We recently had a long weekend from school, and took the opportunity to finally visit Siem Reap, home of Angkor Wat, a place that had been on my list of places to visit for many years. What i didn't realise is Angkor Wat is just one of hundreds of temples in the Siem Reap area. So, we grabbed a tuktuk for a day, and got the driver to take us on a tour!

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A long weekend gave us the opportunity to visit Siem Reap in Cambodia. While the main attraction was to be Angkor Wat, there was some other nice trips to be had, including a boat trip out to the floating village, and a scooter drive through the countryside.

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To celebrate 50 years of Independence, Singapore announced an additional public holiday which gave us the chance to escape for another long weekend - this time to Macau, a special region of China. In 1557, Macau was rented to Portugal as a trading port. The Portuguese administered the city under Chinese authority until 1887, when Macau became a colony. Macau transferred back to China in 1999. 

After a quick trip up the hill to the lighthouse, our first day was spent walking around the Historic Centre of Macau, a collection of over twenty locations that witness the unique co-existence of Chinese and Portuguese cultures in Macau, and now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We saw a great water show here - check it out in the show blog!

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Christmas saw us taking Shanhong's parents on a Princess cruise from Singapore. Generally, we had fun, but unfortunately, this cruise will be forever remembered for bad seas and a LOT of sea-sickness - we spent half the journey on a lower floor as our own room was swaying too much to cope! I was fine - but the rest of the gang were suffering!

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Another day trip promised an opportunity to see ‘traditional’ Cyprus, and so we booked!

After being picked up at the hotel, our first stop was the village of Yeroskipou where we saw traditional pottery being thrown, as well as the famous loukomia being made (Cypriot ‘Turkish Delight’). We also visited the five
domed church of St Paraskevi, built in the 9th Century on the site of the ancient temple of Aphrodite. 

From here, we drove to the village of Letymbou, where we visited a traditional style house and enjoyed a 
home-made breakfast of village bread sprinkled in olive oil with fresh halloumi cheese. Delicious!! Nicely filled, we got back on the bus and headed to the Saint Neophytos monastery and the ‘Enkleistra’, an enclosure which was carved out of the mountain in the 12th Century by the hermit Neophytos. The main church of the monastery was built around 200 years after the death of Neophytos and is dedicated to the virgin Mary. 

Our final stop was a local winery, where we not only got to see the production process, but,naturally also 
got to sample the final products! Cyprus has a significant wine industry, dating back 6000 years, and is 
best known for its Commandaria sweet wine (first made at Kolossi Castle!). Most wine production 
remains based on a few varieties of local grape such as Mavro and Xynisteri, although international 
varieties are also cultivated. Unfortunately, although happy to have a taster, I really am not a fan of wine – give me a good Spanish Sangria any day! 

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Another day trip saw us visiting Kolossi Castle, and the village of Omodos.

Kolossi Castle is a former crusader stronghold built in the thirteenth century when the land was given by King Hugh 1 to the Knights of the Order of St John of Jerusalem (Hospitallers). Taken by the Knights Templar in 1306, it was returned to the Hospitallers in 1313, with the present castle being built in 1454.

Omodos is a traditional village in the troodos mountains. Our stay here included a small meal of homemade Halloumi Cheese and Commandaria sweet wine, both fantastic Cypriot products exported throughout the world.

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One of our daytrips from Paphos was to Kourion, the ruins of an ancient Greek city-state formed in the twelfth century BC. This was especially special for me as the Kourion site lies within the British Overseas Territory of Akrotiri and Dhekelia (I was born in Akrotiri), and the drive took us past many memorable places such as 'Happy Valley' where we used to go kick a ball on a Sunday afternoon, and Aphrodite's Rock.

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Another quick blog post from Cyprus - this time a visit to Kykkos Monastery - one of the richest and best-known monasteries in Cyprus. Founded around the end of the 11th Century by the Byzantine emperor Alexios Komnenos (1081 - 1118), the monastery lies at an altitude of 1318m on the north-west face of the Troodos Mountains. Interesting, the first president of Cyprus, Archbishop Makarios III began his ecclesiastical career here as a monk in 1926. The galleried murals are fantastic. Enjoy!

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The main trip in Summer 2017 was Cyprus, a chance to show Shanhong my beautiful country of birth. We stayed at an all-inclusive hotel in Paphos, a perfect base for exploring the south part of the Island. The King Jason hotel (adults only) has some of the best food I have any in hotel in the world - and, although "in the middle of nowhere" it is not too far to walk into Paphos central or to the seafront.

Paphos is also one of the best spots for historical sites, with excavations at the tombs of the kings and the Paphos archeological park. The photos that follow show you both the historical sites and the great food! I must say, I still love Cyprus - maybe we should retire here!

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The Troodos mountains are the largest mountain range in Cyprus, covering a third of Cyprus' area in the centre of the island. The highest peak is Mount Olympus which is often covered in snow all year round. 

