Nature Walk In Singapore

During my recent trip to Singapore, I realised Singapore has lot more than a pretty skyline to offer. A quick search on Google led me to many  walking trails and wide variety of options to test my endurance.

Decided to try MacRitchie Reservoir TreeTop Walk, a popular hiking spot among nature lovers in Singapore. It offers many different routes of varying difficulty and I am sure  it was a bit confusing to first timers like me, but I should also say they have definitely made effort to make it easy by putting up with lots of sign on the way.

A free-standing suspension bridge of about 250 metres, known for its scenic nature views and accessed by hiking trails is the key attraction this trail offers to its visitors.

Keep in mind, if you decide to go on the suspension bridge, it is too narrow to turn back mid way and hence prepare yourself for lots and lots of wooden stairs to climb down when you reach the end of the suspension bridge. I should warn you as it will not be a pleasant experience if you have knee problems.  The visit doesn't cost anything - no entry fee, which is surprising given the fact that you are in Singapore.

Located at 601 Island Club Rd, Singapore 578775, one could choose different hike trails based on the time availability.  The shortest route is from Venus Drive Carpark, which is 2 kilometres to the TreeTop as per the sign board, but when you walk it feels like you are walking forever. There is a Ranger station with restroom and resting place on the way. But keep in mind this place has lot of monkeys and there are sign board warning about snakes. So it is good to be prepared when you plan to visit.

Helsinki, Finland

Helsinki Cathedral

The idea of spending a weekend in Finland, yet another Scandinavian country worked well for me. Flew from Oslo, Norway on Friday 5th June to Helsinki and stayed in Espoo, which requires by train travel of approximately an hour from Helsinki central / Kamppi. 

Uspenski Cathedral

On Saturday morning after having breakfast (Karelian rice pies - Finland pasties,  made from a thin rye crust with a filling of rice, Indian Bread Patato Rolls and Indian Tea) reached Helsinki central at 9:30 a.m and decided to explore the city on foot. Started of with the visit to Esplanade park before making my first stop at  one of the most popular tourist and  iconic  Helsinki Cathedral or the white church which was built between 1824 and 1826.  As the centre of Helsinki has many fine churches representing different styles decided to go for the Uspenski Cathedral or the Red Church, which reflects the Russian influence on the helsinki architecture.

As it was a sunny day, decided to take the ferry to Suomenlinna  island (15 minutes journey) and spend the next 3  hours in the island.  The island was busy with many picnicing groups and many meusuem visitors.  As it turned out to be a Suomenlinna meusuem day, entrance to all 4 meusuems were free and everyone was having a good time.

Later at 2 p.m was back to White church to watch the Brazil dance festival, which went till 5 pm.  It was good to watch school kids to older adults dancing to very entertaining music with colourful costumes.

Samba Carnaval 2015

Samba Carnaval 2015

Samba Carnaval 2015

Samba Carnaval 2015

On Sunday, visited the Olympic stadium, which provides a beautiful aerial view of the city before visiting the Sibelius Monument, dedicated to the Finnish music composer Jean  Sibelius.
The monument consists of series of more than 600 hollow steel pipes welded together in a wave-like pattern and the intention of the artist was to capture the essence of the music of Sibelius.

Sibelius Monument

As it turned out to be a windy day was not expecting much crowd in the park, but as there was some kind of photography competition and was able to witness many people trying to get different facade of the park with their SLR camera apart from the regulars, jogging and reading books.

After a late lunch, started my return journey to Oslo, Norway by the Fin Airways. The 2 day travel pass, I bought at the Airport turned out to be a very good deal as I ended up in spending only 18 EURO for all my travel (commute from airport by bus, commute to espoo on train, ferry to Suomenlinna island and local trams and bus within the city).


Samba Carnaval 2015

 

The Pulpit Rock and Drøbak, Norway

Preikestolen - Lysefjord

Being in Norway, gave me a wonderful opportunity to go to different kinds of places like Drøbak (chill out for a day) and Preikestolen (hike for a day). Let me share my hiking experience first.



