Guide: Mount Batur (Bali Eco Cycling Tour)

I am not an adventurous person. But sometimes, the desire to take in some breathtaking moments just dominates the extremely rational side of me. Questions such as, what if the volcano erupts, what if I slip and fall over the edge etc take a backseat when I booked this tour- these questions come back when the actual trek starts though. 

1) Tour 

We signed up for a tour with Bali Eco Cycling Tour. We got picked up punctually at 2:30 a.m. and the group size was 7. After enduring a bumpy ride, we reached the car park at around 4 a.m. Each person was then given a torchlight and water. Test your torchlight because you would want your path to be lit well when trekking. I also suggest that you go to the toilet before leaving your accomodation because I heard that the toilets are real bad here.

I know some reviews say that this is a relatively easy trek. I don't trek at all but I have a decent level of fitness. I didn't find this an easy trek. It isn't the lack of stamina that you should be wary of but rather the steep slopes at some points and loose gravel that you have to be careful of. 

Our group consisted of young people and we reached the sunrise point in good time (5+ a.m.). There would be a few stops in between so that you can catch your breath for a couple of minutes. There was still some distance up to the summit but our tour guides didn't bring us there. One of our group members was not too pleased about that. 

2) What to wear

It may feel a little chilly before starting the trek such that you would want to start piling on your jacket. But trust me, this trek will get you perspiring in no time and there is not much point in putting on your sweater. It is only after you reach the sunrise point where it starts to get chilly and you should have a sweater with you. It can really be quite cold so be ready to wear several layers. 

3) Expectations 

Just to manage expectations a little, just because it's a sunrise trek, doesn't mean that you will definitely get to see the sunrise. We almost thought that we wouldn't be able to catch the sunrise because it suddenly became very foggy. Thankfully, the fog cleared and we were left with a beautiful sunrise. 

4) Breakfast
Breakfast was provided in this tour package as well- consisting for bread with banana in between, hot chocolate/coffee/tea, a packet of juice and a hard boiled egg. There was a little hut where they prepared breakfast. I would suggest hiding in the hut when having your breakfast because right after the sun rises, a whole bunch of monkeys start coming out and apparently, they can be pretty aggressive.

5) Crater 
After the sun had risen, we were led to see the crater. Some explanation was given about the volcano- when it last erupted etc. There were also a few vents where steam was coming out from. Some good photo opportunities here as well.

6) Descent 
The descent doesn't get any easier and it will be good to find some good grip on the rocks etc.

7) Safety 
Always remember, safety is the most important! One girl broke her ankle and had to be carried down on a stretcher. You can take your time when climbing, let the faster ones go first, steady yourself with every step- safety comes first! 

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Guide: What to do in Las Vegas

As the famous adage goes, what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas. As implausible as it may sound, it is actually possible to go for a sinless trip in Las Vegas! (I actually found it hilarious that Las Vegas actually means "The Meadows" in Spanish.)

Here are a few of my choice picks! A tip though- the hotels/casinos in Vegas look deceptively close but as I said, it's a deception. You have to walk an incredible distance to get from one casino to the next.

Your best bet would be to get take public transport and a day pass costs $7. This will get you pretty much everywhere. You have the choice of the Deuce or the Express- Express is best if your stop is on the line because it pretty much saves you from the crowd boarding and alighting at every stop.

1) Las Vegas Premium Outlets (North)
For you shoppers out there, you probably could spend a day and night here. We decided to go to the North one instead of the South, because many people say that it's more worth it to do so.

Tip: Get yourself a discount booklet for $5. I think you will end up saving a lot of money. Have a look at the different kinds of discounts offered first before deciding where to get the booklet though! It saved us quite a bit of money. Get yourself a free map as well so that you will know which stores to rush into.

 When you're hungry, there are different eateries here in the food court.

2) Bellagio
There are two attractions you need to catch at Bellagio. The fountains and the Conservatory and Botanic Gardens. If you are feeling hungry, you could go for the buffet too!

3) Mirage and Venetian 
There's water at Bellagio and there's fire at Mirage. We were standing across at the balcony of Venetian just because everybody were huddled there. It's cool just for a few moments, but that's about it.

Since you are at the Venetian, you may take a look at the gondolas, but unless you really love looking at gondolas, you will be better off somewhere else. 

