I had been Italy a dozen times before, but there were still so many regions I hadn't yet explored, such as the Trentino / Trentino-Alto Adige region, a mountainous area in northern Italy where you will find the famous Dolomites mountain range, which are part of the Alps. 

The capital city of Trentino is Trento. Oh and did you know that the northern part of Lake Garda is also part of the Trentino region? That was new to me! 

I've always known the Italian Dolomites to be popular for winter sports and holidays, and somehow never considered seriously enough as a destination outside of the winter season. 

Which was silly. But last month (October), Ricardo and I made a quick trip to visit Trentino. It was autumn, and the leaves had just begun to change colours. It turned out to be wonderful, although I wish more MORE leaves were orange.

This post is about my favourite experience in Trentino, thanks to a very special person who is otherwise recognised as 'the herb hunter of Val Rendena'.  It involved foraging for wild food in the mountains, next to one of Italy's many pristine lakes, and cooking our own lunch, which we enjoyed outdoors.

Note: Val Rendena is known as the 'Green Valley' (as it is surrounded by lush green forests and woodlands) and includes the area of Madonna di Campiglio, where we stayed.

FIRST, A SHORT HIKE TO LAGO DI NAMBINO

We met Noris (short for Elinora) with our host and guide, Sara, at the car-park at the bottom of the trail that leads to Lago Di Nambino (Nambino Lake), close to Madonna di Campiglio. It was morning and the air was fresh... this is really just a nicer way to say 'cold'. 

Noris didn't speak too much English but that somehow made communication a lot more fun. She was quirky, animated, and seemed like a determined woman who had led an interesting life. 

She came out of her car with her a rucksack packed with bottles of wine and bunch of other items for the picnic we were going to set up at the end of our hike.

When I saw her full, heavy backpack, I was glad that she didn't know I was the kind of person who complained about carrying a backpack that was half the weight of hers. Especially after she pointed out my wearing (children's) sneakers instead of proper hiking boots. 

I told her that if Nepalese porters could traverse the Himalayas in flip=flops (which I've witnessed first-hand), then with these sneakers I could do anything!

The hike up didn't take long - it was an easy one of about 30-40 minutes through beautiful forest scenery. We passed a waterfall, too. Once we arrived, we were at an elevation of about 1600m. It got colder and I started to question my decision to visit Trentino during autumn. I had a ski jacket on!

VISIT TRENTINO : A REAL TASTE OF NATURE

Noris' life's passion and work is wild foraging - identifying anything that is edible or can be made into food. This includes all sorts of herbs and plants, mushrooms, and even flowers!

Wild food is defined as anything edible that has had no management or intervention to increase its production. 

She has a brand called Primitivizia, and she sells a small selection of pastes and other concoctions made using interesting wild food items such as wild garlic leaves, mountain spinach, and burdock; all found within Val Rendena. This is a real 'taste of nature', bottled up for your convenience!

Noris is so good at what she does that her work has been nominated to be included in the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List.

During the hike, I would often find her bent over, examining the flora on the ground or smelling things she had picked up in her hands. There were a lot of lichens, which she insisted were edible and tasty. With a bit of imagination and some garlic, I could believe that.

Once at the top, we could see the beautiful lake, Lago di Nambino, some 100-200m ahead of where we stopped, which was a little cottage that Noris virtually owns (she has been trusted with the keys). I think she keeps a lot of her foodstuff in that house.

A SPECIAL PICNIC IN THE DOLOMITES

We set up our picnic lunch on a rustic-looking table just outside the cottage. 

Everything you see on the table was brought up the mountain by Noris in her backpack! Save for the tableware of course, which was brought from the kitchen.

We had good cheese, special Trentino speck ham, and regional red wine.

Noris introduced to us a fantastic little snack: buttered bread with anchovies with a dash of pine syrup. It was divine. Of course, the syrup was made by Noris herself.

In fact, this syrup seems to be one of her most popular products and you can find it (+ more info) here: Pine Cone Bud Syrup

Our main dish was a simple pasta dish that we cooked together over the wood-fired stove (I even got to put the wood in myself!) in the kitchen: a kind of cacio e pepe made with an amazing wild garlic paste created by Noris.

Instead of pecorino cheese, we crumbled some leftover bread and grilled it on the pan. Noris joked that this was 'mountain cheese'!

Ricardo and I loved this dish; we both thought it was delicious, even though Noris kept apologising for its simplicity. In my opinion its simplicity made it all the more appealing. 

OH! The picnic table is often furnished with some basic utensils for anyone passing by to use (travellers, hikers, etc). Noris tells us that whenever people have enjoyed her table, they have left a little something behind, such as a flower, as a token of appreciation. 

So amongst the mess we made after lunch, I left a small orange for her to find later. I don't know why but that day I decided to put an orange in my jacket pocket. Perhaps I foresaw this opportunity.

LAGO DI NAMBINO

After our 'taste of nature' that turned out to be more like a 'feast of nature', a walk  around the area sounded like welcome idea. A visit to Trentino wouldn't be complete without a wander around one of its beautiful lakes, anyway.

Sara accompanied us around the perimeter of the lake, and I was impressed by her patience as Ricardo and I stopped a million times along the way to shoot video or take photos.

Lago di Nambino is one of those places where you will find yourself taking multiple photos of the same thing, with most of the shots looking almost exactly alike. 

That little house you see is Rifugio Lago Nambino, which is in fact a hotel and restaurant. I imagined it would be a stunning place to spend the night and wished we were staying there.

I spared you by uploading only three of my Lago di Nambino shots. Rest assured there were many more. I hated having to choose because every photo seemed perfect! But you see what I mean that they all look alike!

Sara said that if we had come maybe a week or so later, those trees in the distance would have looked a lot more golden as autumn progressed.