Pulpit Rock

Preikestolen also known as The Pulpit Rock is by far the best known tourist attraction in Norway. It towers an impressive 604 metres over the Lysefjord and takes about 2 hours to reach the top from the start of the trail. It is located in Ryfylke in south‑western Norway and offers an wonderful hike with an amazing view.

Hike to Pulpit Rock

How to reach Pulpit Rock:

During summer, from Stavanger Sola airport take airport shuttle to Stavanger ferry terminal (shuttle travel 20 Minutes). Then take the ferry from Stavanger to Tau and continue by bus to start of the trail ( ferry+bus travel 90 Minutes) The bus stop at Tau is next to ferry and is timed with ferry timing, so not much of waiting for the bus.

Enjoy hiking...

Drøbak Fjord

If you are fancy a one day romantic getaway, when in Oslo, Norway then look no further than Drøbak, which is about 40 to 50 minutes bus ride from Oslo S. What else can one expect more when you are in cute and calm little town, with lot of old buildings on narrow street and which is beside the blue waters of the Oslo Fjord.

As the ferry service (recommend mode of transportation in Summer) starts only from Easter, headed straight to the Oslo Bus Terminal, after having breakfast (fresh slice of bread with butter and brunost -caramelised  brown chees and an hot espresso) and took the bus No 541 to  Drøbak. Had to shell out 70 NOK one way per person but thoroughly enjoyed the visit to Drøbak, though summer hasn't arrived and party hasn't started yet.

Drøbak Street Map

A leisurely stroll around Drobak including the visit to OSCARSBORG as a refreshing.



Drøbak Church

In the evening, visited the Peppes Pizza (Norwegian pizza chain), for a bite of smoked salmon pizza (salmon forms the basis of many Norwegian dishes) before heading back to Oslo.

Peppes Pizza

Oslo, Norway

Planning to spend a weekend in Oslo, Norway, below are some of my suggestions, you might want to consider. 



Holmenkollen



Pedestrians friendly Karl Johans 

 

If you flying down to Oslo Gardermoen airport (the main airport), take a Flytoget, the Airport Express Train to Oslo Central Station (cost you about 180 NOK per person). It is the fastest and most convenient way to reach Oslo S. There are normal trains and bus services as well. Check out the information desk at the airport for guidance. By the way, almost eveyone in Oslo speaks English, so no worries if you ever get lost but also remember that the most local beleive if someone smiles at them, the stranger has to be either a tourist or drunk :) , so don't get offended by the behaviour.

There are Narvesen and 7- Eleven stores at the airport and at Central Station as well, where you can buy your T-Bane (local metro train which runs within Oslo) pass for Zone 1 (either for 1 day or 1 week). The pass works out to be cheaper than buying tickets for each trip (30 NOK each trip).

Now let's get on with our weekend plan.

Saturday Plan

Karl Johans View from Oslo S

Karl Johans Street
The main and most famous street in Olso, which leads to the Royal Palace from Oslo Central Station is named after the king who started work on the palace, Karl Johans. It runs from the Central Railway Station past the Storting (the Norwegian parliament), the National Theatre, the University of Oslo and ends at the Royal Palace. Large parts of it were recently (in 2005) redone to make it friendly for pedestrians. One can find many restaurants right from TGI Friday's, American restaurant, Jaipur Indian restaurant to United Bakeries to all kinds of branded stores to do your shopping on the way. Karl Johan is always buzzing with some kind of activities and you will often see groups of people and tourist walking around or having a drink in the street-side pubs.

Norway Shopping

Norway Parliament
The Stortinget, or the great council is the supreme legislature of Norway, which was established in 1814. The parliament has 169 members, and is elected every four years.  If you fancy a tour inside the parliament, there are free guided tours, which usually last for approximately 1 hour and is open for all. The visitors are expected to arrive at the Akersgata entrance, which is on the back side of the building. Since there is a limitation of 30 members per tour, it is better to arrive 20-30 minutes early for the guided tour programs to avoid disappointments. Some tour are in English (one at 10 a.m on Saturday) and some are in Norwegian, so be sure to check the tour timing. More details at www.stortinget.no.

