Feb 1st 2015, written by Amber Krabi town is, admittedly, not the most scenic of places but it's the starting point to explore the Andaman coast in Thailand. We were among many who ended up spending a few days in Krabi Town, waiting for our next adventure. Boats leave from Krabi and other transport to such beautiful places as Railay, Phi Phi Islands, Ko Lanta or Koh Yao Noi, so it's not uncommon for it to be bursting with tourists.
KRABI MARKET
As a tourist spot, the dining options are many, but today I wanted to expand my knowledge on Thai cuisine. There is a night market that I have been to almost every night sinced I arrived in Krabi Town, that market is Chao Fah Night Market. Chao Fah Night Market Next to Chao Fah pier, where ferries take people to the islands Phi Phi, the market is bustling. Restaurants are full, and the food stalls have plenty of discounts, even for tourists. Best of all because its a coastal town, Krabi has a wide and varied seafood selection. As they say, pictures are more than a thousand words so enjoy the video below.
I brought back many unforgettable experiences from my trip to Japan, long held desired that are now part of my passport, and memories of this places. And in those moments I lived, occupying a special place with people that I met, which were often just shooting chance encounters.
Each portrait paints a moment unique and unforgettable. Brushstrokes that are colourful and multifaceted as Japan and compelling as the destination. As always I will clarify, that my shots are not "professionals". These are photo's any traveler can achieve, with wonderful exotic cameras or just a simple handheld.
I was suprised by the variety and different ways of serving Japanese cuisine. Far from what little we know of it here. And the excellent service was a bonus that only made the dining experience even better. Here a waiter in a restaurant where we ate Kyoto "live" squid.
The contrast between tradition and modernity, always present and healthy living. Heres a passing high-speed train linking Tokyo Kyoto.
Here our beloved guide Ryoko, saying goodbye in Kyoto when we went to Tokyo. I think that was relieved when "this blogger woman" got on the train.
Japan is the future, today. In the National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation Miraikan in Tokyo, we could see what awaits us. I present to ASIMO, the robot interacts with visitors: walking, playing soccer, tells jokes and even dancing moonwalker!
Harajuku is the coolest neighborhood in Tokyo. Its streets are small designer shops, art galleries and, above all, a "human fauna" very special. Here trends are generated.
Daily life. The Tokyo Metro: massive, efficient, timely, impeccable, it's a good place to see a slice of the Japanese lives around you.
Metro employees are very friendly, but nobody speaks English. To buy a ticket from a machine is "mission impossible" and when you approach a booth you need to use make use of some sign language. But eventually we got our tickets.
Here is another example of he coexistence of two different worlds in Japan today. Will one ever understand the world that the other inhabits.
Centuries of tradition at a glance. A maiko of just 18, a few months of learning and a lot of nerves in her first appearance before the guests in a very special dinner. They say, that she has the classic, perfect beauty of a future geiko (geisha).
That same night, geiko Yachiho taught me one of their games and had fun for a while together.
Visiting Kiyomizu Dera Temple, you can bump into monks and tourists alike. In Kyoto.
The famous district of Akihabara, Tokyo, you find the manga / anime universe. In the corners you'll usually find girls touting coffee dressed as "sexy maidens" they tend not to like having their pictures taken.
Japan has been a incredible experience. Being in the thick of modernity and while witnessing traditions preserved, has been so enlightening. Almost as if on a wheel where everything spins around it, but the core remains the same. I will carry these memories, and treasure them.
Singapore. A name can bring to mind modernity or old colonial histories. In recent years the world has seen the rapid growth of this tiny country, within decades it has developed jaw dropping skyscrapers that stand against the skyline. After my trip to this country, I will try to summarize five reasons to visit Singapore. Singapore and 50 years Just over 700 square kilometers turn Singapore into the smallest country in Southeast Asia. But do not be distracted by its size, as it is a true giant in deminutive stature.
This city-state, occupies an archipelago of 60 islands at the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula and a few kilometers north of Indonesia. An ever strategic location for traffic or commerce between the territories of this part of the world. It was however in 1819 when the Western world knows the Asian corner where Stamford Raffles reached these islands and established a settlement in what is considered the true foundation of Singapore. A few years later, the land is leased to the East India Company interested in settling because of the important spice trade, which was incredibly valuable at the time. The history of this corner is written between treaties, annexations, unions and battles that have deeply marked their ethnic profile today and become a land where different people live. Singapore lived under different dominations, until it joins Malaysia but this union is very short in 1959. Shortly afterwards, Singapore declared independence on August 9, 1965. The figure took that process and dominated the political scene of Singapore Lee Kuan Yew was. As Prime Minister at the beginning and undisputed figure of local politics then, he devised and led to Singapore being a colony and port, to a real economic power in the present and one of the strongest of the "Asian Tigers". In these 50 years, especially in the last two decades, Singapore transformarded into a modern, thriving city-state. Respected even today (Lee Kuan died in March 2015), built a country with a firm hand and looking outward. Today Singapore amazes with incredible architectural profiles, the high standard of living (and consumption) and the coexistence of different peoples that have always inhabited this territory.
