Christmas has always been my favourite holiday!
Wait a minute, I should say it's not just my favourite holiday but my favourite time of year.
It is time when family and friends get together.
It is time when Christmas music is played everywhere.
It is time when the air even smell delicious from Christmas tree, cinnamon and freshly baked goodie.
It is time when decoration looks so pretty and colourful.
It is time when I can wear my winter clothes and of course snow makes it perfect.
I also notice that during Christmas season, people tend to be more kind and smile a lot.
As far as I remember, Christmas means travelling together with my family, preferably to beautiful snow destinations. Not this year though. Since my grandmother has been in and out the ICU, we thought it's not wise to leave her for travelling abroad. Thus it's the first time spending my Christmas holiday at home which is actually nice too because I can share the joy with my 11 furry friends. Love!
I was just lazying at home today and flicking through my old pictures to recall where I had been during Christmas holiday. I didn't think it would be this fun! So I decide to make it into a blog post. I couldn't find any holiday pictures before the year of 2000 in my laptop. Those years are only in printed photos so next time I'll have to scan them and upload it here.
So here's my Christmas holiday from 2000 to 2014 :)
2000 during my one year lived in Switzerland
2001 in Japan
2002 in Hong Kong
2003 in Japan
2004 study and work for a year in London
2005 in Japan
2006 in New Zealand
2007 in Hong Kong
2008 in USA
2009 in Spain
2010 in South Africa
2011 in Beijing
2012 was when my Dad got a stroke and admitted to hospital in Singapore :(
2013 in Taiwan
2014 in Switzerland
2015 Merry Christmas from us! Love, the Leksonos
How about you, where is you favourite Christmas holiday destination?
Disclaimer: This is my first ever publishing a blog post using pictures that I took with smart phone. Sadly my Canon G11 is decided to die on me after nearly 6 years working beyond its limit (from the freezing cold weather at minus 25˚C on top of mount Matterhorn to scorching hot weather at 45˚C in Bosnia & Herzegovina). Only God knows how many times I've dropped it that the lens has uncountable scratches. It happened just 2 days after I landed in Vietnam so my first reaction was panic! I can't merely rely on a camera phone (Asus Zenfone 2) and a DSLR with 50mm lens, or so I thought. But then I realised maybe the universe was trying to tell me to enjoy my birthday trip instead of focusing on taking good pictures. After all I've always thought that beautiful scenery is best seen with the lens of my eyes rather than the lens of my camera.
sampan (traditional boat) pier in Van Lam village
Tam Cốc-Bích Động is a popular tourist destination near the city of Ninh Bình in northern Vietnam. It's famously called the Halong Bay on land because its karst formation, caves, water and landscape. The word 'Tam Coc' itself means three caves which are Hang Ca, Hang Hai, Hang Ba. A visit to Tam Coc starts from the village of Van Lam and floats along the twists and turns of the Ngo Dong river through a scenic landscape by rice fields, karst towers and the three caves. It takes about 2,5 hours to reach Ninh Binh from Hanoi. My original plan was to book a private day tour from Hanoi to Tam Coc. But when I did some research, most of the reviewers stated that boat ride in Tam Coc usually get really crowded around midday until afternoon. So I needed to revise my itinerary. After my 3 days cruise in Halong Bay, instead of driving back to Hanoi I bound for Ninh Binh. It took approximately 4 hours from Halong Bay to reach my hotel in Tam Coc. But the good thing is, I could do the boat ride first thing in the morning when all the group tours from Hanoi have not arrived yet. Yay! I can have the river all by myself (well sort of).
The entry ticket is 120.000VND per person and another 150.000VND for the boat. They only allow maximum 2 persons (foreigners) in the same boat. But for local they would take up to 6 persons per boat. That morning, only less than 10 visitors at sight so I gleefully jump into the sampan. What amazed me, all the rowers have the ability to row the oars with their feet! I was actually tempted to try as I thought it would be a great exercise to burn hundreds bowl of Pho I had been eating. But of course I didn't dare to risk the rower's (an old man) life so I just sit quietly and enjoying the ride.
approaching the first cave
At the beginning of the route, I interestingly watched the locals doing their daily activities as my boat passing by the village. Then I smell something delicious from someone's backyard. I took a curious quick glance and had the shock of my life. Some people were grilling a whole dog! I squinch my eyes and took another look. Turned out it was a small lamb. Phew! I nearly jumped from my boat, seriously! The rower must have rolled his eyes, thinking I was a crazy lady who got hysterical and nearly flipped his boat just because some people were barbecuing. Oh well!