Sorry, had to include a couple of photos that had me in them. 

I felt like Lago di Nambino alone made our visit to Trentino worth it. Especially since we got to experience it with Noris!

Speaking of whom, she turned up to join us on our walk later and we helped to bring back a bunch of branches and twigs for the cottage (to use as firewood). This was when it became obvious I was not used to such work, because the branch I was assigned to carry was dragging along on the ground behind me very ungracefully.

A NEW FRIEND IN TRENTINO

I am so grateful to Noris for sharing such an authentic, unique experience with us. She says she doesn't often invite people up to the house, so I felt extra special!

Noris joked that, men are good for "driving cars, opening wine bottles, and having sex". So if you find one that can do all three, you're set! Haha

On the our hike back down, we talked a little about Italian music and I shared with her one of my favourite, very-old Italian song called 'Il Pinguino Innamorato' , which translates literally to 'The Penguin in Love'.

I couldn't stop humming the tune in my head. We held hands for most of the way down, walking alongside each other like we were kindergarteners at the playground! 

It reminded me of the simplicity friendships when I was a young child - when all you needed to do to express a liking for someone was to hold their hand. I think we should all hold hands more.

Thank you Noris for being such a wonderful character; and now I have another reason to visit Trentino again!

Left: Noris' resident swan! She had stumbled upon this quirky wood formation while wandering the woods and decided that it would be her pet swan.

Right: A doodle I left on her wall in the cottage - it was a wall on which many guests/new friends had left a little souvenir for Noris. 

 

 

This post was created in collaboration with Visit Trentino

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The post Visit Trentino for a Taste of Nature appeared first on SMALLCRAZY.

Last November, I made my second visit to Japan – my first time being in 2000 when I was fortunate enough to spend five weeks as part of a cultural exchange programme, when I was still at school!

This time I only had one week, split between Tokyo & Kagoshima. The trip was organised by the JNTO (Japanese National Tourism Organisation) and I could select a preferred region/city to visit. I chose Kagoshima as that was where I’d been before and I wanted to see it with my new, grown-up eyes. And a digital camera. Haha.

I had hopes of meeting up with my old foster family, but luck had it that they were out of town that week.

*skip to bottom of post for a video round-up!

GETTING INTO TOKYO 

Flying from London Heathrow to Tokyo took under 12 hours direct, with ANA (Japan’s largest airline). I slept most of the way as it was a red-eye. I was amused by the in-flight menu which was presented as a laminated card with pictures of four meal options to choose from, including rice porridge (which I love).

It was on this flight that I discovered my love for menbei – a kind of rice cracker made with spiced cod roe (a specialty of the  Fukuoka region). They were served as snacks throughout the flight. I ate a lot of them.

Sadly, I spent my first couple of days in Tokyo feeling extremely unwell from the worst sore throat I’d ever had in my life.

My hosts bought me pretty much the entire pharmacy. I tried  one of those white face masks for the first time and I must say – IT WORKS. It made breathing so much easier at night!

TODEN-ARAKAWA LINE

When I was well enough to get out for a bit, we went to experience riding a streetcar/tram on the Toden Arakawa Line, which took us into the quieter, older parts of Tokyo, away from the popular tourist spots.

This tram was unlike any tram I’d seen or ridden before. It was SO CLEAN! And the conductor’s uniform was too cute and perfect. At every crossing there was a ‘ding ding’ of a bell. It was almost like we were in a toy-town. Japan tends to make me feel that way.

This was.. I think.. the most scenic tram route I’d ever taken. Perhaps I also enjoyed the novelty of passing through the small, suburban streets and neighbourhoods along the way.

ARAKAWA AMUSEMENT PARK

We got off at Yuenchi-mae station to have a stroll around Arakawa Amusement Park. It’s said to be one of  the oldest in Tokyo!

It had a really retro feel to it. In today’s world it would seem more like a fun-fair. It reminded me of my childhood. The rides were carnival-style (small and simple) and there was a mini-zoo as well (including a lot of monkeys!). More suited for families/kids and frequented by locals, mostly. I liked it.

JOYFUL-MINOWA SHOPPING ARCADE

Made another stop at Minowabashi to have a quick stroll at Joyful-Minowa Shopping Street (still in Arakawa ward). This is another remnant of old Tokyo and is made up of pedestrian alleys lined with stalls and shops selling food, flowers, and other market-things. I watched and smelt pickles being made there!

We also sampled a couple of snacks, such as yakitori and other grilled food. Unfortunately, it still felt like knives when I tried to swallow them >.<

Definitely a place to check out if you’re looking for a taste of local life and something outside of the usual tourist routes.

OFF TO KAGOSHIMA!

I was really excited about this part of the trip. Partially because by now my sore throat had finally alleviated (thanks to a clinic visit in Tokyo which got me some much-needed antibiotics)!

We flew to Kagoshima via Tokyo Haneda Airport. I was glad it was a short flight of under two hours because I got the worst seat on the plane. I mean literally THE WORST. I was in the middle seat of the middle section, in the last row.

Windows stopped existing from 3-4 rows ahead of me. It was kinda sad and dark.

Did you know that Kagoshima Prefecture is one of the top producers of tea in Japan? So naturally, on arrival at Kagoshima Airport, we were served some green tea as a token of welcome.

We then boarded a bus that took us to the city. This took about 45 minutes and as you can see in the photo above – it was packed. I couldn’t help laughing at the pull-down seats in the aisle. Apparently it’s like this in China, too.

We went straight to lunch at a cosy, traditional restaurant called MOZE, where I ordered a set menu consisting of a a number of local dishes, including the famous Kuronbuta pork (from black pigs). I remember the food in Kagoshima being immensely good during my first visit, and this meal didn’t disappoint!