4) Catch a show 
If you don't catch a show in Vegas, it's like saying you went to New York without watching Broadway. We caught Mystere.

5) Fremont Street Experience
Fremont Street is off the strip but it is still very crowded. The Fremont Street experience is basically an attraction where there is a canopy above. There are free concerts going on.

There is the Viva Vision show and it plays every hour. Videos are projected onto the canopy above and if you go to Fremont Street, you will look like every single one of them in the picture- all looking up. For the few seconds that the whole Street was in darkness before the show began, it actually felt like bliss.

For interest's sake, I actually googled "las vegas light pollution" and arrived at this result. The Las Vegas lights can be seen from outer space. If you are wondering why you can't see stars in the night sky, you know the culprit. 

There are skimpily clad women walking around and therefore, this place might not be suitable for children... but nobody in their right mind would bring their children to Las Vegas. Disneyland beckons! 

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Guide: Zion National Park and Bryce Canyon (Adventure Photo Tours)

Like Grand Canyon, this tour will get you out of Las Vegas. This tour is like a McDonald's combo meal. Just like how you get to eat not only the burger but also get to enjoy the fries and drinks, you get to visit not only the very famous Zion National Park but also the Bryce Canyon.

Website 
Just a mention about Adventure Photo Tour's website, I thought it was interesting that they actually had a Chinese website too. It's not that I can't understand English, just that I thought it's pretty much going the extra mile to attract Chinese tourists. The thing I'm really curious about is, do they have Mandarin-speaking tour guides?

Tour group size and van
The tour group size was the largest I have had in a few days and the tour was the most expensive amongst all the tours I went on. There were 11 people on the tour and that completely filled the van up. The thing I liked about the van, however, is that it had a high door, so that I didn't have to bend my back too much to get in and out of the bus, as I did in other tours. I also appreciated the fact that we were given a fact sheet although honestly, I do not see how it enhanced our tour experience unless you thought a piece of paper could improve your photography skills by leaps and bounds.

Breakfast 
Breakfast was a brown paper bag full of random items- including a muffin, a packet of peanuts, a granola bar and a cheesestick. I think that's more than enough to fill a hungry person up.

Zion National Park 
You will get to see the Virgin River at the Zion National Park, the Checkerboard Messa and interesting formations such as the hoodoos in the Zion National Park.

Lunch 
Lunch is taken on the bus which is totally fine because this saves time. You get a sandwich, a packet of chips and some famous amos biscuits. Water and orange juice is also available throughout the day. Sunblock and hand sanitiser are also available.

Bryce Canyon National Park 
I really liked the Bryce Canyon National Park. When you look down, all you see is the forces of Mother Nature's hand and it's incredible how the human mind works to conjure different images of these limestone rocks. My photos do not do justice to the rich colours you will see when walking the trail. Some daredevil tried to sit on a tree branch very close to the edge- what a photo it would make if he suddenly became superman.

Getting back
On the road back, we stopped at Wendy's to get some dinner. We reached back at the hotel at around 830 pm. On the road, we watched two very relevant shows- one was on Vegas (Vegas Vacation) and the other was about Zion National Park (Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid).

Tour Guide
Our tour guide, James, was a photographer. We are thankful for the fact that he was very helpful throughout the trip, in offering water and other necessities and taking photographs for us. He also gave us ample opportunities to get out and onto the bus at several points to take photographs. He also gave a lot of information, although his rather monotonous tone made me fall asleep halfway through. I know it's my fault that I fell asleep, but believe me, I really tried to keep awake. (Contrary to popular belief, I did not spend the night before gambling in the casino.)

We also watched two videos on Zion National Park and Bryce Canyon. While these are very informative, it sure can't beat a tour guide pointing out the actual things we see in the video. When we were taking a short hike to Sunset Point at Bryce Canyon, everybody in the tour group who participated in the hike were asking each other- So, which is the Thor's Hammer? Although we saw it in the video, it was difficult for us to spot in amongst the many formations. James did not follow us on the hike, leaving us to our own imagination.

