Keep Calm And Wander

Sri Lanka’s Kandy Lake – Keep Calm and Wander

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Sri lanka's Kandy Lake - Keep Calm and Wander

The views around Kandy Lake are worth seeing. I recommend you walk around the lake and just enjoy it leisurely. Stop in a nearby cafe or under a shed if you needed to. Strolling around was actually kind of therapeutic to me after a whirlwind of sightseeing days before I arrived here. On my second day in Kandy, I had a whole morning free so I used the time to stroll around Kandy Lake.

After the early visit to the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic, I told my driver I’d spend the rest of the morning strolling. He was okay with it and told me where to meet him afterwards.

Kandy Lake is a man-made lake that was built in 1807 to beautify the the country’s most sacred Buddhist temple.

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Sri Lanka Gay Travel Resources

Walking Tour in Gay Jakarta – Keep Calm and Wander

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Gay Jakarta

A walking tour in Jakarta is possible – as long as you have the stamina to walk around, of course! And when I say walk, I’m talking about 4-6 hours of movement from one place to another. But such length of time depends on the pace you’d like to take. Remember that Jakarta is a huge city and streets can be confusing for a first time visitor.]

Hire a Tour Guide

I highly recommend getting a private tour guide for this walking tour – just like I did. It saved me so much time from researching and using Google maps. My guide made sure that I had a total experience of the city. We walked in streets and alleys, crossed bridges and passed through the nitty-gritty parts of Jakarta. We also took a shared public cab once and got on a train – and I loved the experience! If you want the same experience I had, you better call or send WhatsApp text message to Prie via +62-818-0228-8008.

My tour guide picked me up at Oria Hotel in central Jakarta on a rainy morning. He brought with him two raincoats, just in case we needed it. Fortunately, when we started at 9:00 in the morning, the rain temporarily stopped. And since the streets were wet and slippery, we walked slower than expected. These are the places and activities we did – in order of visitation.

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Analana Park: Where the Weird Things Are – Keep Calm and Wander

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Analana Park - Keep Calm and Wander

At Analana Park – it’s where the weird things are. I mean, they look weird to me. And scary, too! Nope, they’re not of small size but of giant size! Goodness, what if they were real or would suddenly move? I would never have the chance to run nor the chance to plead for my life. Those creatures could just spit at me and I’d turn into a rolling ball.

Where is Analana Park?

The park is inside the Prambanan Temple complex in Yogyakarta. You can only see it after you exit where the main temples are. Just follow the exit signs and you will find your way to the park’s entrance.

The Straw Characters

The first things you notice when entering the park are the giant characters. As you can see, they look impressive and are made of straw.

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Indonesia Gay Travel Resources

Singapore’s Floral Fantasy – Keep Calm and Wander

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Singapore's Floral Fantasy - Keep Calm and Wander

The Floral Fantasy at the Gardens by the Bay is just one of the tourist attractions inside Singapore’s most-visited destination. It’s not cheap to get in though, so I can understand that many visitors would skip it. There were only a few when I visited it, so my photos turned out great! 😀 

But was it worth going inside? Well, if you are into flowers and instagrammable photos – then you are in a perfect place!

With more than 3,000 species of plants, I actually expected the place to be quite big. Perhaps, it will only take a minute from the entrance to the exit door without looking at the flowers. The whole time I was there, I finished in thirty minutes, including the 4D video ride, showing the various places to explore inside the Gardens by the Bay.

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Caverns of the Marble Mountains – Keep Calm and Wander

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Caverns of the Marble Mountains - Keep Calm and Wander

Exploring the caves at the Marble Mountains in Da Nang can be really confusing. There are just so many of them and you don’t even know where to start – even if you follow the map. Going to one direction would mean either you will miss a cave or you will have to go back on the same route to reach the other caves in the opposite direction. There are no shortcuts here. I ditched the map they gave me. I just followed the signs.

The Marble Mountains

The Marble Mountains is a collective name for 5 groups of mountains named after five elements. They are Hoa Son (Fire), Kim Son (Metal), Tho Son (Earth), Thuy Son (Water), and Moc Son (Wood).

As the name suggests, the mountain is popular because of its marbles and limestones. Climbing these mountains is just one of the few things to do in Da Nang. Aside from its beaches, I think this is the city’s most visited tourist attraction.

There are not only caves to see here but there are also pilgrimage sites, tunnels, and a revolutionary base used during the Vietnam War.