SENGAN-EN GARDEN

Next on the itinerary was a visit to Sengan-en, a beautiful Japanese garden that’s also UNESCO World Heritage site.

Tickets are ¥1000 (about USD10 per adult) and can be purchased at the entrance.

We were able to see Sakurajima, the city’s iconic volcanic island, from the garden. It was too bad about the gloomy weather, but at least it didn’t rain!

There was an annual chrysanthemum flower growing competition going on when we were there – it was funny to see who was obviously not good at growing these plants, haha.

Sengan-en is a must-do for anyone visiting Kagoshima. You can easily spend a good couple of hours here. There’s a hill to be climbed that supposedly leads to a good viewpoint, but that was something I didn’t do because.. I got lazy.

I spent time wandering around the picture-perfect gardens and took some photos with our lovely hosts instead.

We ended the afternoon with some sweet potato ice cream, and also shochu ice cream. I was excited about the sweet potato (probably because it was purple), but turns out I much preferred the shochu flavour.

DAY TRIP TO SAKURAJIMA

Another must-do in Kagoshima, we took the ferry 15 minutes across to Sakurajima. On a clear day it’s usually puffing away beautifully against the blue sky, but we were unfortunate – it was cold and gloomy.

I loved the welcome art on the floor of the visitor centre. Apparently, this is created every single day and has gone on for many years.

Just beyond the visitor centre was a 100m hot spring (onsen) foot bath. Kagoshima is well known for its abundant hot springs and there are quite a number of these foot baths scattered around the region.

I don’t know how I had the amazing foresight to wear a dress – it made my foot bath experience so much more convenient, haha. I don’t remember doing this when I visited in 2000.

Our stay on Sakurajima was brief. We stopped by a random temple and I think that was it. I was disappointed at not having seen a giant/mutant radish, which the island is meant to be famed for.

IBUSUKI NO TAMATEBAKO

In the afternoon, we took a special (themed) train journey to Ibusuki, which is farther down south. The train is half black, half white, divided along its length and only has two carriages.

It was the cutest train I’d ever been on in my life. 

It was a magical experience, like a fairytale! The wooden interiors included bookshelves and most seats came with a a table top or space for you to have lunch, for example. There are even sofas and a play area for children. There were swivel seats next to big windows on the side of the train, providing passengers with a great view of the sea.

We bought a special black sesame pudding sold on the train and it was delicious. We especially enjoyed taking pictures wearing train conductor hats handed out by one of the staff – what a fun idea! The journey from Kagoshima to Ibusuki was about one hour.

Seats are limited and advance reservation is advised. Tickets are about USD10 per way.

How do I look?  🙂

IBUSUKI NATURAL SAND STEAMED BATH

Getting buried under hot black sand is the thing to do in Ibusuki!

We went to one called Sayuri, about 15 minutes by car from Ibusuki train station. It had the baths next to the sea, which normally is very scenic but when we arrived it was raining, hence we had to do it in a covered area (under some tents!).

We were given yukatas to change into – you’re not supposed to wear anything else under it. I think this is because you go straight  to the onsen for a dip after your hot sand experience is over. As you may already know, it is customary in Japan to enter hot springs completely nude.

After picking our ‘plots’, we were each given a towel to wrap around our necks. It reminded me of a cemetery..

Once laid down, warm black sand was piled onto our bodies using a shovel (haha) until we were completely covered from the neck down. I was surprised at how heavy the sand felt. There is a 15 minute limit for how long you can stay buried. When the time was up, we simply wiggled out and shook off any remaining sand – it was kind of hilarious.

Completing the experience in the indoor onsen was amazing. I felt warm and refreshed after it. Warm enough to have an ice cream at the reception area even though it was still raining!

NISHI-OYAMA STATION

Our last stop in Ibusuki was to Nishi-Oyama Station, the southernmost train station in Japan.

The grey weather kind of ruined the scene, especially after I learnt that during the warmer months, the surrounding fields would be flush with yellow flowers!

Still, it was beautiful. It’s only a tiny station with a view of Kaimondake volcano in the background.

Apparently, it brings good fortune to send a postcard via the bright yellow postbox outside, so we bought some colourful postcards from the shop nearby and did just that. I sent one to my mom and kept the extra postcards for myself, as they were pretty.

KAGOSHIMA FISH MARKET TOUR

The following day was tough – we had to get up super early. If you know me, you’ll also know that I hate early mornings with a passion. Luckily, this time was worth it!

We were meeting at 6.45am for the Kagoshima Fish Market Tour, which is run by group of local hotels/ryokans.
If you happen to be staying at one of these hotels, your ticket will cost ¥1000. Otherwise, its ¥1500.
Tours run every Saturday from March to October and last one hour.

It was a lot more fun than I anticipated, despite it raining hard when we arrived. It was windy and really cold, but I felt like it was fitting weather for a fish market tour. Perhaps I like a dramatic setting.

Rain boots can be borrowed.. along with hats that look like fish and other sea-things! I was pleased to be a yellow fish that morning.

An English-speaking guide took us through the market to observe the fish landing and lively auctions that began with the repetitive sound of a loud bell. Buyers would be mulling around boxes of fish, trying to decide, I think.

At one point, I witnessed a large number of hammerhead sharks being thrown into pile – which was really a bizarre scene to  me. They had apparently swum into the net that morning by accident. Fortunately, they won’t go to waste – they’ll be resold or eaten eventually.

There were only two restaurants by the market. We picked one, without any particular preference other than it was less crowded.

I had a typical Japanese breakfast of rice with grilled mackerel and a bowl of miso soup with clams. It was fantastic. What a great  morning. I highly recommend the fish market tour if you’re in Kagoshima.

WHERE TO STAY IN KAGOSHIMA

Nestled on a hill with spectacular views of Sakurajima, Hotel Shiroyama is undoubtedly the best place to stay in Kagoshima City.

