The Oia Dream I (Greece Part 1)

"The Universe always conspires to help the dreamer."

If life is truly a dream, then the dreamer will come to realize that he is dreaming his life when he sets foot on Santorini Island.

Daydreams do come true.
I found myself on Santorini this summer; fulfilling one of the most anticipated destinations on my bucket list.
The picturesque postcard pictures of Oia at the northern tip of Santorini we have often seen are for real.

The white washed mansions and blue domed churches overlooking the sea just brings about a surge of peace and tranquility in one's soul.

7am in Oia.

All is quiet. Just us and the sweeper.

And of course the sweet cats living at Oia.

The cat that does not get tired of watching the Oia sunrise.

There is just something special about blue domes that i cannot get enough of.

TBC….

(Pics taken with a Panasonic Lumix Camera, Samsung S4 and Note 2)

Today's Daydream...

Holy Land, Israel.

Photo credit: holiday force 

The Mysteries of Angkor Wat & Beyond (Part 2)

Walking through the rumble amongst the Ta Prohm gives visitors a feeling of an adventure in the likes of Lara Croft (in Tomb Raiders) and Indiana Jones. Unlike other Khmer temples,  Ta Prohm is left in its junglistic state offering visitors an experience founders  once had when the Khmer temples were first discovered.

Being one of the most celebrated temples after the Angkor Wat, Ta Prohm is also the work of Jayavarman VII dedicated to Buddhism. Rather different from the Angkor Wat, the temple consists of a long, low complex of buildings all standing at the same height connected by passages.

Exploring Ta Prohm gives us the best of both worlds- nature and architecture. The towering thousand year old trees, creeping plants and moss covered relics in the temple makes it distinctively unique showcasing the magnificence of nature standing beside the grandeur structure of the man-made temple. Overtime, both have somehow blend in perfect harmony.

Over the years, the spectacular roots have also spilt massive stones into rumble and cracked vaulted passageways, giving us a sense of awe of the strength of Nature as they cave into the temple grounds. 

Although being a much smaller compound compared to Angkor Wat, Ta Prohm charms visitors in its jungle setting of creeping vines and exploring through the corridors is nothing short of a mysterious and adrenaline pumping experience. 

Another one off my bucket list! :-)

TBC…

pics taken with a Panasonic Lumix Camera

Read The Mysteries of Angkor Wat and Beyond (Part 1)

Today's Daydream...

The surreal Perito Moreno Glacier in Patagonia, Argentina.

photo credit: irudi.photoshelter.com

Today's Daydream...

Gorgeous white washed Hallgrimskirkja Church in Reykjavik, Iceland.

photocredit: fabweb.com 

Today's Daydream...

Ready for Winter Wonderland on the Rhaetian Railway in the Albula, enroute to the Swiss Alps.

photo credit: google images

Today's Daydream...

Need a dip in this hot weather…
Biras Creek Resort, British Virgin Islands

photo credit: luxury retreats

Today's Daydream...

Entering eternity through Heaven's Gate.
Mount Tai, China.

source: google images

The Magic of Egypt (Part 3)

Crossing the vast dessert, we made our way to Abu Simbel in Nubia, southern Egypt. Abu Simbel is  one of the most famous ancient Egyptian monuments after the Pyramids and Sphinx and is listed as a UNSECO World Heritage Site.

This temple that stands now was relocated in its entirety in 1968 from been submerged during the creation of the Lake Nasser, which is an artificial water reservoir formed after the construction of the Aswan High Dam on the Nile River.

In the early days, ancient Egyptians could only reach the temple in their sails as the dessert route was inaccessible.
With worship being paramount to their lives, the ardous journey was not a deterrence to them.

Meeting the temple built by the mightiest of the pharaohs, Ramses II, the four colossi of himself carved out of a mountain is nothing short of magnificent.

The closer i walked towards it, the smaller i felt (in every sense).
The sheer size glorified the power and pride of the king during his reign.

(Unfortunately, pictures were not allowed inside the temple.)
Walking into the temple, was a humbling experience as i felt my insignificance walking through the towering row of statues leading into the main altar.

(source: google images)

The interior though less spectacular than its facade also has no wall left untouched; intricately carved with egyptian gods, rituals and beliefs.

The thing that intrigued me the most is how on the every 22nd February and 22nd October annually, the first rays of the rising sun will penetrate the temple and illuminate the Holy Quartet (except Ptah on the left).

(source: google images)

The significance of the dates are still a mystery but they are believed to be the anniversaries of Ramses's coronation and birth.
How they aligned the sun to light the temple altar is definitely an architectural genius considering the technology available in that era.

I marvel at the workmanship of the carvings.

Abu Simbel is worth the travel- journeying through the vast dessert for hours to actually seeing the temple itself has been an unforgettable experience for me.

Another one off my bucket list. :-)

On the way, don't forget to enjoy the breath-taking view of the Lake Nasser ...

and in Aswan, also do savour the Nubian cuisine unique to the region. 

A satisfying lunch it was with a view to boot!

Pictures taken with a Panasonic Lumix Camera.

TBC...

Read The Magic of Egypt (Part 2)

Read The Magic of Egypt (Part 1)

Chasing the Lights (Norway Part 1)

A spontaneous decision sparked off a trip of a lifetime- to chase the elusive aurora borealis.
The northern lights is one of nature's most spectacular displays most commonly sighted in the Arctic circle. Of all the places, we decided that we were going to Norway taking opportunity of the reasonably priced ticket via Qatar Airways. (approx USD$1000 at the time we booked)

Our instincts led us to one of the most beautiful places in the world- the Lofoten Islands which is in the Arctic Circle. We felt a draw to the Lofoten Islands of all the possible locations for sighting of the Northern Lights.

Our first stop over at Oslo...

In Oslo, we were welcomed by a pinkish-blue sky that morning. It was a great start to our 10-day trip!

We flew over the Lofoten Islands that afternoon on the SAS (Scandinavian Airlines) from Bodo.
It was like a scene from the "Lost World".

After almost 23 hours, consisting of 3 transits, we arrived to the beautiful white landscape that February 2012.

We landed in a little town called Svolvaer, which is a 20 minutes drive to the Polar Light Centre in Laukvik. 

It was pretty surreal journeying through this landscape...

It was too breathtaking, I had to stop for a picture...

So exhausted but feeling really excited! 

All the hours of tiring travel was worth it and this was just a glimpse of things to come.

Since it was the winter season, most places in the Arctic Circle only experiences about four hours (or less) of sunlight everyday. 

At about 2.30pm that day, the sun was setting....

TBC....

Pics taken with a Panasonic Lumix camera