Stortinget, Oslo

The Royal Palace
The Royal Palace overlooks the west end of Karl Johan and is the home for King Harald V and Queen. The Palace is open to the public during the summer, but is not free. (Costs approximately 90 NOK for adult). The back side entrance by Slottsgården should be used and the tours last for approx. one hour and it takes visitors through some of the most beautiful state rooms in the Royal Palace. In winter the only option will be to witness the changing of the guard event, which happens every day at 1.30 pm.

The Royal Palace, Oslo

Sunday Plan

14 meter tall single stone sculpture

 

Vigelandsparken
Start your day by visting Vigelandsparken, which is one of the popular places in Oslo to enjoy the most famous 14 meter tall Monolith sculpture carved out of single stone.

Be amazed by Gustav Vigeland's work, when you enjoy your morning walk. One could take a any west bound Tbane from Oslo S to Majorstuen and short walk to the park, or can take the tram 12 from Oslo S.

Oslo Tram

Bronze Sculpture



Dare to Ski at
Holmenkollen

Holmenkollen
One of the unique tourist attractions in Oslo is the Holmenkollen National Arena. If you have the zone one, day pass for the T-Bane, one could take T-Bane Route 1 from Oslo S (central station) to Frognerseteren and get down at the Holmenkollen stop. The Holmenkollen National Arena which hosts international Nordic skiing tournaments and Winter World Skiing Championship is located close to the station. One could visit the Ski Museum and the Jump Tower, which are open from 10 a.m throughout the year, will cost you 120 NOK, but will offer you a panoramic view of the place. In winter, I would recommend to spend more time by going up to the last T-Bane stop  Frognerseteren and enjoy either skiing or watching others skiing. There are many trails and are open to all. I was really impressed with the number of locals arriving every hour to Frognerseteren, which shows how much Norwegian love skiing & snow.



Frozen Sognsvann

Sognsvann Lake
Lying just within the greenbelt around Oslo (just north of Oslo), the Sognsvann (or Sognsvannet) lake is a popular recreational area, used as a camping, picnicking and bathing destination by the residents of Oslo during the summer, as well as a cross-country skiing, skating and ice fishing in the winter. Even a leisurely walk around the lake (3.3 km circumference) in summer or winter would be enjoyable. If you have the zone one, day pass for the T-Bane, one could take T-Bane Route 6 from Oslo S (central station) and get down at the last stop Sognsvann. The lake is 2 min walk from the station.


Sognsvann

Other tourist attractions worth to visit are the Akershus Fortress - medieval castle, Nobel Peace Center and Oslo City Hall - Nobel Peace Prize is awarded.
 

Nobel Center

Scotland

Booked ticket on the coach (bus) for the journey (10 hours) from London Victoria to Edinburgh and for the local commute; in and around Edinburgh and Loch ness, hired a car from Edinburgh. It was a 3 day visit to Scotland.

Authur's seat - Edinburgh

Spend our first day in Edinburgh town which is the oldest town in Scotland by visiting mirror obscura (http://www.camera-obscura.co.uk) where you can experience all kind of mirror illusion, the royal mile, earth museum and Arthur's seat - A popular trekking site in the center of the city and provides excellent panoramic views of the city. It is relatively easy to climb; unfortunately we did not trek to the top due to lack of time.

Snow capped mountain Scotland

Second day, we started from Edinburgh around 7:50 am and via Blair castle (www.atholl-estate.co.uk) reached Loch ness at 12 and our first stop was at the Loch ness center and exhibition (www.lochness.com) . Spend about an hour before visiting the Jacobite fleet (www.jacobite.co.uk) for a 2 hour cruise down the loch. The cruise (cost 20 pounds) include 30 minutes boat ride, 1 hour castle visit and 30 minutes ride back. The Urquhart castle stands as mostly destroyed one with a information center build to provide visitors a chance to see a documentary about the castle history. 