I remember my foster parents driving me up here one evening, 17 years ago, just so we would enjoy a stroll around fountain with the city lights twinkling beneath us. Something I’ll never forget.

During the night, they put in a musical fountain show complete with cheesy music and dancing lights. I watched from my window and loved it!

Other plus points include a beautiful open-air onsen looking out at Sakurajima and a generous and diverse breakfast spread 😉

Check room rates at Hotel Shiroyama 

Watch the video below for a recap of my entire trip! 

The post How to Have Fun in Kagoshima appeared first on SMALLCRAZY.

The app I talk about is the new Ribena Doodle Your World app – it lets you add still or animated doodles (made out of fruits and other Ribena characters) to your photos or videos.

Did you grow up with Ribena? Because I did. Ribena was a big part of my childhood. I loved seeing those cartoon blackcurrants (happy purple round things) talking on TV. Our kitchen always had a big glass bottle of Ribena syrup. Mixed with water and ice, it was the best thing to have on a hot day. Since it is hot every day in Malaysia (where I grew up), it was the best drink to have every day.

I haven’t actually had any Ribena for a while and I’m so happy to see it reappear in my world again, this time in digital form/as an app. It brings back so many memories and I’ve had such a fun time creating these Ribenary photos.. which were, of course, taken in my two preferred green havens in Porto (on hot days, no less):

JARDIM BOTÂNICO / BOTANICAL GARDEN

The Botanical Garden is located just slightly out of the city centre and it is a little bit of paradise. It’s not huge. In fact it’s probably one of the smallest botanical gardens I’ve ever been to. But that’s great because I can see every part of it in a short time.

The way it’s laid out is on par with many other things in Portugal that don’t make sense. There are some random wild and unmanicured areas. Suddenly there is a big red house. Then a mini bamboo forest. Near some fallen tree trunks. Next to a beautiful row of hydrangeas. Somewhere there is what looks like a cactus farm. A giant hedge.

Like my Ribenary creations? Don’t worry – there’s more!

Here are some photos of the Botanical Garden taken last year:

Some of my friends were impressed that I dyed my hair to match the hydrangeas, but the truth is that I did not even know that those flowers were called hydrangeas before the photo was taken and I couldn’t care less about them.

I did, however, care to take advantage of the happy coincidence (by making Ricardo snap multiple of me and the hydrangeas in the same position).

I added the little Ribena rabbit there because its nose matches my hair.

Since Ricardo always looks so boring and me already fruity (inside and out), I decided to award him three Doodles and me none.

“What’s the time?”

RIBENA O’Clock

But alas! For Ribena O’Clock to occur in Portugal two conditions must be met:
– Availability of Ribena in stores
– A good understanding of the concept of time & timekeeping

Only one of these has any probability of happening.

^Top left: Tiles! / Top right: Flowers! / Bottom: Me with eyes closed, probably walking into banister.

There were a lot of bees around the yellow flowers. Ricardo hates bees. He either screams like a girl or shouts profanities at the poor bees. Therefore I really enjoyed us being around those yellow flowers.

Porto isn’t as green as London. You won’t be spoilt for choice when looking for a large grassy area to play or picnic in, that’s for sure. But it does have a few little gems, especially if you venture out a little. Which brings me to my next favourite:

PARQUE DE SÃO ROQUE

This park ROCKS.

There is an abandoned old yellow house decorated with peeling paint and faded tiles, to greet you when you first enter.

Do you like my exploding pineapple, funky pigeon, and grumpy fox (the one playing golf)?

As health & safety is less of an issue here, there are bit of building debris and shards of glass you can step on (and enjoy their crunchy sounds) if you go to the right spots around the house. Tip: one such spot is on the balcony by the stairs.

THIS PARK HAS A HEDGE MAZE.

This park has a hedge maze. That’s awesome!

It’s slightly short but still fun. I’m not so tall anyway. And if I wear my fox mask I’m as blind as not-a-bat-but-almost. That’s fun too!

The other parts of the park include some fairytale-like features and also open spaces for families or groups to have picnics etc.

Another bonus is the existence of stray cats on the grounds. Since I don’t have a cat of my own to touch, I resort to touching whatever cats I can find in the public domain.

PS I really like that I’m pointing at a GIANT FLAMINGO!

^My pink boat shoes are by Quvel

We were taking a series of ten photos of us. Ricardo got bored halfway and decided to pick up a loose tile to show me. I’m rolling my eyes under my sunglasses.

I hope you enjoyed this post as much as I did creating it!

PARK INFO:

Jardim Botânico do Porto
Rua do Campo Alegre 1191
4150-173 Porto
Portugal
>> Map

Parque de São Roque
R. São Roque da Lameira 2040
4350-307 Porto
Portugal
>> Map

RIBENA APP:

Add colourful, animated characters and objects to your photos and videos using augmented reality!
Click here to download 🙂

This post has been supported by Ribena® but all thoughts and doodles are my own.
Images used in this post are not actual app production.

The post Two Green Spaces I Love in Porto appeared first on SMALLCRAZY.

Because it is freakin’ hot and it’s a fully exposed walk from the carpark all the way to the viewpoint, with only one small shaded area (a little hut) towards the end.

Joyce and I borrowed the umbrella from our Airbnb host in Page. We did contemplate the idea for a good few minutes and it went something like:

“Hmm do we REALLY need it?”

“It’ll help so much not to be in the direct sunlight.. it’s 43 degrees out there”

“But then it’s mostly just a flat walk how hard can it be”

“But think of how much TORTUROUS it could be! Remember Angel’s Landing??”

“We might look stupid.. who hikes with an umbrella”

“Ok who cares if we look stupid”

In the end we thought it was better just to have it – after all the only thing we had to do was chuck it into our car.

