Temple of Poseidon – Best Sunset View

Europe, Greece

While at Athens, there were many options for day trips and we went for Cape Sounion to See Temple of Poseidon. It’s the best half day trip you can opt for if you have limited time there.

The temple sits above a beach on a mountain, facing the sea. It’s also the southern most tip of the Attic Peninsula. The route towards Cape Sounion allowed us to have a scenic view, if you are seated on the right side of the vehicle.

We made a pit stop for some photo taking opportunities and really felt like we were chasing the sunset. The endless Aegean sea exuded this calm and tranquil feel.

And finally we reached the Temple of Poseidon, in which it’s named after Poisedon “God of Sea”. The 16 columns (now left 15) stood tall against the sun and we were just amazed how these columns can stood the test of time and harsh environment.

There were a crowd waiting at the top and some at the only cafe located there. So no worries about having to go to the washroom at this place.

Then it was sunset time and everyone was camping at some spaces to snap their cameras away. I have to say it’s the best sunset spot, not Meteora or Santorini in my opinion.

And then it was time to chase the last stream of ray before it gets too dark to make our way back. ✌🏻

Wanderlusting,

Salseralove

Santorini – The Proposal

Europe, Greece

Besides being an absolute gorgeous place, Santorini will always hold a special place in my heart as my bae proposed to me there. ✌🏻

We went to Oia to catch sunset and he chose a quiet corner to propose. A kind Samaritan actually took a photo of us and found me on IG to DM me! Totally grateful for the snapshot of our precious moment.

In Santorini, there’s 2 popular areas – Oia and Fira where tourists usually stay. We chose Fira as it’s near the city centre and we booked this place named Noni’s Apartment. It’s an awesome place to live for those who want a great sea view. We took Ryan Air from Athens and arrived after 1 hour flight time. After check-in, we toured around and searched for 3 Bells of Fira.

We settled upon this garden-themed cafe for lunch and went back to this place for dinner as well. In between, we had the Asian food at this China Famous Foods and the meal was comforting. There’s also a cafe selling nuts and coffee in which their coffee was priced at only sgd2!

As the weather was good, we decided to go Oia on our first day there to catch the sunset. Little did we know that the decision was right as bae was down with food poisoning the very next day. There’s abundance of cats wandering around the island and all of them look so chubby and cute. 🐱

Would highly recommend to go there earlier to reserve a seat for the sunset view as there’s a lot of people stationing there when we reach. But of course we were busy with our proposal haha. 😄

The very next day, bae was down with food poisoning and had to rest the entire day. We suspected it was because of the salmon that he had at the garden themed cafe for dinner, as he only threw up the salmon the very next morning. So I went around on my own and actually did decent shopping in Santorini. The weather at Santorini is erratic – it can be hot and sunny this minute and it suddenly pours the very next.

It’s pretty easy to explore Santorini and I’m impressed with my own self timer shots haha.

I did see donkeys being used as a form of transport whereby tourists can get a ride up and down to the Bay Area but after seeing how some donkeys are treated, I would not recommend taking this service.

I chanced upon a seafood restaurant named Lithos and got my bae out for lunch. He’s still recovering and looking better.

On the third day, we took up this private yacht tour to see the various beaches of Santorini and volcano. We were being driven to a Bay Area and boarded the yacht with few others.

The start of it was thrilling as the yacht sped against the tide but after a while, everyone was trying hard not to throw up LOL!

We docked at the volcano area to have lunch buffet but most of us did not have the appetite to eat. We began to feed the sea gulls instead.

For those who would like visit Santorini from Athens, I’ll recommend 3-4 days time to explore and enjoy the scenic views of Santorini. I hope to be back here again some day. 🙂

Wanderlusting,

Salseralove

Districts in Athens – Plaka, Monstiraski, Psyrri

Europe, Greece

Plaka

One of my favorite neighbourhood in Athens is Plaka.  Near the Acropolis, Plaka has this unique village feel where you can relax with a cuppa of coffee at sidewalk cafes, or get lost in this labyrinth. You can also find souvenir shops in this oldest district, lined with picturesque houses and narrow lanes. Overall, it gives you the feeling of travelling back in time.

