Windmill

This is one of the few pictures we have of the windmills of Zaanse Schaanz outside Amsterdam. The rest of the 6 rolls of film - together with pictures from the Amalfi Coast, Isle of Capri and Pompeii were lost when KL's camera bag was snatched in Naples.

Travellers heading to Southern Italy, please beware! The bag was snatched right under my nose while our car stopped at a busy junction. The snatch thief and his accomplices tricked me into unwinding the window to re-adjust an "accidentally" knocked side-view mirror, and with a blink of an eye, he reached in to snatch the bag away. Though it ruined our holiday, lucky for us the cameras were insured! As much as I would like to curse the thieves for 7 generations, I guess it's all part and parcel of travelling.

KL and I will be looking forward to newer cameras soon!

Corny Cornwall

This was a weekend away to South west England to celebrate KL's belated birthday and also to mark the end of his exams.

It was quite a relaxing holiday - long walks and slow drives along the coast line, exploring quaint towns and eating scrumptous scones with cream (not forgetting the well-known Cornish pasty) . That said, after the first night we were keeping an eye out for chinese take-aways and Indian curry houses. Well, that's 'Ah pek' KL for you! ;)

One of our nicer walks was in Northern Cornwall to the Bedruthan Steps where we were rewarded with the view of a dramatic coastline. The amazing rock formations reminded me of the 12 Apostles along Melbourne's Great Ocean Road.



We stumbled upon this field of gold while exploring a fishing village near Falmouth. The sight of KL gleefully running through the flowers Bollywood-style was quite a sight to behold. Would have loved to put the photo up but KL had concerns that his manliness will come into question!! :)

Whale of a time..!

Last year was a birthday to remember, KL surprised me with a snorkelling trip with killer whales (orcas) up in Tysfjord, a Norwegian fishing village 200km north of the Arctic Circle.



It was an exhilarating trip right from the start. If you think swimming in the cold arctic waters was ridiculous, you should have seen the sight of me and KL squeezing into the thicker-than-thick double layered rubber dry suit!!!! I needed 2 sets of hands, loads of talcum powder and after much tugging, stretching and squeezing did I manage to get into the full gear!!!!

I could not contain my excitement as I got on the zodiac rubber boats, scanning the horizons for the distinct water spouts of the orcas. It was awhile before we managed to spot a pod of whales and when we did, a surreal and almost magical moment indeed!



The whales were so close to us - their black fins breaking the surface of the water as they swam gracefully along, rising up and down in synchronised rhythm as the rising arctic sun illuminated the snow-peaked mountains with a faint tint of pink. It was just picture perfect!!



Cameras were clicking away - attempting to capture the moment. Me, on the other hand was one of the first few frantic ones to jump into the freezing Norwegian Sea in hope of catching glimpses of the whales underwater. No such luck! *sigh* KL, being the more rational one stayed back on the boat to see the shiny black dorsals gliding further away from the boat!!






In the evenings, we took slow strolls to the nearby fishing village. To cap the day off we were fortunate enough to be treated to the magical theatre in the sky that is the Northern Lights. All in all the Arctic Circle provided us with such beautiful memories - where else can you swim with whales, tuck into as much fresh salmon as your heart desires..... and wake up to scenery like that below, where the shallower shores of the fjord are frozen and the last splashes of water transformed into ice crystals.

Aurora Borealis

The Arctic phenomena that is Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights).






Standing by a frozen fjord 200km north of the Arctic circle, KL and I were freezing our butts off in sub-zero temperatures waiting for the spectacle to unveil across the sky. It was well worth the wait and I am really glad the pictures turned out ok.

Ice scream!

After Saas Grund, we headed for Kandersteg - an alpine village well-known to hikers, cross country skiers and ice-climbers.

We were based here for 3 days, one of which was spent strolling to the picturesque Lake Oeschinen. At 1578m above sea-level, the lake was completely frozen on the surface. And smack at the centre of the lake were a group of men ice-fishing, literally digging a hole through the ice. Curious, KL and I tried to approach them, but each step gave way to scary sounding groans and creaks from the frozen layer, icy waters filling each footprint. Not keen on falling thru the ice, we prompty tip-toed our way back to solid ground!!!

I hope to get down to posting the pictures at a later date. ... watch this space! ;)


Kandersteg is a haven for ice-climbers. We were lucky enough to be there for the World Ice-climbing championship. Here, KL's having a go at 150m-high frozen waterfall.


I gave up after the first pitch - my arms & legs were aching, so was quite contented being the photographer for the day. KL seems to be hanging pretty well up there!


Full view of the water fall. Can't wait to get home for my mug of hot swiss chocolate!

White Christmas

Ideally located in the Saas Valley of Switzerland, we set up home in the quaint little Chalet Stadel for a week.



Thus begun our daily grind - lugging skis and 'mama'-sized boots up 3,100 metres for our skiing lessons. With a panaromic backdrop of snow-capped peaks we were soon in our element, zig-zagging our way through fresh powder snow. (We will, of course, not mention the numerous jack-and-jill-tumbling-down-the-hill-in-a-totally-embarrassing-fashion scenes! :P)





We ended our days with a gentle ski all the way down to the valley.

Paris in black and white

We didn't take that many pictures this time, as we've took our fair share of photos during our last trip. But, thought I'll add these few in cos I thought KL did a very good job in composing the photos. Me? Hehehehe.... I was enjoying a 'continental' experience - siesta on a bench around the corner.


The Lourve


Eiffel Tower


Another one..