Overall
Compared to the price we paid for the Grand Canyon Trip, this is a lot more expensive. James was a good tour guide but it would be cooler if he could bring us around to point out the different well known formations during the trail. Without a car, I suppose this remains a good option to take if you want to visit both Zion National Park and Bryce Canyon although I find it important to inform you that, you will spend most of your time in Zion National Park stopping 5 minutes at each photo taking point.

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Guide: Grand Canyon (Grand Adventure Tours)

Las Vegas is all about the glitzy lights and it's not called Sin City for nothing. But just take a few hours to get out of Las Vegas and you may find that a whole new world awaits.

We went on the Sunset Tour with Grand Adventures and it was a great experience. You should refer to their website which reflects the most accurate schedule because it seems like their schedule is seasonal. You may also want to book in advance because offers may be available.

Tour group size and van
The tour group was a good number- 7 of us. The van, was a little squeezy where the leg area is, although you can simply stretch it to the empty areas at the side. We had to use a screw driver to release the safety belt each time, and while it was a bit of a hassle, isn't much of a problem.

McDonald's Breakfast 
The price of breakfast is included in the package and the best part is that you can order as much as you want to! There wasn't pressure to eat quickly although everybody was sensible enough to order just enough to fill them up.

Hoover Dam
We had a few photo taking opportunities at the Hoover Dam and crossed the bridge where we spotted many hats that flew onto the rocks at the side due to the wind. So hold on tight to your caps!

Route 66 Stop in Seligman 
Fans of the Pixar movie Cars would love this place because the town in Cars is loosely based on Seligman.  Our tour guide described this place as a little creepy and you would understand why if you really came here. But, look at the resemblance below! Adequate time is given here to take photos of the interesting cars and quirky shops.

Picnic Lunch in Grand Canyon
Sitting by the Rim and having a picnic. Now, how cool's that? You get to choose from Ham, Turkey, Roast Beef, Vegetarian Sandwiches or Salad. One of us got the salad while the other got the ham sandwich. The sandwich was quite filling. The salad was okay too, just that the chicken (already cooked) was not fully thawed so there's a chance you will be eating a half frozen deep fried chicken. Besides this, you also get grapes (very sweet grapes!) and cheese and crackers. Bottled water is available the entire journey and you get real delicious cookies too!

Fully Guided Walking Tour in Grand Canyon 
The trail was easy and not taxing. Throughout the trail, our guide was there with us to help us take pictures and to point out the different plants and the different spots we could stand at to take a nice photograph. We also managed to catch the sunset at a good spot and you will enjoy the last remnants of sunlight dancing in the Grand Canyon.

Going back and final words
The ride back to the hotel was long and we ended up at the hotel at 1230 am, as stated on the website. Our guide, Trayce (yes, I didn't spell that wrongly) was really fun and had lots of jokes to share. To quote her, "I love listening to myself talk." But she knew when to give us some peace as well. On the way back, we slept and she didn't really talk until there was a restroom break. We also bought a subway sandwich at one of the gas stations during the last stop. She played some background music on the way back- +10 points for some Adele music. (I'm biased.)

Trayce has lots of knowledge and talked about many things throughout the journey. You could ask her practically anything because she promises that if she can't answer it, she will find an answer before the tour ends!

Overall, I highly recommend this tour if you want to go to the Grand Canyon and you will find that it's totally worth every dollar you pay. 

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Guide: What to do in San Francisco in One Day

It's my second time going to San Francisco but there are still so much things to do! We took public transport to all the places stated below and although it looks nearly impossible to cover so many places, it's possible as long as you plan your route well with a handy map!

Free guided tours

If you are looking for free guided tours (with tips at your discretion), I recommend  the San Francisco Walking Tours. Check out their daily schedule so that you will know which tours are being conducted. These tours are perfect for those who are interested in the history of different places and don't want to go on a structured tour. 

Public transport 

With regard to public transportation options, if you want to go to the places in this post in one day, please get yourself a Muni day pass at $14. This covers all your bus rides and cable car rides which is very worth it because a cable car ride is $6 each ride without the pass. Other options include the 3 day and 7 day pass which will allow you to spend more time at each attraction. 

1) Golden Gate Park

We set out early in the morning to the Golden Gate Park because there was a free conducted tour. There are many attractions within the Golden Gate Park which you should check out. We visited the Japanese Tea Garden which was really beautiful. 

