2014 Germany Trip - Amphitheater @ Trier (UNESCO World Heritage)

Location: Trier, Germany

Itinerary and full experience of my visit to Germany can be accessed through the link below:

List of all 2014 Germany Trip | Trier places I went to

<- previous: Porta Nigra (UNESCO World Heritage)

The last place that I chose to visit in Trier was quite near to my stay in Hilles Hostel. While wandering around the nearby suburbs and reveling in their peace and quiet, the amphitheater was visible over the low hill. In reality I need not pay an entrance fee and would still be able to see it, but I thought: why not just check out what it had to offer? It was not exactly exciting inside but the entrance fee was not without its pleasant surprise as well.

View of Amphitheater from the highest seating tier - the size was bigger than it seemed in this photo.

2014 Germany Trip - Porta Nigra @ Trier (UNESCO World Heritage)

Location: Trier, Germany

Itinerary and full experience of my visit to Germany can be accessed through the link below:

List of all 2014 Germany Trip | Trier places I went to

<- previous: Cathedral of Trier (UNESCO World heritage)

next: Amphitheater (UNESCO World Heritage) ->

As the icon of Trier, Porta Nigra is a must visit point of the city even if one has no interest in history. Despite being a Roman structure, its original Roman name was lost in time, and in the Middle Ages the locals named it "Black Gate" in Latin due to its darkened exterior. Since it is the only standing gate in Trier, it was also simply called by the locals Porta.

View of Porta Nigra from north-east, or rather, the "outside". This would be the side where ancient travelers would see when they wanted to enter Trier.

2014 Germany Trip - Imperial Baths (Kaiserthermen) @ Trier (UNESCO World Heritage)

Location: Trier, Germany

Itinerary and full experience of my visit to Germany can be accessed through the link below:

List of all 2014 Germany Trip | Trier places I went to

<- previous: Evergreen Hostel (previously Hilles Hostel)

next: Aula Palatina (UNESCO World Heritage) ->

I was drawn to the Imperial Baths from afar by its gigantic see through arches, recognizable from afar as the ruins' distinguished feature, even though I was not aware that it was one of Trier's UNESCO heritage treasure. In fact there wasn't much left of the original bath, the arches and some supporting walls being the only structure still standing. The structures looked impressively tall and sturdy when I stood close to it, and I could only think: the Romans were really capable engineers and architects to be able to build something that can last so long.

The impressive ruins of Imperial Baths

2014 Germany Trip - Panorama @ KölnTriangle

Location: Cologne, Germany

Itinerary and full experience of my visit to Germany can be accessed through the link below:

List of all 2014 Germany Trip | Cologne itinerary | Cologne places I went to

Where is the best spot for a panorama of Cologne? Would that be Cologne Cathedral's tower? You can of course get a splendid view, but alas the cathedral itself, the main draw of the city, would be missing from the picture. However a trek across Hohenzollern Bridge across the majestic River Rhine brought me to a tower jutting into the sky called KölnTriangle where I could get an unobstructed panorama of the whole city.

After paying the entrance fee of €3, I queued in front of the elevator and waited my turn to be whisked up. The skyward journey was unremarkable, and after a few ear-pops and being in the company of curious seekers, I arrived at the topmost level of the tower, close to a whooping 103 meters from ground.

It would look like any other kind of tall building from the outside.

2013 Hanoi Trip - Halong Bay Part 5 - Hiking Dao Go Cave (Hang Đầu Gỗ)

Location: Hanoi, Vietnam

Full experience of my visit to Hanoi can be accessed through the list below:

Attractions:   St Joseph's Cathedral | One Pillar Pagoda | Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum | Thang Long Water Puppet Theater

Dining:           New Day Restaurant | Sketch Coffee | Bánh Cuốn Gia Truyền | Dương Hoa Kem Caramen | Thu Nga Kem Xôi & Chè Thái Lan

More about Hanoi can be read through the list below:

Vietnamese Dong

After departing from the floating village, we cruised through the waters for some time, admiring the lowering sun and its reflection from the churning wake of other passing vessels. Our next stop ahead was much more secure than the floating structures of our last stop, for it was a concrete pier built on a side of an island.

