Sunday 22 September 2013

Oia, SANTORINI: Nothing but 'WOW!'

I believe many of you have seen the movie, Mamma Mia or perhaps Sisterhood of Travelling Pants? The scenic side of Greek island were filmed in the enchanted Santorini (formally known as Thira), Greece.


June 2013 (Photo taken with Canon EOS M)

I was so lucky to have visited that beautiful island (twice!) recently. The most talk-about postcard view would be from a small town (or more likely a village) called Oia (pronounced as 'ee-yaa', omit the pronounciation of 'O'). The blue waters of Aegean Sea, cloudless sky and Greek hospitality definitely give travelers a truly unforgettable vacation. Having been to many cities with the hustle bustle of traffic or lavishness, Santorini is the place to get away from that to relax your mind. 


(Photo taken by my dad with Canon 5D Mark II)

During my trip there, we stayed just outside Oia in Anemoessa Villa (June 2013) and Atlantida Villas (September 2013), both gave us easy access to Oia. Atlantida Villas has a better gateway to Oia, through a pedestrian-only footway from the front of the villa overlooking calderas while making our way to Oia, which is a short walk away. As for public transport, the only option to get to Oia would be from the main town, Fira. This service runs approximately every 20-30 minutes or every hour after 8 or 9pm. Wherever you would like to go in Santorini, always have to go through Fira. Otherwise, one could take the taxi or rent a car/bike/ATV. 


 Atlantida Villas, September 2013. (Photo taken by my dad with Canon 5D Mark II)

 September 2013. On our way to Oia from our villa. (Photo taken by my dad with Canon 5D Mark II)

 The view from our villa, on our way walking to Oia. (Photo taken by my dad with Canon 5D Mark II)

The village of Oia has population of under 4000, this settlement has began circa 15th to 19th century. When we went for the volcanic island tour in June, the informative tour guide of ours mentioned the earliest house were painted pink/peach instead of the stark white architecture against the blackish volcanic island. 


 September 2013. Yours truly. (Photo taken by my dad with Canon 5D Mark II)
  September 2013. Look at the cloudless sky and sapphire blue Aegean Sea. (Photo taken by my dad with Canon 5D Mark II)
  June 2013. (Photo taken with Canon EOS M)
 June 2013. (Photo taken with Canon EOS M)

Oia is quite small that you can't possibly get lost, with just one main street. As soon as you get into Oia, you will be 'WOW-ed' by the idyllic architecture with blue-domed white buildings. It is simply magical. There's a reason behind it's architectural domed-roof, that is to let rainwater runs down and not accumulated, presumably the drainage system would be a huge problem on the island. Speaking of that, we tried to boil water from the tap, and it turns out to be salty as the main source of water on the island would be from the sea.

Thursday 19 September 2013

What I did this Summer

Summer holiday is a popular time for many to travel, not to say many things are much prettier during the day, also you do not need to combat the winter cold. 

I, too, joined many to begin my long-planned summer holiday on June 1st, 2013!

The following are the places that I went (and my hometown, Kuching, is included in the map). Fast forward all the journey, I am now settling in Glasgow, Scotland for my postgraduate studies for approximately one year. 


Wednesday 18 September 2013

The Top of my Bucket List

Have you ever thought of travelling the world? I do. This seems to be easy to say but achieving it requires some sort of effort. 

Do you feel like you've been stuck in the same routine, i.e. work, for sometime now? And deep down somewhere in your heart or your bucket list, says that you want to get out there and see the world? All you need to do now is plan your savings, timeline and let's travel!

One question that I've been asked was, "Where are you now? Malaysia?". Even my friends sometimes lost track of my locality. I dare not to say that I am a jet-setter but I love travelling



This summer, I'm proud to say that I've finally ticked off the top of my bucket list. I traveled to some cities in Europe and the UK for 8 weeks. I'm really lucky to have a BFF who traveled with me throughout.




"Where do you get the money from?" and "how much do you spent?" is the question I've been asked by many. Well, I must say money plays a big role in travels. I once watched a television show, a financial advisor said, you must divide out your salary into three portions. One third for your room rental (or your housing loan), one third for your spending (food and shopping), and the last one third for your savings or investments. Of course if you can save more than one third of your salary would be better in long run. That's what I did! Travel keeps me going.


The favourite part of my (ultimate super duper) summer 2013 was the Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts. Not any lavish city, Glastonbury Festival is like a town made up limited to 150,000 person for only 5 days in a year. I will dedicate an entire blog post for it in near future. 

Having being to Glastonbury Festival, my life is now satisfied. I look forward to going back to Glastonbury Festival.

Stand up and get started! Save up if you love travelling like I do!






Till then!

x.o.x.o
Anna