Halong Bay on land
feet rowing
another cave to go through
We left the village behind and passing by some cemeteries then voila, suddenly it became quiet. My boat was the only one glide down the calm river. Various shapes and sizes of karst in front of me looked as if they were floating in the water. Green paddy fields framing the curve of the river. It was too gorgeous that I lost in words. I closed my eyes as I inhaled and exhaled a deep long breath.....and I smiled. I have found my zen. I really think the splashing sound of water against wood as the boat rows was very soothing. This beautiful planet earth makes life worth living....and so does a bowl of delicious Pho. Another reason to be grateful :)
the last cave
Honestly my heart skipped a beat when I saw the ceiling of the cave was pretty low and it was pitch black inside. I was wondering if I would have another panic attack after the Catacombs of Paris incident. As my boat drifting slowly inside the cave, I could feel my pulse racing. Musty smell tickled my nose. Once again I closed my eyes, took a deep breath and convinced myself that I would be just fine. I refused to let my phobia swallow me up. Surprisingly, it worked! I guess some consultation with a psychologist, hypnotherapy, yoga and kickboxing lessons that I've been doing do help me somehow. I started to relax again and went through all the caves without any issues :)
drink and snack seller
Scam alerts!
At the end of the third or last cave, there's a bunch of women that sell drink and snacks on their boat. And here come the tricky part. These women will ask you to buy drink for your boat rower. Once you agree, they will transfer dozens of drink to the boat rower and you are the one who will take care the hefty payment. Then after the boat trip ended, the boat rower will give all the purchased drink back to the seller and they share the money.
What I did was giving a firm "NO" to them and told my rower that I'd rather give him tips after the boat ride. They kept bugging me for a while until I played deaf and avoided eye contact with them. Luckily my boat rower was a nice man and not pushy at all. Soon after that they rowed away from my boat and tried their luck to some other boats. My rower then took me to the same route back to the pier. I felt sorry to one young family that had to fork quite amount of money because they were too nice to think their rower was thirsty *sigh*
gambling in the boat? why not? :D
life is such a bliss
Despite the touts that can be quite annoying, I really wish the boat ride would last longer than 2 hours. The beautiful surrounding and peaceful ambiance is a great getaway from the hustling bustling city of Hanoi.
I'll be back again, Tam Coc. You have my promise...
I believe Malang won't stop growing anytime soon, specially the tourism industry. New attractions popping up almost every year. I haven't even got the chance to visit all of them. Shame on me, I know. But lately I've been so occupied with gym schedule and learning yoga also the kickboxing class. Okay, fine! I should really stop making excuses and move my fat lazy bum and explore my hometown more often.
Goocha, Lilo & Stitch! :)
The other day, on a scorching hot day I dragged myself out of my house and went to Hawai Waterpark Malang which just opened a couple months ago. I didn't plan to swim this time. I just want to check up on the rides at this Hawaiian theme water park and gather some information & photos for you, my dearest reader. So next time when you plan a holiday in Malang, you'd have some ideas about what to do for fun. You're welcome :p
colourful and fun
Hawai Waterpark Malang is built on a massive area of 28.000 square metres in a housing estate named Graha Kencana Malang. It can be easily accessed from Abdul Rachman Saleh airport, train station and bus station. As the first and largest water park in Malang there are 10 rides that cater not only for children but also for adults.
Kiddos will just love spending their time in Hawai Water House, Mavi Island and Water Plaza. While the adrenaline junkie will definitely have so much fun in Rainbow Fall, Ekolu Slide, Wailele Slide and Hula Hula Slide. Stands at a height of 15 metres, these slides looks pretty daunting to people who have a fear of heights (like me...boohoo). For those who craves thrilling activities, without any doubt you will have a blast here. You can even do some speed racing on water slides with your friends or family. Sounds pretty awesome, right?
Hula Hula slide
splash!
Rainbow Fall
woohoooo!