When we arrived at the Horseshoe Bend parking lot, opened the doors and felt the weight of the hot air on our faces, we immediately knew that bringing the umbrella was A GOOD IDEA.

We took turns holding it. Turned out to be quite the arm workout in those temperatures.

Along the way we of course passed loads of other people, fully exposed to the sun and mostly sweating and dying.. looking at us with envy. Oh how they wished they had an umbrella! I can’t say that we didn’t feel just a BIT smug.

Looking back I don’t know how we would’ve survived without our umbrella. It totally saved us from a lot of suffering and allowed us to spend a bit more time dangling our legs over the edge and taking photos. The rocks were super rough, though, and made holes in the skin of our thighs/bums.

We later bumped into a park ranger, who eagerly came over to talk to us and stayed more than a couple of minutes, enjoying our umbrella shade. Haha!

There was a boat going by at one point, and we caught sight of tiny people looking like crawling insects down there.

We LOVED Horseshoe Bend. It was a spectacular view. It somehow reminded me of the Great Valley in one of my favourite childhood animated movies, ‘The Land Before Time‘. Definitely one of the highlights of our Arizona/Utah road trip.

So if you happen to go during the summer season – BRING AN UMBRELLA! You won’t regret it 😉

The post Surviving Horseshoe Bend in the Summer appeared first on SMALLCRAZY.

Joyce and I had the opportunity to do a road trip through Utah and Arizona in June after attending Electric Daisy Carnival in Vegas – and all we had to pay for was car hire (a convertible of course). We do lead such charmed lives; it all still seems surreal!

One of the highlights of the trip was our visit to Antelope Canyon during our stay in Page (I LOVED Page by the way), which I’d never really even heard about until I did some research on what to see in Arizona (although I knew I had seen pictures of it before). So of course I wasn’t aware that you had to choose between UPPER Antelope Canyon and LOWER Antelope Canyon, and argh it was so hard to decide..

I learnt that Upper was where the most dramatic photos are captured – these were the ones you would’ve seen on the web when searching for ‘Antelope Canyon’.. or in National Geographic magazines. But the downside was that because it’s so popular it’s always full of people. It’s also rather more expensive. Lower Antelope Canyon was less popular and slightly less accessible than Upper (only because you’d have to climb down some steep ladders to get down into the canyon at the beginning).

After some careful consideration, we decided on Lower because we had some grand plans for what kind of photos we wanted to take down there (you’ll see..) and we much preferred to have a bit more space instead of get stuck in a crowd. Plus the money we’ll save could go to more food 🙂

As of June 2015, when we visited, there seemed to be only two obviously visible operators running tours to Lower Antelope Canyon. We chose Ken’s Tours. There was no need to book even though it was peak season (another reason we preferred Lower to Upper).

It cost $28 per person including the mandatory Navajo Park Permit of $8. By the way, you’re not allowed to enter on your own, so you’d have to sign up for one of these guided tours.

We went for a 10.50am tour. If you’ve looked online, you’ll know that there’s a huge discussion/debate about what is the best time to go for the ‘best light’. We weren’t super fussed but I learnt that between 10am and 2pm is meant to be ‘ideal’, although the tour guides will tell you that it’s beautiful no matter what time of day it is (not untrue!).

We had about 20 or so people in our group, which to me was not small, so imagine what being at Upper Antelope Canyon would’ve been like! Anyway, once we descended into the ground, our eyes enjoyed a big feast. It was stunning..

Top: Mileti Swimwear | Sandals: Saltwater

Our guide, Buddy, explained how the canyons were formed and pointed out some interesting angles and perspectives for photography.

We tried to wear our animal masks (courtesy of Joyce) as often as we could.. possibly annoying some of the group but I’m pretty sure amusing most of them! We even flapped around and made chicken sounds. We thought.. everyone’s gonna have the SAME PICTURE, so why  not make ours a bit different?

I love our photos and I love the idea of us prancing around in rubber animal masks and floral headbands in a beautiful, well-known tourist attraction (not a novel situation though – examples here and here).

The tour lasted less than 1.5 hours from start to finish, which means we were in the canyon for about 45 minutes, I think. I do wish we could’ve stayed longer for more pictures, but there were always other tour groups coming up behind us and so our stops were time-limited. I did always feel hurried despite Buddy being super accommodating and patient with us (he really was great).

Overall, I LOVED Antelope Canyon and if you’re ever driving through Arizona and stopping by Page, definitely spare a couple of hours to visit.

More info about the tour here.

The post Bringing Colour to Antelope Canyon appeared first on SMALLCRAZY.

I got to visit Los Angeles for the first time in April!

I spent my first couple of days at an Airbnb apartment in West Hollywood. After a night in catching up on sleep to avoid jet lag, I woke up uncharacteristically early on a Sunday morning for my guided Griffith Park hike courtesy of  top eco-tourism company Bikes & Hikes LA. I was really excited about getting some fresh air and getting some sort of exercise in after pigging out and being generally inactive in Malaysia the week before.

I decided to walk 30 minutes through Los Feliz to our meeting point near the park entrance and it was just the most BEAUTIFUL WALK.

// LOS FELIZ //

The houses! It felt so surreal. I was seeing everything that I had grown up seeing on TV/in movies.

In fact I have SO MANY photos of houses that I’d seen along the way but I shan’t bore you with all of them.. Just some.. haha

My walk ended up taking much more than 30 minutes because I kept stopping to take in all that I was seeing. I wanted to move there right away.

I LOVED these trees.. I was sweating from the heat by the time I got here so they provided some shade to cool off for a bit. I wished I lived on that street.

Also spotted the Griffith Observatory on the way up, thinking, ‘god damn I’ll have to walk up to THERE’.