The area has been known since antiquity for it copper mines, which explains the orange/brown colour in the Cyprus flag. In the Byzantine period it became a centre of Art, as churches and monasteries were built into the mountains. 

The journey took us past some of the main water reservoirs/dams, and past a small waterfall where we were able to enjoy an ice-cream! We also stopped for coffee and I found a beautiful cemetery. 

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After the success of the Cambodia trip in October, we booked another long weekend for Chinese New Year, this time to Bali, a destination that has been on my ‘must do‘ list for some time! It was a nice weekend – but, unfortunately did not live up to expectations – maybe because of a wrong location? The photos here are from the sunset temple, built on a rock jutting out to sea and the only beach we saw on the whole trip! The last three photos are by professional photographers, stolen from the internet – impressive indeed!

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Chinese New Year saw us making a trip to Yogyakarta in Indonesia. Yogyakarta is quite unique as it is the only Indonesian royal city still ruled by a monarchy. It is famous for classical arts and culture, as well as a centre of Indonesian Education. We were only here for a long weekend, but it was good to see somewhere new - and boy, did we pack a lot in, from UNESCO World Heritage Temples to gardens and palaces.

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While in Ireland, we joined a bus tour that took us first to Cashel. According to local mythology, the Rock of Cashel originated when St. Patrick banished Satan from a cave, resulting in the rock landing in Cashel. It was the seat of the kings of Munster for several hundred years and now is one of the most remarkable collections of Celtic art and medieval architecture to be found in Europe. 

After Cashel it was on to Cork for lunch, and then to Blarney Castle, to kiss the stone! Many stories surround the stone. Some say it was Jacob’s Pillow, brought to Ireland by the prophet Jeremiah. Some say it was the deathbed pillow of St Columba from the island of Iona. Some, the ‘Stone of Ezel’ behind which David hid when he fled from Saul. And some, that it was the stone that gushed water when struck by Moses! Whatever the origin – modern mythology claims that anyone kissing the stone will be given the gift of eloquence and public speaking for a year, and for over 200 years, world statesmen, literary giants and legends of the silver screen have joined millions of pilgrims climbing the steps to kiss the stone. Not an easy feat, as the only way to do it, is to lie down and lean over backwards!

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Summer 2017 saw us visiting Ireland for a couple of nights in Dublin. It appears this is the drinking capital of the world as our tours took us both to the Guinness factory and to a whisky distillery. However, we did also have a night at the theatre seeing a production of 'Wonderland'.  

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April gave us a couple of long weekends - so we booked a couple of trips to different parts of Malaysia. First up was Kuala Lumpur, the capital city, with a couple of viator/tripadvisor excursions. We arrived Friday morning, checked into the hotel, and were straight out to explore the Batu Caves, a series of Hindu shrines just outside of the capital. On the way, we called in at the Royal Selangor factory to see pewterware being made. Then, it was to Petronas towers, the symbol of KL.

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Malacca, a historical state in Malaysia, is a true gem for travelers. It boasts a rich and colorful past, evident through its well-preserved buildings and ancient landmarks. Visitors can explore the famous Dutch Square, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and stroll through the vibrant Jonker Street night market. The state is known for its delectable Nyonya cuisine, a fusion of Chinese and Malay flavors, and charming cafes and restaurants serving freshly caught seafood. This was a great little day-trip!

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Penang is a Malaysian state on the northwest coast and is one of Malaysia's most developed areas. The capital city, Georgetown was once a British Crown Colony, and is described by UNESCO as having a unique architectural and cultural townscape, with major arts, culture, and food scenes. 

We enjoyed a long weekend here - finding the street art and enjoying the food!

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A nice holiday in the north of devon saw us horse-riding, clay-pigeon shooting, and staying in some quirky accommodation! Very "us" !

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Our third stop was the beautiful village of Eidfjord, situated at the end of the Eidfjorden, an inner branch of the large Hardangerfjorden. The village of Eidfjord is a major cruise ship port of call with various tourist sites such as the Sima Power Plant which is built into the mountain itself, the Måbødalen valley, and the Vøringsfossen waterfall. Once again, the view on arrival was stunning. 

Once back in Eidfjord, we had a nice walk up into the village, and then back down to the fjord, with some lovely pics of the ship. It was a very quiet and peaceful day, but glorious sunshine once again. 

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Our second stop was the village of Flåm, located at the inner end of the Aurlandsfjorden. Sailing into Flåm there are beautiful waterfalls all along the sides of the fjord and the most amazing scenery.  Flåm is a very quiet village but has one of the steepest railways in the world. 

Today’s excursion was a drive, by coach, via a Viking settlement, and a large waterfall, to a neighbouring town, where, after a stop for lunch we boarded the train for the trip back down to the ship. The weather was absolutely perfect – as you can see by the brightness of the sun in these pics! 

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