The day was pleasant sunny day with temperature reaching up to 19 degree centigrade which made our trip exciting. Finally, we drove back to Edinburgh for the night; enjoying the view of snow capped mountains on the way.

Submarine at Lock ness Visitor center

Day three: What can one do on a chilly cold Monday morning in Scotland? I don’t know what would be your choice; we decided to head straight for the scotch whiskey experience (www.scotchwhiskyexperience.co.uk) where one can know about whiskey history, preparation, different distillery types in Scotland (highland, inland...) and get to see an impressive whiskey collections, and finally enjoy whiskey sampling (Single Malt, Grain and Blended Scotch Whiskies). 

Edinburgh Castle

After our lunch at the Thai orchid restaurant, which is near the castle entrance, spend 2-3 hours visiting the Edinburgh castle. It was beautiful castle where one can visit governor house, national war museum, crown square, dog cemetery and St. Margret’s chapel which is quite popular with locals - many wedding happen here; can accommodate max of 25 people. One can also witness one o' clock gun.

Brighton, England

Brighton Beach

When we felt the good English summer may not last long, decided to head to one of the UK's top attractions - Brighton Beach. For decades it remains as one of the main attraction, so obviously for many reason as Brighton offers miles of beautiful pebble coast with a abundance of clubs, bars and restaurants.

Near Brighton Visitor Center

From London Bridge Station to Brighton Beach Station it took 1 hour & 20 min and 10 pounds for a return ticket, which is quite cheap during peak summer.  Brighton beach is 10 minute walk from Brighton train station.

If you are one of those, who enjoys shopping, visiting restaurant on a busy tourist place, or enjoy the fish and chips - traditional UK food, you will feel you are on the right place as you will see wide variety of options to satisfy your taste buds.

Royal Pavilion, Brighton

After spending few hours in the beach, visited the Royal Pavilion, which is a former royal residence located near the Brighton beach. It is built in the Indo-Saracenic style, which is prevalent in India for most of the 19th century.


Narrow shopping lane, Brighton

After lunch, experienced an enjoyable stroll through the narrow busy streets and in the evening hour, visited the Brighton Museum & Art Gallery, which is located in the Royal Pavilion gardens.  It has rich collections exhibits and is free, so it is definitely worth a visit.


Street View - Brighton

Apart from the beach, Brighton offers a wide range options to spend a whole day including Brighton Toy Model Museum, Royal Pavilion and Brighton Pier - which offers restaurants, kids games and funfair.

Brighton, England

Stonehedge , UK

Stonehedge on Summer Day

On a fine English summer weekend, took a Southeast train from Waterloo station in London to Salisbury which goes via Vaxhall, Clapham Jn., Woring and Andover (pay 16 pounds for the 1 hour and 30 min one way ride).  A light shower welcomed us at Salisbury and after quick refreshment took a tour bus from Salisbury railway station to Stonehedge.  Bus tour bus ticket cost another 20 pounds, which included pass to Stonehedge and Old Sarum castle.

The bus ride (30 min) took us to a vast green meadow with few large standing stone forming a big circle in the middle of nowhere. So if you are one of those who just landed there with no interest in history, you will be disappointed for sure. But if you are explorer or history freak, you will appreciate the historic place. Nothing to say more about Stonehenge as it draws people from all over the world and there are many many stories about the significance of Stonehenge from astronomical observatory to sacred rituals linked to sun. But all that is known for sure is it evolved from a simple bank and ditches in Neolithic period some 5000 years ago to sophisticated stone circle.  So I will leave to you, to choose the story you wish to believe.

Stonehedge Tour Bus

On the lighter side, I was again reinforced that British loves curry as out of 4 or 5 lunch options at Stonehedge, there was rice with chicken curry with mushroom and green pepper. It is very hard to explain what food taste like when you get to eat something steaming hot between the summer afternoon showers. The yummy lunch at Stonehedge was priceless.

