It was not my first time in Vang Vieng but I don’t want to remember the first time I was there. It was such a bad experience staying in a place close to where music blasted all night. The atmosphere was so strange. All the drunk young people clad next to nothing walking around town made the place look so cheap, very low class. Young people partying and taking drugs had caused many accidents including death as they floated on the river on tubes and go diving head first on shallow waters.

But now the party place of Asia has been cleaned up. Not only that, staying in a very nice boutique hotel made it lovely. The combination of mountains and the river as a daily view from the room was breathtaking. I haven’t been in a swimming pool with such a spectacular view. Indeed I never want to leave this place.

And for Roti lovers, a Roti cart can be found in every corner. I can easily call Vang Vieng the real Roti place. And oh, I went on the hot air balloon. It was so worth it!

I didn’t remember Burj Khalifa at all when I was in Dubai. I forgot all about the Tom Cruise’s stunts on this tallest man-made structure in the world. Standing at 2,722 ft., it felt like I was in Gotham city, visiting Batman or something like that. Looking at it from the 30 acres man-made Burj Khalifa Lake, I can say it’s remarkable but not romantic as, let’s say, the Eiffel Tower. 

Burj Khalifa up-close

Burj Khalifa from afar

There is nothing new to this Island Sunset Tour in Krabi. Every travel agency in Krabi is selling this tour. So I would think that everyone who has been to Krabi has done it. But this is no excuse to not experience it. In fact, I was quite convinced that it’s something that must be done. We went swimming in the sunshine, we enjoyed the views and the gorgeous sunset and we got to swim in the dark. But with phosphor in the water, we were emitting light as we moved our bodies. It was amazing. 

Swimming in Poda island

I’ve never seen the sun in Railey Beach but at least they have Roti.

Beautiful Sunset

The last hint of sunlight for the day in Tup Island

There is something in its name that isn’t quite right. Yes, it is a lake of 2.5 square kilometres in dimension. But the lotuses are not exactly red but pink. In fact, they are not lotuses at all but water lilies. Yet the entire lake is so gorgeous – a vast patchwork of vivid pink colour of stunning beauty. Everywhere I look, there is an abundance of pink water lilies floating on the water. They satisfy my eyes and gave me a wonderful feeling of being grateful for life itself. 


This lake is called Talee Bua Daeng or The Red Lotus Lake. It is located in Udon Thani province, Northern Thailand. Some 3 kilometres away from the town centre, I started the journey by road at dawn. I had to get there by 6 as I wanted to see the sunrise. Also, the tour boats only run until 10 when the beautiful pink lilies are in full bloom. By noon, the flowers close. 

I hopped onto the hired boat for a two hours ride and was gently transported to a very pleasant, tranquil place. The weather was very nice. Fresh, cool air was touching my face but not cold. To see the sun slowly rising on the background was stunning and utterly breathtaking. To watch the morning breaking softly surrounded by beauty was such an unforgettable moment. I can hear the birds singing sweetly from a distant. The sound of the water breaking swiftly as the boat moves forward gave a feeling of peace. 


It was said that this lake is known for an ancient love story with a very sad ending. But it is hard to know which ancient love story it is. There are many ancient love stories centred around a lake with tragic finale. In fact, I can’t find more information about this lake. I wanted to know more about its history but there were no tourist guides to tell me its story. I didn’t find anyone around the area who can tell me either, not even the men who guide the boats around the lake. There were no tourist information to be found. 

But probably the wonderful scenery speaks for itself. The lake with all its beauty was telling me and everyone else there that indeed it is the most beautiful place on earth!

Twelve Sunflowers in a Vase, 1888

If you have been to Chiang Mai already and you like this sort of thing, you’ve been here for sure. I saw tons of photos from this place and each of them was looking quite fun. So why not see it for myself. I didn’t have any regrets. I quite enjoyed my time with Vincent Van Gogh. 

Self – Portrait with Pipe And Bandaged Ear, 1889

Starry Night Over the Rhone (1888)

Though the road getting there was a bit too narrow and scary I would say, I recommend staying at Pataleban Vineyard Resort if you want to wake up every morning with a spectacular view. It’s an hour drive from the centre of Kathmandu. Here locals come for a weekend picnic or just to take photo. The staff are friendly and I learned from the manager that I can’t look like a Nepalese because I don’t have a mountain nose. 

Walking up at 5:00 in the morning was necessary to make it to the mountain flight to see the Himalayas and the Mt. Everest. Fortunately, it was a clear morning. The skies were blue and the pilots allowed me to the cockpit to take this photo. I also had the whole backseat of the plane. So I moved freely to the left and to the right. It was one of the best experiences I had in life. It was amazingly beautiful! 

I’m not so convinced but perhaps Rudyard Kipling had some influence why Mandalay is famous all over the world. In 1890 when he was 24 years old, he wrote the poem Mandalay. The poem colourfully illustrates the nostalgia and longing of a British Empire soldier for the exotic Asia.

Mandalay is the second largest city and the last royal capital of Myanmar. Located around 700 km north of Rangoon on the East bank of the Irrawaddy River, the city has a population of over a million. It is considered the centre of Burmese culture.

Personally, the most attractive feature of Mandalay is not the numerous religious sites to visit or the Mandalay Hill for a spectacular spot to watch the sunset but the friendliness of the city. While walking on the road, people will take the time to stop and ask if they could be of help, if direction is needed for a certain place. I haven’t seen so friendly and helpful hotel staff such as in Mandalay that it was so spontaneous and contagious. Hotel guests coming from different parts of the world were so much friendlier than usual that it was quite hard to not engage in conversations. So it’s not really the place if you would rather have some peace and quiet.

(Photo taken at the Mandalay Central Train Station)