Singapore China Town

Singapore a city-country in South Asia quite close to Ecuator brings various surprises to a traveler. The first thing that you would be impressed with is the fact that Singapore is a very clean place; there are no papers, no cigarette buds or trash on the streets with only a few exceptions unnoticeable. In my multiple trips to Singapore there is one place that I always go back to see almost every time, this is the Singapore China Town.

All through the year you can enjoy great Chinese food and snacks as well as Singapore souvenirs on the streets of China Town. I would recommend a couple of restaurants which are totally great places to eat Chinese food and enjoy a beer. One of the best times in the year to visit China Town is during the Chinese New Year, sometimes in February. We've been there in February 2011 when they celebrate the Year of the Rabbit and we had a great time here.
















Some of the photos we took are right here below. There is a full festivity and celebration during this time of the year and the streets of China Town are packed with people from all over the world.

How to get in Chinatown? That is easy; just take the Exit A (on Pagoda Street) of North-East MRT line's Chinatown station and it will bring you right in the middle of the action. Clarke Quay, Boat Quay and the Singapore River to the north are also close to Chinatown and are worth visiting. I will cover it in a different post.

Singapore Chinatown - New Year decorations

Singapore Chinatown snacks and souvenirs

Chinatown in Singapore - beautifully decorated for the New Year

Temple in Singapore Chinatown

Cape PhromThep in Phuket Thailand

Last year for the Christmas and New Year holidays we decided to take a trip to Phuket which is a beautiful island in the South of Thailand. This is not a place to enjoy in 1 or 2 days so we decided to go there for 5 nights. After checking on which way would be better to get there we decided on taking the car as we can stop anywhere on the way - in case there is anything interesting. Train would take to long and the bus won't stop in any places and takes long as well.

From Bangkok to Phuket there are about 850 KM and the road is quite nice. On the first day I drove from Bangkok till Chumphon which is a town about 460 KM away from Bangkok on the way to Phuket. A quiet place to spend the night and enjoy great seafood on the seaside.

We continued our journey next morning towards Krabi and Phuket. Starting from Chumphon the road becomes really beautiful in a not-so-tall mountain region with many up and downs and curves that made me enjoy driving.

Here is the place to turn left and enjoy the great rest of the road to Phuket.

Once arrived in Phuket there are so many things to see and we had quite a list. Since I don't like to be tied on tours and operators we did our homeworks and knew what we would like to see.

One of the places that are a must to see in Phuket is the Cape Phromthep which is the most South part of the island. One should come here and enjoy the sunset with an open view to the sea. I heard that the cape is named after the Hindu god of creation, Brahma. The Golden Jubilee lighthouse contains a nautical museum and you can climb up there for a better view.

Quite a breathtaking view from this point: South towards the Andaman sea and on the North side you can see mountains and the big Buddha white statue in Phuket.
At the top there are also available a set of souvenir shops and a few restaurants, just in case. It is better to go there around 4:30 to 5:00 PM and stay until 6:30 or 7:00 PM and there is no fee attached to the entry. 

Cape Phromthep in Phuket island

You can take a walk down the hill on Cape Phromthep

Storm in the sea - Andaman sea