Cruise vessels amassed on the pier and the size of it allowed them to comfortably line beside each other, their captains and crews sharing light conversations and cigarettes before the return of the passengers. Upon disembarking from the ship, we followed our guide to begin our hike.

Window to the Sky

2013 Hanoi Trip - Halong Bay Part 4 - Floating Village

Location: Hanoi, Vietnam

Full experience of my visit to Hanoi can be accessed through the list below:

Attractions:   St Joseph's Cathedral | One Pillar Pagoda | Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum | Thang Long Water Puppet Theater

Dining:           New Day Restaurant | Sketch Coffee | Bánh Cuốn Gia Truyền | Dương Hoa Kem Caramen | Thu Nga Kem Xôi & Chè Thái Lan

More about Hanoi can be read through the list below:

Vietnamese Dong

If we were just on board the ship and stared at the passing scenery for 6-hour, that would be a rather impersonal way to admire the natural appeal of Halong Bay. Fortunately for us, the trip included 2 highlights to dispel the monotony - a visit to the floating villages and a hike through the caves.

The UNESCO level beauty of Halong Bay hide an ugly past - caves of all sizes riddled the limestone karst islands scattered throughout the bay, lending pirates a haven after preying upon trading ships. With so many hiding places among the islands, it was a tough time for the authorities to wipe them out or to patrol the waters.

Hues of green

2013 Hanoi Trip - Halong Bay Part 3 - Halong Bay (Vịnh Hạ Long)

Location: Hanoi, Vietnam

Full experience of my visit to Hanoi can be accessed through the list below:

Attractions:   St Joseph's Cathedral | One Pillar Pagoda | Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum | Thang Long Water Puppet Theater

Dining:           New Day Restaurant | Sketch Coffee | Bánh Cuốn Gia Truyền | Dương Hoa Kem Caramen | Thu Nga Kem Xôi & Chè Thái Lan

More about Hanoi can be read through the list below:

Vietnamese Dong

Halong Bay is one of the most recognized name in the South East Asia, sharing its fame with the likes of Angkor Wat and Borobudur. Thousands of limestone karst islands of different size and geometry dotted the bay in the north east of Vietnam, attracting uncountable visitors near and far to cruise the waters every year, including us.

Most ships cast off at different times, depending on the speed of their passengers boarding. As the ship chugged away and cruised the waters, we just relaxed and enjoyed the moment while the captains enjoyed a slight competition in speed between different ships. Some enterprising businesses would power their boats close to each cruise and jumped aboard like a pirate, surprising unsuspecting passengers and peddling not death but fruits.

Land, sky and sea

2014 Germany Trip - Rathaus und Turm @ Rothenburg ob der Tauber

Location: Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Germany

Itinerary and full experience of my visit to Germany can be accessed through the link below:

List of all 2014 Germany Trip | Rothenburg itinerary | Rothenburg places I went to

As shared in my previous post, Marktplatz is but a crossroads and navigation point to gain one's bearing in Rothenburg ob der Tauber. Unless visitors are blind the renaissance mud brown facade of its town hall, the Rathaus, would not miss anyone's attention. Since I visited on a weekend, the halls were not opened for visits but another section of the same building, the tower, was still accessible for those in search of a magnificent view.

Rathaus (town hall) of Rothenburg ob der Tauber

2014 Germany Trip - St James's Church (Evangeliches-Lutheran Kirchengemeinde St. Jakob)

Location: Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Germany

Itinerary and full experience of my visit to Germany can be accessed through the link below:

List of all 2014 Germany Trip | Rothenburg itinerary | Rothenburg places I went to

My wife once asked me why I loved photographing churches. My reply to her was that I photographed not just churches, but most of the religious places, especially those which are historically rich in value and pleasing in aesthetics and architecture. To most people one church is no more different from another. For me however they each tell a different story. The stained glass weaves biblical lore and the spires, from the ornate to the simplistic, project the architect’s pride and dreams. St James’s Church in Rothenburg, one of its most important, is so similar yet so different.

St James's (St Jakob in German) Church

2014 Germany Trip - A UNESCO Heritage @ Würzburg Residenz

Location: Würzburg, Germany

German: Residenz is German for residence, which in this case is a palace as it is a residence for the royalty

Itinerary and full experience of my visit to Germany can be accessed through the link below:

List of all 2014 Germany Trip | All Würzburg attractions

As I have come to learn in my visits, not all buildings in the UNESCO Heritage List are beautiful. They are there because of their value, not their appeal. Yet there are definitely some which are a sight to see, one which travellers would not miss for whatever reason. With Würzburg Residenz I have come to gain another insight in my travels - sometimes buildings appeal more inside than outside.