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We had coffee at this famous Melina Merkouri Cafe and I just love the feeling of people-watching and doing nothing. 🙂

 

Before coffee, we had our lunch just opposite Melina Cafe and again, the food really got me so happy!

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At night, we came here for dinner and Plaka transformed to a romantic place. We chose this restaurant (Do not know the name in English so you may refer to the picture with its name in Greek). Something that I realised here was that they will help to cut up the fish whenever you order, which I really appreciated this service.

 

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Monastiraki

Monastiraki is a large part of Plaka district, is also known as the flea market in the old town of Athens. It’s also a popular tourist hangout and you will feel overwhelmed by the crowd. There is a popular, old traditional tavern named Bairaktaris Μπαϊρακτάρης which served all-day souvlaki kebabs and hearty Greek dishes. As recommended by our Greek friend, we just had to head down and check it out. We ate to our heart’s content and the portion was certainly huge!

Psyrri

Psyrri offers a vivid nightlife, known for restaurants, night bars, pubs etc. Located in this hip neighbourhood of Psyrri in a quiet street, there is this quirky cafe named Little Kook. You find yourself transform to a magical wonderland with its lavish decor!

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We just had to visit this Little Kook and immersed ourselves in this wonderland. But be warned that there will be long queues and we were so lucky to get a seat.

During our stay in Athens Gate Hotel, we visited Lotte Bistrot Cafe located nearby. It is a cozy bistro bar which offers coffee in a relaxed atmosphere. This is a good place to kick-start your day before you visit the Acropolis or the Modern Acropolis Msueum.

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Another good eating place would be Athina Bistrot just round the corner of Athens Gate Hotel. We went there twice as their food was really good and they were still opened even on Christmas Day! They have one of the best moussaka.

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I’ll update another entry on our day trip – Temple of Poseidon. Stay tuned!

Wanderlusting,

Salseralove

Greece – Meteora

Europe, Greece

We didn’t plan for this before our trip to Greece and I still remembered we booked it on Christmas eve night for this last minute tour on Christmas Day itself. For those who are heading to Greece during the Christmas period, you may want to take note that the stores will be closed on Christmas Day and Boxing Day so you may want to plan a day trip nearby. Also, not all tours operate on these 2 days too.

So bae and I sat at hotel lobby on Christmas eve at 8pm-10pm, frantically googling potential trips that we can go the very next day until our eyes were so tired. LOL. And lady luck was with us! We managed to secure slots with Meteora Thrones – Travel Center and the monasteries were opened! Lucky us.

So we headed to take the train the day after and the ride was very long – 6 hours. We took the train at Athens station to Thessaloniki station. We reached Meteora only around 2pm and joined the tour. We were close to frustration as our wifi was not working and we were so bored on board. But along the way, we saw beautiful sceneries from dry land to land covered in snow.

Meteora is listed as one of the UNESCO heritage list and is located in town near Kalambaka. It’s well known for the six monasteries perched on the high cliffs.  The view simply took our breath away and we totally forgot the suffering we had to reach here. (But we got reminded once we were heading back to Athens LOL)

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Due to time constraint, we only visited 2 monasteries – Great Meteoran Monastery and the Monastery of St Stephen. I would recommend to those who are heading to Athens, to make a day trip to this awesome place. Some of you may even recognise Meteora if you are a fan of Game of Thrones.

The tour allowed us to stop over at famous spots along the driveway and we caught one of the most beautiful sunset. It looks like heaven on earth.

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The sunset viewing spot was popular as everyone crowd at the spot to witness the last ray of light.

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Of course, we endured the way back to Athens during the 6-hour ride but it was all worth it. 🙂

Wanderlust,

Salseralove

My Travel Chronicles in 2017 and 2016

Random Thoughts


4 Continents & 18 Countries Visited.
Generated at Cmoreira.netJust a humble beginning of my travel journey of countries visited but sometimes it is not about how many countries that one has visited, but the experiences and memories that matter.

