TURKEY - Konya

Konya is Turkey’s city of Whirling Dervishes and known for its outstanding Seljuk architecture. The city has also a reputation of being the most religiously conservative city in Turkey and was once known as the Citadel of Islam.

Bid farewell to Cappadocia, as we proceeded about 250km heading east to the city of Konya.

TURKEY– Cappadocia Hot Air Balloon Ride

Hot Air Balloon Tours are a favourite among visitors to Cappadocia. It is the best way for an aerial view of the fairy chimneys.

TURKEY - Cappadocia

Located on the central Anatolia plateau, Cappadocia is a historical region within a volcanic landscape sculpted by erosion to form a succession of mountain ridges, valleys and pinnacles. Best known for its unique landscape, cave churches, houses carved in rocks and ancient underground city. Goreme National Park and the Rock Site of Cappadocia is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The name Cappadocia dates back from the late 6th Century BC during the Persian Empire. Cappadocia was traditionally used by Christians throughout history and is also mentioned in the Bible.

TURKEY – Ankara & Salt Lake

I just came back from Turkey a week ago. Well, I didn’t plan on going for an overseas holiday this year but a company trip is a different story altogether. Hehe.

The first city that I visited is Ankara. Ankara is the capital city of Turkey since 1923, is the country’s second largest city. Located in the heart of Turkey, Ankara is the centre of the Turkish Government and also home to a large population of foreign diplomats and embassy staff. Dubbed as the modern capital of Turkey, Ankara was just a small provincial town of few thousand, mostly living around Ankara Castle before the 1920s. The purpose built capital was chosen by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk as the centre of the resistance movement due to its strategic location at the heart of the country. From then on, the faith of Ankara changed from a population of just a few thousand to the modern Ankara of five million.

THE JOURNEY OF ELIJAH

The arrival of my first baby signals the end of my pregnancy and the beginning of my motherhood. Here’s how the journey of Elijah begins.

SRI LANKA - Colombo

The largest city of Sri Lanka, Colombo is the commercial and financial capital of the country. Even though the administrative capital has shifted, Colombo is still referred to as the capital of Sri Lanka since Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte, is a satellite city of Colombo and most probably because the name is so long.

SRI LANKA - Galle

The port of Galle was founded by the Portuguese in the sixteenth century. In 1598, the Dutch took over and demolished all signs of the Portuguese presence, building their own fort, which is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Galle is the best remaining example of a European fortified city in south Asia and Galle Fort is the largest remaining fortress in Asia built by European occupiers.

SRI LANKA - Ambalangoda

Ambalangoda is a quiet, unspoiled beach town on Sri Lanka’s south-west coast. The town serves as the home of devil dancing and mask making traditions that have been kept alive for generations.

SRI LANKA - White Water Rafting at Kelani River

Measuring at 145 kilometres long, Kelani River is the fourth longest river in Sri Lanka. The boulder strewn stretch of Kelani River is an ideal setting for White Water Rafting.

SRI LANKA - Horton Plains

Horton Plains National Park, located in the highest plateau of Sri Lanka is known for its beautiful landscapes, rare plants and animal life. Covering an area of 3,160 hectares, Horton Plains contains the most extensive area of cloud forest in the country.

Horton Plains is part of the Central Highlands of Sri Lanka which has been inscribed in the UNESCO World Heritage List. Described as home to extraordinary range of flora and fauna, the region is considered a super biodiversity hotspot.
  

SRI LANKA - Nuwara Eliya

Nuwara Eliya District is a famous hill country of the Central Province, Sri Lanka. With an altitude of approximately 1,800m, the weather is cool making it suitable for tea plantation. In fact, Nuwara Eliya is the main hill resort of Sri Lanka and the heart of the tea industry, renowned for its Ceylon Tea production.

SRI LANKA - Royal Botanic Garden

Royal Botanic Garden Peradeniya, encompassing an area of 147 acres, is the largest and most important garden in Sri Lanka. Located about 5.5 km from the city of Kandy, visitors often stop here for a walking tour of the botanic garden before or after visiting Kandy.