It is unfortunate that no photographs are allowed within the palace building, so I have to resort to words to describe the feelings of my visit, a task that is monumental given that the beauty I beheld was one where words failed me.

Würzburg Residenz, a UNESCO Heritage listed building, basking under the sun. On the outset, the palace of the Prince-Electors may be as impressive as those emerging from fairy tales, but its interior would charm even the most indifferent visitor.

Dinosaurs - Dawn to Extinction Exhibition @ ArtScience Museum - Part 2

Location: Marina Bay, Central Business District (CBD), Singapore

Note: This is the second and last part of my experience in the Dinosaur exhibition. The previous part of the article can be read in Dinosaurs - Dawn to Extinction Exhibition Part 1.

The Dinosaurs exhibition had been fun so far, but I didn't feel impressed until my first encounter with a skeleton the size of a room. A large room in fact. Life was entering the late Triassic, and so had I. Welcome to the world where the dinosaurs started to win the competition for land and food.

Giant beings started roaming the Earth in the late Triassic era even though it wasn't their heyday yet. My first encounter with these looming giants was a battle scene re-enacted in a room, one between a towering Lessemsaurus and a carnivorous Fasolasuchus. The latter was smaller in size, but its barring teeth won in ferosity. To walk under the stretching tail of the Lessemsaurus sparked imagination of the roving giant stepping over you while battling its aggressor, and all would be awesome until you realized that you may not survive such a battle when it was stomping around.

To walk under and behind the Lessemsaurus granted me an unparalleled experience. It felt as if it just stepped over me to fight against its predator, until I realized that were that the reality, I most probably would not stand a chance of survival. 

Dinosaurs - Dawn to Extinction Exhibition @ ArtScience Museum - Part 1

Location: Marina Bay, Central Business District (CBD), Singapore

Note: This is the first of a two part sharing of a visit to Dinosaurs exhibition in ArtScience Museum. The coming article can be read in Dinosaurs - Dawn to Extinction Part 2.

I admit it here - I was a dino fan, the operative keyword here being 'was'. The rat race and reality altered my path out of my dream of being a palaeontologist, a job which involves multiple disciplines, a lot of patience and very little to show unless you struck gold (dino gold that is). Still, with a dinosaur exhibition in town, the deadened amber rekindled into a fire of passion. I may not be able to be a dino hunter, but I could still get to see what others managed to hunt face-to-face instead of going through still photos. ArtScience Museum, here I come!

Roar! Here comes the dino!

2013 Hanoi Trip - Thang Long Water Puppet Theater (Nhà hát múa rối Thăng Long)

Location: Hanoi, Vietnam

Vietnamese: Nhà hát múa rối Thăng Long

Full experience of my visit to Hanoi can be accessed through the list below:

Attractions:   St Joseph's Cathedral | One Pillar Pagoda | Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum | Lý Thái Tổ Garden

Dining:          New Day Restaurant | Sketch Coffee | Bánh Cuốn Gia Truyền | Dương Hoa Kem Caramen | Thu Nga Kem Xôi & Chè Thái Lan

More about Hanoi can be read through the list below:
Vietnamese Dong


When I was planning our trip to Hanoi, I frequently encountered the comment that one of the city's highlight was to attend a cultural show in Thang Long Water Puppet Theater. We entered the theater with great anticipation to be enthralled, so maybe our expectation proved to be the reason we felt disappointed upon the end of the show.

Thang Long Water Puppet Theater proved to be an easy reach from Hoan Kiem Lake once we got over our phobia and crossed the relentless traffic to the other side of the road. As if in fear of not being noticed among the jumble of buildings, the narrow profile of the building's front was decorated with a column of puppets, and come dusk they were all lit up eerily, reminding me of killer dolls in horror movies.

The theater shows a traditional play but boasts a modern facade. Puppets decorating the narrow front profile of the theater will lit up come dusk, an eerie display reminding me of killer dolls of horror movies.