Old Sarum Castle remains

On our way back to Salisbury, spend two hour in Old Sarum, where one could see the remains of destroyed castle and destroyed cathedral, which is considered as mother church of huge diocese.  Once a busy town and latter abandoned due to lack of water and squabbles between church and military led to building of a new settlement by the river now known as Salisbury.

In front of Salisbury cathedral

In the evening hours visited Salisbury cathedral, a 13th century cathedral (www.salisburycathedral.org.uk) and which has Britain’s tallest spire; 123m. It also has one of the four surviving original magna carta. Happiness filed me when I came out of most beautiful cathedra and one which is considered the largest in Britain. After cathedral visit spend time in Salisbury, walking the market place, high street which had number small vegetable, fruit, flower vendor along side Chinese/Indian/Tai restaurant, Starbucks/Nero coffee shop, blockbuster and BH stores.

Original Magna Carta

At the end of the day, had a sense of being in a nice and quiet country side after being in busy London for some time.

Matanga Hill, Hampi

Vittala Temple

In December, had a chance to trek to Matanga Hill in Hampi, which was once the glorious capital of the mighty Vijayanagara Empire. The trek to the top of the hill was truly rewarding as it provide a breath taking view of the Hampi landscape. The flow of Tungabhadra in the hilly terrain, the rugged boulders and the ruined city of Vijayanagara among the lush green plantation is truly inspiring.



Boat ride Anegundi - Hampi

Most visitors prefers to stay in Hospet during their visit to Hampi as it satisfies the accommodation, food and road connectivity needs, but we preferred to stay in Anegundi a small and quite village on the banks of Tungabhadra.  From Anegundi we crossed the Tungabhadra River (at Talarikatta) in the small motor boat, to reach the Vittala Temple.  The short ride took 5 minutes and costed Rupees 10 per person (boat service available from morning 7 a.m. to evening 6 p.m.).  After spending an hour at Vittala Temple, a short walk took us to King’s balance, where one could see 12 Foot granite pillars with pair of stone rings to accommodate large scales. Here the kings of Vijayanagara on certain occasions, used to weigh himself with gold and precious stones, and distributed them to the priests. Going further, we reached Purandradasar Mandapam which is located at the banks of Tungabhadra overseeing the Anjandri Hill, where we had our first break. Sitting in the mandapam with cold river water flowing over our feet felt like heaven for the next 30 minutes. Finally we crossed few more small temples to reach the Achyutaraya Temple, which is also known as Tiruvengalanatha temple, located at the foot of the Matanga Hill.

Purandradasar Mandapam

Destroyed Temple entrance situated on the way to Matanga Hill

The trek to the top of the hill is bit challenging as there is no clear pathway or sign boards, directing us to take turns, but we were able to make it to the top in an hour. After enjoying the breath taking view of Hampi, we trekked down, to visit the Kodandarama Temple and Yantrodharaka Anjaneya Temple, where one can see Hanuman in a meditative or prayer position. Both the temple are so close to the  Tungabhadra that during peak monsoon season, the locals say,  the river water rises and sometimes reaches up to the temple courtyard.

Matanga Hill

 

View of Achyutaraya Temple

We came across locals and many foreigners especially people from Europe, during our trek to Matanga Hill and some recommended us to stay and watch the awesome sunset at Matanga Hill as we were heading down.

View of Virupaksha Temple

View of Achyutaraya Temple Tank or Pushkarani

Next we spend an hour riding in Tungabhadra river in a locally made boats are called Parisal (handmade round shaped Bamboo ferry). Finally we re-energized our self with tender coconut water drink before heading back to Anegundi for our night stay.

Parisal (Round Boat made out of Bamboo)

Trek Cost

Rupees 10 per person for one way boat ride to cross Tungabhadra (Anegundi – Hampi)
Rupees 10 per person to visit Vittala Temple
Rupees 10 per tender coconut
Rupees 150 per person for Parisal ride in Tungabhadra

Trek Duration

Anegundi - Matanga Hill - Anegundi approximately 6 hours.