Palace is a product of one man’s fascination with beauty and an obsession with greatness and grandeur apparently intensified after visiting and getting inspired by Versailles in France on 1717. More exquisite statues and fountains are along the axis from the palace to the pier. The truly imposing view of…
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Saint Petersburg, Russia
I always had a fascination of someday traveling to Russia that started in my high school days. With my minute knowledge, plus narratives learned from all sorts of media, on October 2015 my curiosity paved the way to finally travel to the “Largest country in the world” by land area, a super power, home to some of the most inspiring and brilliant races in the world. Russia, a former Soviet Union Country, now with its official name the “Russian Federation”, is covering more than one-eight of the Earth’s inhabited land area. My first stop was Pulkovo Airport in the country’s second-largest city Saint Petersburg that was founded by Tsar Peter…