Used as a royal garden since 1371, it was transformed into a Botanical Garden in 1821.

SRI LANKA - Kandy

Kandy, also known as Maha Nuwara meaning the ‘Great City’, is a sacred Buddhist site and the cultural centre of Sri Lanka. The sacred City of Kandy is located at the center of Sri Lanka and is listed as a World Heritage City by UNESCO.
 

SRI LANKA - Dambulla

Dambulla is a small town known for its high concentration of cave temples. With more than 80 caves within its reach, Dambulla’s major attraction is Dambulla Cave Temple or more commonly known as the Golden Temple of Dambulla.

A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Golden Temple of Dambulla is the largest and well preserved cave temple in Sri Lanka and have been used by local monks as meditation location since the first century BC.

SRI LANKA - Sigiriya

Sigiriya, once the capital of Sri Lanka, was built during the 5th century by King Kashyapa. Lying on a granite peak of 200m above the surrounding plane, Sigiriya is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Considered by some to be the eighth wonder of the ancient world, Sigiriya is the most visited historic site in Sri Lanka.

SRI LANKA - Polonnaruwa

A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the ancient city of Polonnaruwa, used to be the capital city of Sri Lanka during the 11th century. In addition to the Brahmanic monuments built by the Cholas, Polonnaruwa is also home to the ruins of the fabulous garden city created by King Parakramabahu I.

HAWAII - Downtown Honolulu

Downtown Honolulu is the financial and governmental center of the Hawaiian Islands. Office buildings and banks dominates the skyline. Nevertheless, there are also historic and other attraction for visitors to see.

HAWAII - Pearl Harbor

Pearl Harbor used to be called Wai Nomi meaning ‘pearl water’ and is now the headquarters of the United States Pacific fleet. The attack on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese during the World War II is what made this place a significant historic site today.

Millions of people from all over the world come to this place to see where World War II began for the United States. A trip to Hawaii isn't complete without visiting Pearl Harbor.

HAWAII - Round Oahu Island

Oahu has beautiful beaches, great restaurants, variety of shopping, bustling nightlife and mountains. Known as the ‘Gathering Place’, I’m sure Oahu has places that I have yet to explore. I decided to explore the island further to see what more it has to offer.

HAWAII - Sun, Sand and Sea

Waikiki might not offer people the serenity and relaxation they are looking for when coming to Hawaii. But with 19 beaches in Oahu, you just need to know where to look for the place that offers a less crowded surrounding.

HAWAII - Punchbowl Crater

Punchbowl Crater is located in central Honolulu and like Diamond Head Crater, this extinct volcanic tuff cone was created by eruptions from Koolau Volcano. Younger that Diamond Head, Punchbowl Crater was formed some 75,000 to 100,000 years ago, through a single massive eruption.

HAWAII - Diamond Head

Diamond Head is Oahu’s premier natural landmark and is recognise as a symbol of Hawaii around the world. This volcano is a United States State Monument and perhaps the world’s most recognised volcanic crater.

In the late 1700s, British explorer mistook the calcite crystal embedded in the rock for diamonds. Thus the name Diamond Head. There are no longer any calcite crystal but who knows, you might be lucky.

HAWAII - Waikiki

Oahu is the third largest of the Hawaiian Islands and also the most populous. Oahu is known as ‘The Gathering Place’ and the state capital, Honolulu is located here. Even though the entire island is in the City and County of Honolulu, as a place name, Honolulu occupies only a portion of the southeast end of the island.

I spent a week in Oahu and my first posting shall be on Waikiki. Waikiki is a district of the city Honolulu on the island of Oahu in Hawaii. This beachfront neighbourhood of Honolulu is the most famous place in the whole of Hawaii and its where tourists and locals gather.

I stayed here at Waikiki for my entire vacation here in Hawaii, so some of the events written here are not in chronological order. I’m not going to write Day 1 – Day 7 Waikiki, so this post is a bit long and happy reading!   