Eventually I made it to the meeting point and met Erick, our guide. There were only three other people in the group that day – a couple from Australia and an English girl!

// GRIFFITH PARK HIKE //

Griffith Park was dry.. ish. I mean it was quite brown rather than green. Does that sound stupid? Probably. No but I really liked it 🙂

Erick made sure everyone had water and a chance to use the toilet, and then we were off uphill. It was so hot!

We came across this bunch of cheaters on horses. HORSES! I was really sweaty (and jealous).

It was a bit hazy that day so the view wasn’t typically the best, but it still looked great to me.

Erick was super animated and talkative (read: engaging). I managed to actually listen to everything he was saying (this is normally a real challenge for me).

The majority of what he was sharing was about the history of Griffith Park and the SUPER INTERESTING story of Mr Griffith, its founder. He had come from Wales in the 19th century as a teenager. He also shot his wife in the eye. I’m not going to reiterate the whole story but you can find a summary here.

We didn’t get as close to the Hollywood sign as I.. envisioned. Haha.

During the tour I also learnt the history of the sign.. Well I don’t know if this is popular information or not but I never knew that it had at some point been left to die and vandalised, later to be saved (rebuilt and restored) by Hugh Hefner!

People in LA are always exercising or dieting, right?? This was at the top of the park. I recorded some Snapchats of people exercising in funny positions, such as something I like to call ‘the prawn’. I think it’s actually called ‘crunches’.

We also got to go inside the Griffith Observatory for a bit.

It’s beautiful! I got to hold a piece of meteorite (very heavy) and use a bunch of those weighing scales where you can see how much you’d weigh on each of the planets in the solar system. Unfortunately I wasn’t paying a lot of attention so I can’t remember where I’d be lighter or heavier.

The tour/hike ended outside the observatory and we were free to get a cab home from there or walk back down with Erick to the original meeting point.

OH! We saw the tunnel where that chase scene from Back to the Future was filmed, too. Honestly it looked really unglam in real life.. and a lot shorter.

And this is Erick!

If you’re looking for a healthier, more active way to explore and learn about LA, definitely check out Bikes & Hikes. They also offer lots of cycling tours, bike rentals, and even self-guided tours.

And hey – follow me on Snapchat (SMLCRZY) 🙂

The post Exploring Griffith Park LA appeared first on SMALLCRAZY.

But Cristina appeared before me just as I was about to resign to a couple of hours of me-time and chirped, ‘I’m going to the beach, wanna come?’

OF COURSE I said YES. And it dawned on me – WHY did I not think of going to the beach? WHY? WHAT WAS WRONG WITH ME? I had just arrived in Sagres AKA BEACH TOWN and I wanted to SIT DOWN on a sofa and what? Just sit there?? I was so stupid! Like DUH.. what kind of sun worshipper was I? A shit one!

So off I went and packed my bags – in something like ten seconds.

^Sunset and moonrise at Praia do Tonel

Once I was ready, the both of us sauntered off.. into the wild.. nah just into hot, dry Sagres.

^The street where the surf school was near

The walk to the beach was really fun. The whole place was so EMPTY.. so barren. The landscape encouraged us to walk slowly and because there were hardly any trees, the sun was upon us like a giant blanket of joy!

There was this part where we had to walk through a narrow dirt path outlined with long tall grass.
I felt like I was a part of Spirited Away, about to walk into some sort of weird screwed up fantasy world (a good thing).

But instead I got this ^

Imagination is key here.

About two minutes from this point, we got a bit lost. There was no one in sight except for two old non-English-speaking men and we had to use our very broken Portuguese – onde? praia? a praia? 

At least I know now that it’s ‘onde é que a praia?’… I think so anyway. Haha!

Well, whatever it was, it worked. Eventually, we arrived at Praia da Mareta, one of the many beaches in Sagres.

^just before the steps down to the beach.

What a gorgeous day it was! In mid-September, I was feeling like the luckiest person (from London who had managed to escape the onset of autumn)!

Obviously, I bragged about it to my friends. This is why we go on holiday, right? :p

We found ourselves a nice spot in the sun and… shared a spliff (ok for the Nth time, this is an honest and open blog). I swear all my closest friends are made this way.. !

We had a most lovely time talking about.. rubbish, of course. Rubbish I don’t really remember.

^Goliath came along too.

^Beautiful golden sand!

I wish I had tiny people to place on the little mounds, to create an exciting scene! Tell a story!

^Sorry, it’s just me again..

Once started to get cold and we could no longer keep moving along the beach following the rays.. we picked up our stuff and left. But look what greeted us when we got back onto the street:

We looked at each other for a few minutes, confident in our mutual desire to chase the sunset.

We RAN. RAN LIKE THERE WAS NO TOMORROW. 
(Or as my crazy little sister would say – RAN LIKE COWS – no it doesn’t make sense, but it’s not supposed to).

We ended up on a cliff slide overlooking one of the more scenic beaches in Sagres – Praia do Tonel – JUST as the egg yolk sun was about to touch the line separating the sky from the sea.

Mission accomplished, I say.

We sat on a ledge, sharing my beach towel, and smoked a little more.

It was THE MOST beautiful sunset. Magic! Magnificent!

The sky was clear as clear could be. The air smelt and tasted good.

We were really happy!

^So happy that we didn’t care that we looked like crap.

I can’t really fully describe how truly a special moment that was. Just us two girls, who had only met a couple of hours before, perched on a ledge, witnessing a stunning sunset together. We promised each other that we would visit each other soon, after surf camp was (inevitably going to be) over.

Cristina comes from Bucharest, Romania.

Guess where I’m going this Friday? YEP 🙂

^In the distance you can see Sagres Point, a kind of fortress-like building (it’s actually a promontory) I never got to visit.