Hindus, Arabs, Chinese, Malays and Singaporeans living and maintain their customs in a mixture of ethnic neighborhoods that gives color and variety to the city. And here everything is close, you move into a largely urban environment and move by public transport or taxi, you go from one sector to another city in the blink of an eye. In the crowded streets of Chinatown, the colonial atmosphere, and then into the Arab neighborhood one step further you can get lost in an Indian market. The English colonial past gives a series of buildings, parks and avenues of classic elegance. A great example is the historic Raffles Hotel and its small market around internal courtyards "city". The mixture of races and the peaceful coexistence seen in the streets. This is seen with a thousand variations of people: Chinese, Malay, English, Indian, Indonesian. A plural society can preserve their customs, languages and traditions by an educational organization that stimulates. Schools teach English and the home language of each child. Young people prefer to deal with "the English" (with local aggregates and various accents), but at home the family language is spoken.
You can't help it. The eyes are tend to travel skyward, following the most daring lines of the hundreds of skyscrapers of Singapore. I love modern architecture, imagination and technology put into every building. I love those entrance halls 2, 3 or 4 levels high, these huge empty interiors hanging sculptures exploited to cause vertigo, to hover the bowels of the building.
In Singapore you'll see sick of gigantic structures, climbing endlessly into the clouds. Since the housing blocks to the headquarters of the largest multinational corporations or the structures that house unique tourist facilities as hotels, Cloud Forest, or Gardens by the Bay, the ultramodern (and free) train linking Singapore with Sentosa Island, shopping malls, restaurants and panoramic terraces and some others. And Singapore is a good place to get close to the popular architecture from different parts of Asia. As I said earlier, in ethnic neighborhoods we can approach the houses, squares, markets, temples of various cultures with very little movement. Singapore, city and beach Yes, I love the beach. And I like to be accessible, you have comfortable and safe services and ... of course, it's nice. And if we add to all soft sand and warm water ... I have reached my personal paradise!
Well, in Singapore I found it. When you walk through the swarm of streets, walkways, tunnels and walkways that is the city itself, you forget that you have stepped nature close at hand. For the little free time I had, I could only "dedicate" one day to find that beach that I like. And the islands are available with a short trip, I chose the nearest and easily accessible: Sentosa. I will tell you in detail, but I anticipate that the island is a major tourist center and that at times seems like a theme park. But not in the sense "plastic" but in the comfort and services. I do not know if I'm clear. I do not mean it to seem like a theme park, but everything on the island (directed all of it as a business) is intended for visitors. The beaches are spotless, there is a path through the more than 3 km of coastline so you can get around on foot, by bike, or the little train that runs free. Green areas, a beautiful natural palm sand shading, bars and restaurants within reasonable distance, lifeguards and health services, and other leisure attractions. I would have tried any more private beach (actually there was hardly anyone and I could enjoy my short stay very comfortably shirt). Maybe in some upcoming visit, when I'm not such a virgin to Singapore, I will go further out and do some more beach hunting.
Sentosa
Organizing a trip to Singapore can be a very simple task. Despite the distance, this corner of southeast Asia looks very accessible to travelers from around the world for one simple reason: it is home to Changi, the best airport in the world. Hundreds of flights arrive daily from anywhere in the world, either as a final destination or as a stopover connection. So the first point is easily solved. Now how to get to Singapore? As one of the many flights linking global destinations with the country. In my case, I arrived on a direct flight from Barcelona to Singapore aboard a Singapore Airlines B777 comfy, whom I thankful for the opportunity to visit this country for the first time. Singapore is a great place to make the scale of your flight destination to other Asian destinations. For passengers, Singapore Airlines offers the "Singapore Stopover" program that will help you do a very good price (I'll explain below). And discover a unique city-state, a stronghold of modernity, diverse cultures, service, friendliness. And more… I still have many things in the pipeline. Many that can cause or complete a single trip. For example, the Singaporean cuisine, the friendly people, shopping, colors and flavors, perfumes and brightness. The tropical climate or the order of its streets. And much more.
Singapore Airlines Section deserves special attention from the airline. I have seen firsthand that when people talk about the quality of care, the sympathy of the "Singapore girls" or the diversity of its cuisine in flight, they are absolutely spot on! I will tell you step by step of my flights with Singapore Airlines, but will mention that both Business Class and the Economy, the passenger is the main protagonist. Excellence is in the small details: very comfortable seats, great organization at the time of loading and unloading, kindness and willingness to every need of the passenger, a catering very carefully. All this is especially appreciated when you know you are facing a long (13 hour direct flight between Barcelona and Singapore) route, but which has the reward of feeling like a queen attended. Singapore Stopover Holiday The program is available to passengers of Singapore Airlines and Silk Air calling at Singapore. It includes accommodation in hotels ranging from the Ritz Carlton Ibis, shuttle service between the hotel and the airport, unlimited rides on the SIA Hop-On bus and entrance to the 14 major attractions in
Singapore. These are: the Singapore Flyer, the Original Singapore Walks, entrance to Sentosa Island with one-way trip on the cable car, a cruise on the river, entrance to the Maritime Museum and Aquarium, the MINT Museum of Toys, access to National Orchid Garden, a tour boat on the river, access to Jurong Bird Park, Singapore Zoo, the Chinese Heritage Centre, entrance to Battle Box at Fort Canning and free golf course in Marina Bay . The Singapore Stopover Holiday package (SSH) has a starting price of 13 euros per night per person in double room. If the passenger wishes besides the hotel and include unlimited free rides around town on the bus SIA Hop-On, and the entrance to the 14 major tourist attractions, this price is 20 euros.