On a random note, one of the reasons why I started this blog is to jot down my travel chronicles and stories on the road. I was not an avid traveler and those who know me at least 5 years ago, would know that I’m a workaholic. Previously I would only travel once or twice a year. However, as time goes by and some life-changing events happen along the way, I began to realize how fragile life is. And amidst this rat race, sometimes we need to take a break and recharge ourselves for the upcoming hurdles. Travel to keep sanity. Moreover, with aggressive flight promos, easier travelling information and the evil IG feed of those influencers, planning your next trip gives you a certain life motivation. (Yes my bae keep asking me to unfollow the influencers whenever their pics sparked some interest in me. LOL)

While I’m busy planning my upcoming trips for this year, I was looking through my Instagram feed and began to trace back the days I’m away on my wanderlust journey.

My Travel Trips 

2017 (46 days of travel) 

  1. 23 Dec – Jan 1 (11 days)

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Greece (Athens and Santorini) Trip with bae

This was definitely one of my major events in my life whereby I got engaged! Yes my bae proposed to me at Santorini and we fell in love with Greece. I love the laidback pace, the food (omg the fresh seafood, pasta, moussaka, tzatiziki sauce, grilled octopus) I actually ate pasta few days in a row and I was not tired of it at all.

And the most memorable sunset I ever had was not at Santorini or Meteora, but Temple of Poseidon. Till now, I still can’t forget the feeling I had at the sunset.

  1. 28 Oct – Nov 11 (15 days)

IMG_1182Canada and US Trip with bestie

We were first toying with the idea of a long trip and maybe to US and ta-da! We actually made it happen and we certainly went crazy. The long flight haul was really unpleasant but no pain no gain. Niagara Falls was awesome except the unknown taxes that kept appearing on our receipts.

Th craziest thing we did was the open door air ride which we booked with Flynyon. The best dessert got to be Magnolia Bakery banana pudding while the best food award goes to Shake Shack!!! I really hope the rumour of shake shack coming to SG is true. I seldom eat fast food (once a year?) but for shake shack, I’ll do it gladly!

  1. 10-13 Aug (4 days)

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Vietnam – Ho Chi Minh City trip with bae

It was my first time visiting Vietnam despite being just a few hours of flight time away from Singapore. I love their vietnamese coffee and the thing I love about this trip was the cafe hopping and constant relaxation most of the time.

  1. 27 Jul – 30 Jul (4 days)

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Indonesia – Bali trip with bestie

Bali got me hooked badly and I constantly craved to go back there whenever there seems to be a chance to travel. Their smoothie bowls and a lot of healthy eating options certainly appeal to me. With new cafes sprouting and IG worthy activities (The famous Bali Swing at Zen Hideaway), it’s really hard not to like Bali. Love it so much that I went back for my birthday trip with bae in Feb 2018.

  1. 13 and 19 June (2 days)

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Hong Kong work trip

I was there on a work trip so I won’t considered the entire trip to be a holiday, except the first and last day whereby we have some time to eat and explore before work begins. Have been to Hong Kong a couple of times and the first thing that I would always do, is to eat dim sum and drink HK milk tea! And of course, I will surely buy Jenny Bakery cookies back and savour them every day.

  1. 16 and 22 May (2 days)

Bangkok work trip

Another work trip to Bangkok and I had my worst case of food poisoning because of kimchi at a Korean Restaurant! I was a huge fan of kimchi but after this incident, I was scarred for life. Nothing memorable as I was just glad to be back home to nurse my poor stomach.

  1. 15 – 17 April (3 days)

Taipei Itinerary

Taiwan – Taipei with dance friends

It was a rush trip with my dance friends to attend a salsa festival in Taipei and basically it was just eating and dancing.

  1. 15 Feb – 20 Feb (6 days)

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Australia – Sydney trip with bae

This was my birthday trip and it started off with me falling real sick. But I guess Sydney sceneries and attractions sort of healed me somehow. :p

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One of the highlights would be to tick off my bucket list of Bondi Beach! This is life. I can totally stare into the ocean and let my mind wander for hours. That’s how marketing and creative people work right? 🙂

2016 (36 days of travel)

  1. 23 – 27 Dec (5 days)

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China – Guangzhou trip with bae

We spent the Christmas holidays in Guangzhou during this short trip and I would say it is more of an eating expedition. We ate dim sum every day until we were so scared of it. Their taste of dim sum differs from that of Hong Kong and one of the better dim sum place that offers a localized flavour (HK style that we are used to) would be Tao Tao Ju.