Cristina and I then had a most serene walk back to surf camp under the night sky.

Editing the photos for this post made me MISS THE SUN so much. When I got back to London from Portugal, I was so brown. Super tanned. So tanned that even I thought it was a bit much. But two months have passed and so I’m a bit more normal now, though I do want to keep a bit of my tan still on.

Which brings me to THIS below – some really handy tips to help you keep your tan for longer than ever! I’m not just saying.. I’ve read through and they actually are pretty good tips. Some of which I already practise, and not to be a brag, but I do have pretty good smooth skin that’s erm.. not pale!


I always have a wax before any holiday. But I never exfoliate – this is because I’m lazy.
Because I have asian skin (and generally I’m kind of a mutant), I pretty much never burn.. it would take a LOT of sun exposure to sizzle my skin!

Saying that, I am a firm believer in sunscreen and these days I apply SPF50 before going to the beach. Protect your skin!

ALWAYS MOISTURISE. EVERYWHERE. EVERY INCH.


Right now, I’m using Dove summer glow + soft shimmer moisturiser, which contains self-tanner and.. my favourite bit – it has tiny little sparkly bits in it! Literally makes my skin shimmer. It’s fab.

This post was brought to you in collaboration with Hayes and Jarvis.
You’ve got them to thank for these useful tan-keeping tips!

The post Beautiful Sagres – Praia da Mareta/Tonel & Chasing the Sunset appeared first on SMALLCRAZY.

I booked a place for myself on a desert safari.. and here are my photos from it!

You’ll have to excuse the poor quality of the images since I was using some kinda crappy compact camera of that.. era.

Looking back, I can’t believe what an amateur traveller I was.. but I’m also amazed at how much I’ve grown and changed since. I’ve invested so much in myself! This is what I tell my parents or people who question the amount of time and money I spend on travelling: “It’s an investment in MYSELF. Personal development!”

I am now awesome – I am confident, happy, and I can speak to anyone about anything.

Anyway, back to this desert safari.. I chose this day to write about as it was my favourite thing about my trip. Something I loved much more than the skyscrapers and all the other modern, shiny stuff that’s normally associated with Dubai.

^
^Just a scene along the way to the desert

I was amazed by how… ORANGE it was!

Once we arrived at the desert, the tyres of the cars (or jeeps?) had to be deflated before we could do the ‘dune bashing’, a.k.a. driving around the soft mounds of sand in a ridiculous, crazy way to produce as many jerky, rollercoaster-like movements as possible. Supposed to be fun!

See! I’m not the only crazy one.. I was so pleased to see these people rolling down the hill, without a care about sand getting into their clothes.. or even their mouths.

We had a chance to explore the area before the ‘dune bashing’ began.

I wandered around taking a few photos before sitting down with my own thoughts; shoes off. I remember thinking that just 24 hours before, I had been with my family. I don’t know why I thought that, because obviously it just made me sad again as I started missing them and wishing they were there to enjoy the beautiful view with me. But hey.. homesickness, it really takes over your mind (and your heart) when you have it.

I was lucky to have Dino as company.. his bright pink body really helped liven things up a little!

I can’t remember how long the ‘dune bashing’ segment lasted, but it was indeed really fun. It wasn’t as crazy as I’d hoped it to be, but then again, I AM kind of a crazy person who can endure a lot of.. motion, so… (the other people in the car said it was ‘mad’)

After the ride, there was a stop for camel rides.

I’d ridden one in Egypt before so it wasn’t such a novelty, but of course I went and had a go anyway..

I remember that a Brazilian couple kindly took these photos for me. How kind of them! I was a bit shy to ask back then, and they noticed I was alone so they offered their help with the camera.

Riding a camel is like riding a tall and wonky horse. It feels more unstable.. but it’s fun, cos you’re higher up! Also, you get to sit on what looks like a carpet.. Haha

Soon, the sun started to descend and we were driven to a place where everything was already set up for us to have a nice BBQ dinner and watch some belly dancing.

I had the opportunity to befriend a bird.
But I was shy even to speak to birds, especially as I didn’t speak Bird (I still don’t).

See THIS is why I take pics of food! I was trying to remember what the food was like.. and simply couldn’t. But then this picture popped up and I was like ‘Aaaaah THAT’S what I ate’.

I can’t remember if it was amazing or not, but I know I didn’t complain.

Music was playing all evening and the sky was clear. I sat next to a French family. I think the thing that made this experience so ‘intimidating’ for me was that there were no other solo travellers in the group. It was mostly families and couples, and maybe some groups of friends. I totally felt like the odd one out.

I sat quietly and ate my meal alone, while taking the occasional video of the entertainment around me. I remember being annoyed at my non-iPhone phone having such terrible reception that I couldn’t even call or text my friends.

I let myself wallow in my own loneliness for a few minutes.

And then I looked around and up at the stars, realising what a GREAT day I’ve had and what a beautiful night it was. There I was, having dinner, in a desert, somewhere in the Middle East, with a bunch of strangers. It was fab and I told myself to refocus my mind on the NOW.

It was tough, but I tried my best (I’m a pro at it now).

Plus, I got to enjoy a most magnificent sunset.

Obviously, if I were to have this experience now, in 2013, I would’ve ended up with a bunch of new friends and a collection funny photos!

I do plan on re-visiting Dubai, this time armed with ME V2 and a better camera. Emirates operates flights to Dubai from all over the world. I could easily stop there for a few days on the way to Malaysia. In fact, I’ve recently booked my flights for January with them – they’re my preferred airlines to go home with because I quite like breaking up the travel time into two halves. AND Dubai airport is quite an enjoyable place to be spending one or two hours – good shopping, and free wifi 😉

I might also add that Emirates uses the A380 for that route and offers in-flight wifi..

Have you been to Dubai before? What did you think? 