Hawai Water House
Tsunami Pool
Now let's move to their famous Waikiki Beach which is the first Tsunami Pool in Indonesia. I enjoyed watching those people screaming their heart out in total excitement when those wild waves crashing through the water and reach up to 2.5 metres. Woohoo! I was so tempted to jump into the pool and join the fun. The pool is equipped with professional lifeguards, so you don't need to worry. Your safety is guaranteed.
Waimea Stream River
After some intense activities (and lots of screaming with laughter) it is now time for a bit of relaxing in Waimea Stream River. With a length of about 432 metres, probably it's the longest current pool in Indonesia.
Oh! By the way, outside food and drinks are not permitted in the water park. However there's a food court inside the park. The food and drinks are at a reasonable price so it's a good thing to avoid the hassle of lugging heavy bags. Pssttt! Their home-made gelato is delicious too! Well, well... I can't wait to long to visit Hawai Waterpark Malang again. Next time I'll definitely dragged myself to try all the rides. Are you joining me? Let's go! Because the more the merrier :)
Gelavie, best way to beat the heat!
Hawai Waterpark Malang
Do follow their social media accounts so you won't miss their special events and hot deals.
Enjoy the mini video below. Splash!
On my way to Jokulsarlon, I tried to recall the remarkable James Bond car chase scene that I watched a decade ago. Though it was really cold in the lagoon, I insisted to wear a pair of red bikini under my winter jacket. Just in case, I happen to met Mr. Bond...I would be well prepared for the bikini scene like Halle Berry in Die Another Day. *BEEP*. Okay, perhaps my imagination has gone way too wild. Let's just talk about the lagoon instead, shall we ?
sailing the lagoon in an amphibian boat
Jokulsarlon is the largest of few glacial lakes in Iceland and also known as the best as well. It's located in southeast Iceland, on the edge of Vatnajokull National Park. It first appeared in 1934-1935 and the lake has grown from 7.9 km² in 1975 to 18 km² today due to heavy melting of the Icelandic glaciers. At a depth of 284 m, Jokulsarlon glacial reservoir is the deepest lake in Iceland. The lake can be seen from Highway 1 between Hofn and Skaftafell. It appears as "a ghostly procession of luminous blue icebergs".
As one of the natural wonders of Iceland, Jokulsarlon has been a setting of couple Hollywood movies such as: A View to a Kill and Die Another Day from the James Bond series, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider and also Batman Begins.
amphibian boat
a Zodiac boat in Jokulsarlon lagoon
I think there's no better way to enjoy this dreamlike glacial lagoon than to sail amongst the icebergs. I opted for an amphibian boat tour which cost ISK 4,500 per person for about 40 minutes journey. We, all the passengers boarded the vehicle on land then it took me on a breathtaking excursion. Seeing icebergs in many shapes and sizes and in pretty hues of white, turquoise and blue - really put me in awe. Too beautiful it gave me goosebumps. The other option is to board a Zodiac boat which is able to cover large area of the lagoon and get closer to the icebergs. I'll keep that for next visit.
Depending on the weather, the boat tours are in from April to November.
sailing amongst the icebergs
pretty icebergs
tasting a small piece of 1000 years old ice
Before heading back to the land, our boat stopped and the guide shared some facts and history about the lagoon. Then she pulled up a a block of ice out of the water and every passengers could take a picture with it. Some of us, including me were feeling quite adventurous that we took a bite of it. Just the sake of experience. It tasted like a normal ice cubes. But it's kinda cool to say that I've tasted 1000 years old ice, right? *grin*
icebergs floating from the lagoon into the ocean
After the boat ride, I spent sometime to stroll along the black sand shores of the lagoon. And hey! I spotted some cute seals swimming. Perhaps they were hunting some fish for lunch. Toward the bridge there were a number of icebergs floating out to sea. It's interesting to find that only a short distance separates Jokulsarlon to the sea.
I was told that visiting this lagoon is like a 'warming up' glacier tour as I was about to depart to Greenland and would see a greater amount and size of icebergs. But still an excursion in Jokulsarlon was a magical day for me. An experience I'd never forget.
tiny human at Jokulsarlon glacier lagoon
Fun fact: before filming the car chase on ice in the Bond series Die Another Day, engineers specially dammed the lagoon at the point it meet the sea, to help it freeze for the ambitious Bond shoot. It's pretty something, aye? For you who is curious about the car chase scene, enjoy the video below. You'll save time browsing it. You're welcome :)