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Another key highlight would be Bing Sheng Pin Wei (Otherwise known as Bingsheng Taste) for their BBQ Pork Char Siew! It’s the best and till date I have not tasted anything close that can beat that.

  1. Nov 26 – 4 Dec (9 days)

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Japan – Tokyo trip with bestie

After catching sakura for 2 times in Japan, I was on a mission to see autumn foliage. We picked the right dates though we totally miss the foliage at Showa Memorial Park. So memorable because we walked so long and spent a lot of time only to reach there to witness rows of bare trees.

Tokyo Autumn Trip Part 2

But we were rewarded with tons of foilage views from other attractions so I’m still a happy girl. 🙂

  1. 20 Sept and 26-28 Sept (4 days)

Hong Kong Trip - 9 places to eat

Hong Kong work trip + solo travel

So I extended my work trip after the event and did some solo travel after. It was mostly eating and I gained a few kilos when I came back! Had to work extra hard to shed them and control my diet thereafter. I had the luxury to have some me-time after an unfortunate event and that’s when I decided that I have other important priorities in life, commitments and responsibilities, though one should live life to the fullest. But the question is, isn’t it difficult? How do your drop everything and pursue what you want and lead your life the YOLO way? I’m still trying to understand and balance this.

  1. 6-10 Aug (5 days)

Cafes to Visit in Bangkok Part 2

Thailand – Bangkok trip with bestie

A short getaway to Bangkok with the main aim of cafe hopping with my partner in crime. I’m not too sure if some of the cafes I’ve been to are still around but I still remembered that Karmakamet Diner served us the IG worthy cotton candy strawberry dessert and charged us for it; we thought that it was complimentary but it cost around SGD$16, if I remember correctly.

Other than this, we had massage every day at Lek Massage and I was hooked onto Herbal Compress! I need to do this for my upcoming trip to BKK soon!

  1. 14 June and 20-26 June (8 days)

Annyeong Haseyo! Korea Trip - Seoul

Korea – Seoul work trip + bae

Went to Seoul for a work trip and extended it so bae joined me later on. We ended up eating Japanese food most of the time somehow and love the cafes at Sinsa area.

  1. 28 Apr – May 2 (5 days)

Perth Itinerary

Australia – Perth trip with bae

My birthday trip and first time heading to Australia! We totally did not know that we need to apply visa until we check-in at the counter. We were so shocked and thankfully it was settled on the spot.

The most memorable experience was the walk through King’s Park for hours. The tranquility and the cooling walk in the weather made everything perfect. I reckoned I burnt 2000 calories from that walk to Crawley edge boat shed. Fremantle had its old charm with eclectic mix of arts and trendy cafes/bars. I would love to go back Perth again.

Well, that’s all for my travel chronicles of 2017 and 2016. I had vague memories of past trips but I’m looking forward to creating new ones in 2018.

Here’s a snapshot of my 2018 trips.

Indonesia – Bali: Birthday trip in Feb and I had a smashing great time with bae

Myanmar – Yangon and Bagan trip: First time travelling with Minz (my JC friend) whom I have known for 16 years!

Thailand – Khao Yai trip: Again, first time travelling with Jocelyn whom I have known for 5 years.

Thailand – Bangkok / Chiang Rai / Chiang Mai trip: Work trip in BKK before I head over to Chiang Rai and then Chiang Mai to meet my bestie!

Cambodia – Siem Reap and Phnom Penh trip: Have been wanting to go to cambodia for years everytime bae and I talked about it for the National day weekend. We are finally going to materialize this year. 🙂

Los Angeles – Another trip brewing with bestie. La la land, here we come!

Turkey and Morocco trip: This is going to be my most important trip till date as I’ll be having my pre-wedding photoshoot in Cappadocia! I have to drop by Morocco as it is my top priority on my to-go travel list. I’m so excited!

Wanderlust,

Salseralove