Summer in Mykonos

This is an old post, originally written for my old travel blog Dream Explore Wander.

I am not a big fan of beaches. I grew up in Yogyakarta, only an hour away from some nice beaches, yes a contradiction. However, these beaches are barely swimmable as they are located in the south and the south sea is known for its vicious waves hence swimming isn’t recommended.

Also, I remember when I was a kid, I went to one of the “friendlier” beaches and during my stay there I heard a news of a young, married couple who were dragged by the waves into the sea. It was a pretty scary experience as you can imagine.

5 Reasons Why I am Head Over Heels in Love with Barcelona

This post was originally written for my old travel blog Dream Explore Wander on 30 May 2016.

There are so many reasons to love Barcelona. There is something about Barcelona that gives off an exciting, high-spirited vibe that I can’t seem to get enough of.

I’ve been to the city twice and yet I’d still like to return again someday (maybe in spring or autumn, not in the blazing, scorching hot summer weather again). However, despite the notorious summer heat, Barcelona is still one of my favourite places and here are the reasons:

Trekking at Penang National Park

This post was originally written for my old travel blog Dream Explore Wander on 23 April 2017.

Penang is definitely my favourite place in Malaysia. I love the fusion of cultures and of course, its mouth-watering food. Penang also has amazing nature. You can relax by the beach at Batu Ferringhi or befriend gorgeous butterflies at its Butterfly Park. Not far from those two attractions, also lays Penang National Park. I found that there are many activities you can do inside the national park, including trekking. And I love trekking!

Walking through unspoilt forest, breathing fresh, unpolluted air is my type of heaven. Only an hour away from the bustling city, I could just do this in Penang! Timothy and I dedicated one day for trekking at Penang National Park. Before going inside, all visitors had to report at the front desk where the staff asked which trekking trail we want to take. They also informed us about each of its duration. Then we had to sign their visitor’s book, including our hour of entry. I was really pleased by the control given by the staff.

Cemetery Travel to Cemetério dos Prazeres, Lisbon

This post was originally written for my old travel blog Dream Explore Wander on 15 October 2014.

While in Lisbon, taking the legendary tram 28 is every first time visitor’s dream. My plan for the day was to enjoy the vintage tram. I allowed myself to immerse in the gentle wind created while the tram moved, often it moved in a roller coaster style, making me jump a little. The tram tackled aisles that I wouldn’t think a tram would fit, but it did. Oh the excitement of tram 28!

I didn’t really know what I was going to see at the end of the line. When I reached the end of the route, I was a little confused in what I should do next. I wanted to take the same tram again going back, the ride left me a little hyper and excited. But just as I was about to board once more, in front of the simple tram station was a cemetery. And what does a cemetery lover does when they see a gorgeous looking cemetery? They go inside and explore.

Charmed by Kraków

This post was originally written for my old travel blog Dream Explore Wander on 28 October 2013.

Sometimes when I travel, the egocentric me appears. I want other tourists to just go away and leave the place so I can enjoy the place all to myself, savouring the atmosphere and imagining how the place was like in the past. This was how I felt when I arrived in the old town of Kraków.

This year I explored a Polish city to which I haven’t been before, Kraków. The former capital city is charming with an old city you would find hard to leave, a castle full of interesting stories and a trumpet call from its basilica. It’s no wonder that I wanted to be selfish and have the place all to myself, if only I could. The place is popular with tourists in the summer, but the more I hung around in the old town, the more I loved the place and didn’t mind the crowd, in fact I started loving the visitors passing by the streets – they are like the salt and pepper in a dish.

Whenever I’m in Poland, I feel strangely at home and smugly think myself as a local though my face features says I’m certainly not Polish and the only words I know are basic hello (Cześć or Dzień dobry or Witam – the Polish has so many ways to say hello!) and thank you (Dziękuję) and several swearing words thanks to my wonderful Polish friends! Visiting Poland, I know for sure that I will leave the place with a wide grin and a warm feeling at heart.

There is Nothing in Alessandria!

This post was originally written for my old travel blog Dream Explore Wander on 21 February 2013.

…that was what my lovely friends who were living in Alessandria for our semester of study said. While I was in Romania, they were living in Alessandria, Italy. They kept telling me that there really is nothing in Alessandria.

If you go to Milano Centrale (train station) and find platform 23 (or was it 22?), you will find a train to Alessandria every hour. Located only an hour away from Milan, Alessandria is a pretty little town in the Piedmont region of Italy (please don’t get it mixed up with Alexandria in Egypt).

As I arrived to the city, I didn’t see there was anything wrong with it. The city is lovely filled with cobbled-stones streets. I love this kind of city. My friend took me around the city and it did indeed only took several hours by foot to explore the city as it was quite small.