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Vietnam Gay Travel Resources

Gay Hanoi – Keep Calm and Wander

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Gay Hanoi - Keep Calm and Wander

Here are 20 things to do and see in gay Hanoi (Vietnam). If you are into Vietnamese food, this list won’t help you much. I’m not including the names of restaurants because when you are in Hanoi, you can eat everywhere, especially in the Old Quarter. The locals love their food so much that it’s no wonder food stalls and restaurants are ubiquitous in the city. The list below is mostly tourist attractions in the city which you can pretty much read in travel guides.

How to get around Hanoi

You can all do the sightseeing by yourself with no problem. However, Hanoi is huge, and walking from one attraction to another can be tiring. So, you better consult your Google map where to start first and where to end. Also, the fastest and the cheapest way to go around is by hailing a Grab bike/scooter. Another option is to rent a motorbike daily or weekly.

Tourist Attractions in Hanoi

Let’s start from the area where you can walk from one place to another. The first six attractions on this list are within walking distance from each other. 

1. Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum

This is a heavily-guarded place where tall guards in white uniforms are freakin’ good-looking. Really! Zoom in your camera and you’d know I’m not exaggerating. Unfortunately, the mausoleum is not open to the public. All you can do is walk from the entrance to the main square and to the exit. Just in case you are wondering who Ho Chi Minh is – he was once the president of Vietnam and a well-respected revolutionary leader.

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Hanoi, Vietnam Gay Travel Resources

Swinging in Bali – Keep Calm and Wander

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Swinging in Bali - Keep Calm and Wander

You know you can’t leave Bali without getting on one of the swings everywhere on the island. They’re literally scattered everywhere. If you see coconuts and rice fields in one place, there’s a big chance that there are a few swings around. Or perhaps, a man-made nest intended for humans, not for birds.

Yes, swings and nests are just two of the most artificial “tourist attractions” in around Ubud promoted as “theme parks” Or whatever they call it.

A fellow traveler and I went to Aloha Ubud because you know – we wanted to experience the thrill of it all. But when we arrived at the reception – boy, the prices got me backed off the moment I read it! Goodness, it’s more expensive than going inside MoMa in New York or at the Louvre Museum in Paris!

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Arab Street – The Most Colorful Street in Singapore? – Keep Calm and Wander

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Arab Street Singapore - Keep Calm and Wander

Is Arab street the most colorful neighborhood in Singapore? For me, I think it is. I went there once during my trip – and boy – the street is as colorful as the rainbow!

It brought me back to the times I was in the souqs (markets) in Marrakech, Fez, Jeddah, Cairo, Beirut, and Istanbul.

Well, this street is not exactly what it’s like in the Middle East, but there are familiar scenes and things that reminded of getting lost in the souqs.

Arab Street in Singapore is just a tiny neighborhood. In fact, if you go in there just for your Instagram photos, thirty minutes will be enough. That, of course, if you are that kind of traveler who came for the colorful shots and not for the destination.

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Sunrise at Bali’s Mount Batur

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Mount Batur at Sunrise - Keep Calm and Wander

My adventurous trek to Mt Batur volcano to watch the sunrise was all worth it! 

“Sunrise trek to Mount Batur? Why not? Ok, sign me in!” Those were the words I uttered when a tour agent asked if I’d be interested. Of course, I paid the tour right away without qualms. You see – I love a mountain climb. I always do. At my age right now (I’m not really that old hag yet), I know, I’d be slower than I used to be.

For me, it’s all about proper breathing when trekking/climbing/hiking a mountain. And of course – keeping a distance from the person you are following with. I find that if I hike closer behind someone, I’m pressured/forced to keep up – and I won’t enjoy the journey anymore. So, I want to be the last one in a group.

Mount Batur Volcano Trek Tour

Based in Ubud, I was picked up at my accommodation at 2:15 AM. Then, they served us a pre-breakfast food: banana pancakes and coffee/tea. Right after that, we’re off to the base of Mt. Batur. When we arrived there, two guides met us (a group of 9) and briefed us about safety. They then each gave us a small flashlight for the trek.

At 3:40, we started our trek in the darkness. Under the star-filled skies, the adventurous climb was off to a good start.

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Bali Gay Travel Resources

Malaysia’s Petronas Towers – Keep Calm and Wander

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Malaysia's Petronas Towers

The Petronas Towers are identical towers that are synonymous to Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia. They’re the most iconic skyscrapers and architectural wonders in the city’s skyline. No visit in KL without a glimpse of these silver-colored twins.

The first time I saw them eons ago, I thought they resembled a rocket, ready to launch in space. 😉

Standing at 1,483 feet, the towers have 88 habitable floors. They are finished off with a pyramid-like structure topped with a thin steel spire.

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Malaysia Gay Travel Resources