HAWAII - Big Island

Big Island is the biggest Hawaiian island, encompassing 10,430 km² is twice the size of all other Hawaiian islands combined and it’s still growing. The world’s most active volcano, Kilauea has been feeding rivers of lava since 1983, adding more real estate to the island everyday. The continuous eruption of more than 20 years has added more than 560 acres of new land to the island. 

BEVERLY HILLS & SANTA MONICA, USA

Beverly Hills is the home of many rich and famous in Los Angeles. It is also a high-end shopping paradise. In case you’re wondering, there is no West Beverly High. The residence at flat part of Santa Monica Boulevard is merely middle class, the gradually slopping part is for upper class and the fabulously wealthy people lives at the hills north of Sunset Boulevard. There are many celebrities’ homes at Beverly Hills too. But the chances of meeting your favourite celebrities here are pretty slim.

LOS ANGELES, USA - Chinatown & The Grove

The original Chinatown was demolished to make room for Union Station. The new Chinatown that we see today is located at where Los Angeles’ Little Italy originally used to be. In the 1920s and 1930s, Italians began to move out and Chinese began to move in to this area.

LOS ANGELES, USA - Downtown

Downtown Los Angeles is the central financial hub of the city where all the skyscrapers located. The tallest building in Los Angeles is the 73-story U.S. Bank Tower (left in the photo), which was completed in 1989. Skyscrapers are difficult and expensive to construct in Los Angeles due to the city's high rate of earthquakes and position near the San Andreas fault line. But the city’s skyline continues to grow rapidly due to improvements in seismic design standards, which has made building highly earthquake-resistant.

HOLLYWOOD, USA - Universal CityWalk

Universal CityWalk is located directly next to the famous theme park, Universal Studio Hollywood. With more than 30 places to eat, 6 hot nightclubs, 19 IMAX screen theatre and more than 30 unique shops, it is definitely a great place to check out in Los Angelas.

HOLLYWOOD, USA - Madame Tussauds

Madame Tussauds is the most famous wax museum with over 17 branches located all over the world. I made it a point to visit Madame Tussauds while in Hollywood since I have missed visiting this place several times while visiting other cities.

Madame Tussauds Hollywood was opened in 2009 and the inside, is divided to few sections comprising of the Courtyard, Red Carpet Arrival, A-List Party, Spirit of Hollywood, Westerns, Crime, Modern Classics, Sport Heroes, Action Heroes and etc. 

HOLLYWOOD, USA

Hollywood is the most famous district in Los Angeles, largely due to its fame as the entertainment capital of the world. It is every actor’s dream in the world to make their mark in Hollywood.

You know you’ve arrived in Hollywood when you spot the Hollywood Sign, situated high up on Mount Lee in Griffith Park. You can drive part way up for a closer look, but you can't hike all the way to the sign.

MONTEREY BAY, CALIFORNIA, USA

Monterey Bay is a bay of the Pacific Ocean, along the central coast of California.17-Mile Drive along the dramatic Pacific coast is one of the most famous scenic drives in the world. Part of it serves as the main road through the gated community of Pebble Beach. There are a total of 21 stops of attraction as you drive through the 17-mile road.

SAN FRANCISCO, USA - The Rock

Alcatraz Island is a small island located in the middle of San Francisco Bay. It served as a lighthouse, then a military fortification, then a military prison followed by a federal penitentiary from 1934 – 1963. It used to housed notorious criminals including Al Capone, Robert Stroud better known as “Birdman of Alcatraz" and George "Machine Gun" Kelly.

Today, Alcatraz Island also known as the ‘Rock’ is a national park. Visitors can reach the island by ferry ride from Pier 33.

SAN FRANCISCO, USA - The Bay

No trip to San Francisco is complete without visiting the Bay. It is the best place in town for people watching, shopping and eating to your heart’s content. Pier 39 is located at the edge of the Fisherman's Wharf district. You can find shops, restaurants, street performances, Marine Mammal Center, the Aquarium of the Bay and California sea lions “sun-bathing” on docks of Pier 39.