We also visited the Rose Garden which was less impressive than the Japanese Tea Garden but was interesting for the award winning roses. I would suggest giving this a miss and visiting other attractions instead, such as the Dutch Windmills.

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Guide: Yosemite National Park

From San Francisco, there are many good day trips you could take. One of those you cannot miss is the trip to Yosemite National Park. It's often on the list of things you should see before you die, so you should really make a trip here if you can.

We joined a local tour, Incredible Adventures, simply because we didn't have a car. As usual, check the website for any internet promotions etc.

This is one of the sights we saw on the journey. Changing landscapes also meant that we saw rows and rows of never ending almond trees. Not only was it the first time I was seeing an almond tree (you can't grow that many trees in Singapore), it was the first time I saw so many of them. We drove through Central Valley which was also famous for their walnuts, cherries and strawberries.

Along the way, we stopped at some fruit stand which sold nuts and fruits. The nuts were selling for real cheap compared to elsewhere and it's a good deal if you're a fan of nuts or dried fruits. Folks at the store were also very friendly.

We got off the van several times for some photo stops while Andrew, the guide, gave an introduction of various places including the Half Dome, Bridal veil Falls, the horsetail fall and the Yosemite Fall.

I found this a pretty interesting aspect of the Yosemite National Park. They have complicated trash bins so that they keep the bears from looking for food in the bins. Apparently, a few decades ago, the park rangers domesticated the bears and they learnt that it led to a few accidents and obesity. So, bears now live to learn on their own! Also, if you are a minivan, you should be careful of these hungry black bears. (Read the article) 

One place that I really liked was the Meadow Lane. We had a picnic here (bought food from the deli along the way) and spent an hour or so soaking in the beautiful scenery.

This place will be interesting for those who like scenery, or would like to take a hike. There are a few hiking routes with varying difficulty. Depending on how long you would like to spend at the park, there are also different options such as a Yosemite 2 day tour.

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Guide: What to do in Rockport in one day

People say it's the journey that matters, not the destination. But i'm glad I'm finally at a pseudo destination in my life. The journey's been great, but sometimes it seemed like a long, arduous journey with no end in sight.

Anyway, one food entry coming up tomorrow, but I thought I would just add a entry about a place I visited last year around this time in the US- Rockport. It's a good short day trip from Boston and a very idyllic place. If you think you've seen everything in Boston, it will be nice to make a short day trip here.

From Boston, you can take the commuter trains using the Newbury/Rockport Line from North Station. It can be easily covered in one day, so check out the schedule of the returning train in order to make sure that you plan your time properly. It takes around an hour and costs less than $10.

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Guide: Why you should travel solo

Unlike in the past where it would take several days to reach somewhere in the vicinity by taking a boat, an aeroplane is all it takes to fetch us from one destination to another. So, youngsters are increasingly getting the point- that travelling is much less of a hassle than what it used to be. Therefore, they should vie for every opportunity to travel. Afterall, youth comes by once in a lifetime only.

So, they go in groups because there is safety in numbers. I'm not denying that people should travel in groups because there is much joy in company. But I find it equally compelling that people should dare to venture solo as well. Of course, my words don't hold water because I've only ventured out once, unlike many people who do solo travelling all around the world. But this post is for people who are bogged down by the inertia to travel solo. If you are one of them, hopefully this post convinces you enough to overcome your inertia and to venture a first brave step out to exploring a world you never knew.

p.s. I found a statute of Confucius in Quebec (not in Chinatown)- See how interesting things are?

Here are some reasons why people should travel solo at some point in life.

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Guide: What to do in Kuala Lumpur in Three Days

The first thing that popped into my mind when thinking of what to do in Kuala Lumpur was shop. The second thing was shop. And so and so forth. Maybe I would insert "eat" somewhere in between the "shop". For the posts on eating, please click here (you'd have to do some filtering though because some of the KL posts do not involve eating).

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Guide: What to do in Boston in One Day

There's always a problem in deciding how to fully maximise your time in a place- not dwelling too long at a particular place, and yet hoping to see everything interesting there is in a place!

Before I left Boston for Singapore, I decided to do a one last walk around in Boston. While the guide that I'm going to write here won't exactly match it, I think it's to a certain extent what people would probably like to see if they only had one day to spend in Boston!

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