A few things (amongst many) to do in Christchurch, New Zealand
It is quite sad that many people only think of Christchurch as the earthquake city, and are somewhat reluctant to visit because of news that it's still recovering from the events which forever changed it, coupled with the fear of experiencing a strong quake while there. It's a pity, because, not only is Christchurch now the safest tremor city in New Zealand (all structurally unsound buildings have been demolished or sealed off, and new buildings have to adhere to strict guidelines), but it's also very much ready to welcome visitors and is full of fun, quirky, adrenaline-pumping and memorable things to ...
Christchurch, New Zealand: Not for the disaster, but for the rebirth
When disaster strikes somewhere, we all struggle to find a reason to return. In recent years it has happened with Bali and its terrorist attacks, and Japan with its nuclear crisis. And then there is Christchurch. On the 4th of September 2012, a 7.1 magnitude earthquake struck the city, and although no one was killed, the city's buildings were heavily damaged, so that when the 6.3 magnitude earthquake hit on the 22nd of February 2011, buildings weakened by the previous shake came tumbling down, and 185 people died. An area which was from then on referred to as the red zone, was ...
How I changed my life for the better, not by turning to perpetual travel, not overnight
When it comes to taking steps to change my life when I am unhappy, it has always been a no-brainer to me. Life is too short to do what other people expect you to, or to settle for a comfortable and familiar routine when that same routine is killing you slowly inside. So at the beginning of this year, I went from freezing my ass off in Switzerland... ...to quiting my three jobs and catapulting myself in the beautiful and wonderful countries which are Vietnam and Singapore... ...to relocating my whole life and starting from square one in Melbourne, Australia. And I have never ...
More than just a place to sleep: What accommodation means to me while travelling
Though I was never ever comfortable doing the stay-in-a-dorm-full-of-strangers business, there was a time when I thought that the less money I spent on accommodation while travelling the better, because, after all, what am I going to do in that room but sleep? But as the years passed, and I became a frequent, seasoned traveller who was ofter on the road for longer than just a week or so, and I realised that in fact, I was doing much more than just sleeping in my accommodation, and the accommodation I chose was going much more than just giving me a ...
Down in the Mekong Delta: Part 2
There are times during our travels when, if we are open-minded enough, we get to see things which truly change our lives and our way of thinking. I am not speaking of a pretty temple, or an ancient palace, nor a memorable meal in a local restaurant. I am speaking about something which is so different from our own lives that we cannot but be hit by it like a slap in the face. This happens when we travel to see the dynamics of different people, living very different lives in corners of the world which seem a million lights years ...
Browsing Category 'Vienna'
One of the first ever images I saw of Vienna was off a postcard featuring the stunning Karlskirche., but it wasn’t only the church itself which made me go all wide eyed. Mostly, it was also the setting. In front of the church was a glimmering pool of blue water, with a sinuous sculpture seemingly [...]
Read more...
To my great frustration, I could only free up three days to visit Vienna, but a proper slow traveller would make sure to have at least 1 full week to explore this amazing city, especially if such traveller has varied interests. The following are ideas and tips taking many different interests into consideration, though I [...]
Read more...
Choose a street and look around you. Then turn a corner and discover something new. I am by no means an expert in architecture, but from the little I know I found Vienna a truly fascinating place, with lines, curves, steeples and domes spanning the centuries, and, at least in the city centre, restored and [...]
Read more...
The sky was grey, colourless. Most trees had long shed their leaves, the shrubs shrivelled and lost their green. Little colour was left apart from the slightly tired-looking lawn, but it was not hard to image how magnificent the Schloss Schonbrunn’s gardens would look come Spring and Summer, mainly because a few months earlier, Kristina [...]
Read more...
*Cue atmospheric instrumental music. Switch on fog machine, set on low. Imagine Anthony Bourdain’s sexy low voice, though actually it’s me, Denise, but his voice sounds much nicer.* …Where am I? Is this a dream? Everywhere I turn metallic green statues of proud men on horses gaze at me from their high pedestals. Buildings so [...]
Read more...
Every trip we take automatically becomes associated with something. For me, Seoul conjures up images of spicy food and super-trendy youths. Budapest makes me think of cold, Art Nouveau, and more cold. Did I mentioned the cold? Bali reminds me of pools, and crashing waves, and bad food. And Vienna will, unfortunately, forever be associated [...]
Read more...Portfolio
Navigate