SAN FRANCISCO, USA - The Bridge

 If you’re visiting San Francisco, be sure to check out the three landmarks that make the city world famous: The Bridge, the Bay and the Rock.

The Bridge is of course referred to the internationally recognised symbol of San Francisco, the Golden Gate Bridge. The suspension bridge links the city of San Francisco to Marin County. Before the bridge was built, the only practical way to cross the sea between San Francisco and Marin County was by boat.

NAPA VALEY, USA

Home to more than three hundred wineries, Napa Valley is the main wine growing region in the United States and also well known all over the world. It is also one of the most popular tourist attractions in California with more than five million visitors each year. The main attraction of Napa Valley is of course, the fine dining and wine tours, especially the wine tasting.

LAKE TAHOE, USA

Lake Tahoe is a beautiful, crystal-clear blue lake nestled among mountain peaks at an elevation of 6,229ft. One of United State’s most beautiful landmarks spanning 19 x 35km, it is the second deepest lake in the US at a depth of 501m. Lake Tahoe is the largest alpine lake in North America.

The lake is situated in northern California on the Nevada border and the closest city to Lake Tahoe is Reno, Nevada.  

RENO, USA

Known as “The Biggest Little City in the World”, Reno is famous for its casinos. It is located in the north-west region of the State of Nevada. It is also the second largest tourist destination in Nevada. From the time gambling was legalised, Reno was the gambling capital of the United States. Till of course the booming period of Las Vegas.

Other than gambling, Reno is also famous for getting instant marriages and quickie divorces.
 

SHOSHONE FALLS & SNAKE RIVER CANYON, USA

Shoshone Falls is a beautiful waterfall located along the Snake River, a few miles east of Twin Falls, Idaho. At 212 feet high and 950 feet wide, it is nicknamed as “Niagara of The West”. It is best viewed during the spring when the snow melts and the water levels are high. In summer and fall, the Snake River is diverted for irrigation and often significantly diminishes the water levels at Shoshone Falls.

PERRINE MEMORIAL BRIDGE & SNAKE RIVER CANYON, USA

The I. B. Perrine Bridge at Twin Falls, Idaho is named after I. B. Perrine, who spearheaded the early 20th century irrigation projects in the Magic Valley region and is largely credited as the main founder of Twin Falls.

The steel cantilever bridge was originally named the Twin Falls-Jerome Intercounty Bridge. At the time that it opened to traffic in September 1927, it was the highest bridge in the world. However 50 years later, the original bridge was out-dated and unable to handle heavy loads and required replacement. It cost $9,700,000 to build the current bridge and its construction took approximately 3 years to finish (May 1973 – July 1976). After this, the original cantilever bridge to the west was disassembled.

WEST YELLOWSTONE, USA

West Yellowstone is a town in Montana, adjacent to Yellowstone National Park. For many, the town of West Yellowstone is a place to stay while traveling through Yellowstone National Park.

YELLOWSTONE, USA - Part 2 (Geyser)

Yellowstone National Park, home to over 10,000 thermal features and over 500 hundred of which are geysers. With half the earth’s geothermal features and more than two-thirds of the world’s geysers can be found here in Yellowstone.

Yellowstone is actually a massive caldera of a supervolcano whereby most area of Yellowstone sits inside an ancient volcanic caldera. Measuring 72 x 48km, it is one of the largest caldera in the world.

YELLOWSTONE, USA - Part 1

Yellowstone National Park, designated as the world’s first national park in 1872 is also a World Heritage Site designated by UNESCO in 1978. Covering an area of 2.2 million acres, the park is huge.

So how does the name Yellowstone came about? ‘Mi tse a-da-zi’ meaning Yellow Rock River is named by the Native Indians who have lived in Yellowstone for more than 10,000 years.

Yellowstone comprises of lakes, canyons, river, mountain ranges and of course the geothermal areas. Half the earth’s geothermal features and more than two third of the world’s geysers can be found here in Yellowstone. Famous for its diverse and vast collection of geysers, hot springs, mudpots, and fumaroles, Yellowstone is like no other place on earth.