The post Dubai – Braving the Desert Safari Alone appeared first on SMALLCRAZY.

^That’s the visitor info/ticket office building on the right.. isn’t it cute?

^ I think perhaps this is where the boats would’ve gone from..

It was all very quiet.. barely anyone else around. You could HEAR the icebergs sometimes! They clicked as they touched each other.

Or.. it could be your idiot friend trying to hurl giant ice blocks into the lagoon:

Or trying to use one as a headpiece

We are all idiots really..

^ I – C – E ???

And then I lost my iPhone…

I only realised my phone was missing when we were getting in the car. You know that momentary PANICKY feeling you get when you’ve just realised something’s missing?? I hate that!

I ran back and had to comb the whole shoreline looking for it.. hoping that it’d be there. Trying to find a WHITE iPhone at a glacier lagoon full of.. ice. Great. Eventually, to my BIG relief, I did find it. Lying there all wet and cold.. because us dumbos were too busy playing a game of ‘see who can throw stones onto the icebergs and have one land there without slipping into the water’.

In our defence it was a really fun game. I didn’t realise how BOUNCY ice was. The stones would bounce and skip off the icebergs so enthusiastically. Obviously I had thrown one so vigorously (excited haha) that my phone fell out..

It’s so funny because in the photo above, you can see my phone lying next to me on the ground as I made another throw -_-

‘Til next post! 😉

The post Iceland Day 4 – Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon in Winter appeared first on SMALLCRAZY.

I love the blackness of the basalt sand. Above you can see a couple of basalt rock fingers/stacks in the distance, which are leftovers from a sea-battered cliffline that was once there.

The sea was rough and the waves were strong. We all stood watching it for a long time.. sort of absorbing its energy and marvelling its power. I imagined what it would be like swimming there. Or surfing there. I couldn’t decide what would kill me first – drowning or hypothermia.

^Here’s a video I took so you can get more of a feel!

The waves would bash the shore so hard that there would be such a huuuuge area of foam each time.

Sometimes, we would be so engrossed in our awe that we don’t realise the foam creeping up to TOUCH us. We’d suddenly realise and run away screaming.. it was so much FUN! It’s like playing catch with the sea. It’s a game I regularly enjoy at the beach, but I have to say, this one in Vík was my fastest and most exciting opponent yet.

DINNER AT HOTEL PUFFIN/HOTEL LUNDI

Following tips on TripAdvisor, we went to Hotel Puffin to eat. There wasn’t much choice in Vík really, especially since it was winter/off-peak season as well.

There are two main meats in Iceland – fish and lamb. By this time we were accustomed to most restaurant menus offering either one of these as a main. I think the menu is also more limited during winter season.

NOT that it bothered me – because Icelandic lamb is HEAVENLY. So soft, so tender, so juicy, so effing delicious!

^Dessert was apple crumble (pretty good). I also tried Lava Beer, a strong, pitch black beer with an alcohol content of over 9.4% (yesss). It had a rather chocolatey aroma. I liked it!

DAY 4 – DRIVING EAST

The next morning, we checked out of Volcano Hotel – which we LOVED – and started our journey to Jökulsárlón (the famous iceberg lagoon!) early. As we were passing Vík again, we stopped by to pick up supplies, like food… and an amazing wolf tail that I found at a souvenir shop, of course.

SOOOO this is what the place looks like in the daylight..

^This reminded me of Table Mountain in South Africa!

^Do you love the bits of ice on the ground? I did!

^Getting out photos.

The landscape was so vast and so empty. So strange and so overwhelming. So open and so exciting!

^Me with Zorro

^Iceland’s everchanging, ever-so-beautiful landscape.

^Jayna, the camera and photography enthusiast in our group.

She brought some fancy schmancy analog camera that opened up like a lunchbox. Or a jack-in-a-box. My eyes nearly popped out when she said it cost her £1000.

^Birds.. I thought this shot was rather National Georgraphic-esque? Don’t you think? Except that I took it with my iPhone and there probably needs to be more birds present..

^I LOVE THESE TWO PICS ABOVE

What kind of ALIEN landscape is that, right??  I was in a car on a road that was pretty much mine, staring at this STRANGE scene with the icy cold wind in my face. For a few short moments, I had left the planet and found another.

Laufskálavarða

One of Iceland’s oldest farms used to be here.. until it got disintegrated by the eruption of Katla (nearby volcano) in 894. That is, by the way, 1119 years ago..

*bimbo moment – sometimes I can’t quite grasp the fact that there were PEOPLE on this planet THAT long ago.. what more doing activities like FARMING. Didn’t they just live in caves and doodle on the walls?*

Laufskálavarða, the lava mound, was named after the farm. The tradition is that if you’re passing through for the first time, you add a stone to one of the bazillion stone cairns for good luck on your journey.

Honestly, they looked like piles of poo.

^I tried to ‘be one’ with Laufskálavarða.

^Erm..

^Here’s a video of us goofing around on an ice puddle 🙂

ICELANDIC HORSES

We passed by some of these curious horses loitering around the fence and stopped to say hello.

I patted a couple of them. But I don’t really understand Horse.. what more Icelandic Horse, so I wasn’t sure what they tried to say to me. We left them a bite of an apple. I’m not sure if they ate it in the end.

^Remnants/steel beams of a bridge that was DESTROYED by glacial floods caused by a volcanic eruption in 1996. Can you believe the bridge was demolished by a bunch of GIANT ICE BLOCKS?

Next up: Jökulsárlón Iceberg Lagoon.

Want more tips on how to make your trip to Iceland AWESOME? Check out TinyIceland! It’s one of my favourites.

The post Iceland Day 4 – Vík Black Sand Beach / Laufskálavarða / Driving East appeared first on SMALLCRAZY.