Out of Norm Travels

Unique Cafe hopping experience in Bangkok that came complete with some interaction with Cats (love them Grumpy Cats) and Dogs (Huskies)...and Witches ;)  The cat cafe at Caturday Cafe was lovely as the cats were all over the place across tables, up above you and hidden under the chairs. I was thrilled to be surrounded by them and they were basically doing their own thing ie sleep and walk around. Cats being cats don't bother you if you don't bother them. one thing I was pleasantly surprised was that the food there was pretty decent (something I can't say for a lot of the cat cafes I have been)& the cats seem contented being around the area (instead of wanting to go back to their hidden area - which was our experience at the Cat cafe in Penang). Caturday Cafe  Thailand The dog cafe of Neverland Huskies on the other hand were simply majestic. Imagine being surrounded by a pack of some 20 huskies in an area. They were beautiful and had the space to just be around.

Part 2 of my December travels brought me closer to the Thai-Cambodian border, within the Ta Phraya National Park ( Thai : อุทยานแห่งชาติตาพระยา )  where I  found myself in one tourist location that is not well known to non-Thais called Lalu. This is Thailand's small version of the famous Grand Canyon. It is quintessentially an area of earth stalagmites; naturally caused by the erosion of rainwater and the subsidence or collapse of soil. Its closeness to Cambodia resulted in the naming of this place which means "penetrated"  in Khmer language. With an area of more than 2,000 hectares, its uniqueness warrants an afternoon visit. The combination of wind and rainwater has eroded the hard rock into many shapes similar to a city wall or cliffs. You will find this same scene on a bigger scale at Phae Mueang Phi of Phrae province resulting in some locals calling it "A New Phae Mueang Phi". Getting here from the visitor area requires the hiring of a guide and tract

This is part 1 of my Thailand adventures in 2014 when I made a trip down to Phanom Rung Historical Park . So what's so special about this place? This is located in the northeastern Isaan, Buri Ram province of Thailand. Phanom Rung (Thai: พนมรุ้ง ), or full name, Prasat Hin Phanom Rung (Thai: ปราสาทหินพนมรุ้ง – Phanom Rung Stone Castle is the largest and the most beautiful Khmer site in Thailand that was built over the 10th to 13th centuries from sandstone and laterite and dedicated to Lord Shiva , a supreme Hindu deity. It is said that the architectural design of this complex symbolizes Mount Kailash, his heavenly dwelling located in India. It consists of 3 naga bridges. Going through the walkway, you can reach the first naga bridge. There are 70 sand stone posts on either side of the walkway. The third naga bridge takes the visitors to the main sanctuary. Here is a photo of the layout of the temple grounds.   After restoring the temples for close to 2 decades, the

The magnificence of the Great Wall never fails to amaze me. Although this is not my first visit, I continue to   be struck by its aura with my first intake of its breath-taking views.  The Great Wall snakes as it hugged the terrain it was built on and with every step I took on the Great Wall, I am deeply humbled to know that I am stepping on bricks or foundations that were laid down more than a thousand years ago. It is truly a mark of imperial grandeur of the Ming Dynasty and badge of achievement for mankind. H ere are my favorite photos as well as a timelapse to commemorate my visit to this Wonder of the World:      Previous entry of my earlier visit to the Great Wall: http://outofnormtravels-magty.blogspot.sg/2012/06/beijing-china-walk-up-to-great-wall-of.html?m=1 Till the next time, onto the world and beyond! 

Myanmar recently reintroduced itself to the world after it held its  first general election in 2010 following the release of politician and human rights activist Aung San Suu Kyi and the lifting of  EU sanctions  in 2012. I was fortunate to have visited this beautiful country with world renowned national geographic photographer, Michael Yamashita and Jock Montgomery of Compass Rose expeditions in early 2014.  Of the many locations visited during this whirlwind 10 days photography experience,  Bagan   stood out as a must visit location.    Bagan (Burmese: ပုဂံ; formerly Pagan) is an ancient city located in the Mandalay Region of Burma (Myanmar). It was the former capital of the Kingdom of Pagan in the 9th to 13th century. There remains over 2200 temples, monasteries, stupas and monuments and pagodas day. Info taken from  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bagan . It houses the highest density of Buddhist architecture in the world and boosts a jaw dropping landscape. What will defini

List of World Heritage Sites that I have visited over the years.... China - Great Wall of China - (Sep 2015 visit) http://outofnormtravels-magty.blogspot.sg/2015/10/out-of-norm-travels-sep-2015-journey-to.html  and (2012 visit) http://outofnormtravels-magty.blogspot.sg/2012/06/beijing-china-walk-up-to-great-wall-of.html China - Longmen Grottoes, Luoyang, Henan, China - http://outofnormtravels-magty.blogspot.sg/2013/08/out-of-norm-travels-longmen-grottoes.html India - Hill forts of Rajasthan, India http://outofnormtravels-magty.blogspot.sg/2014/08/out-of-norm-travels-trip-to-rajasthan.html India - Jaipur, Rajasthan, India - http://outofnormtravels-magty.blogspot.sg/2014/08/out-of-norm-travels-trip-to-rajasthan.html India - Jaipur,  Jantar Mantar,  Rajasthan,  India -  http://outofnormtravels-magty.blogspot.sg/2016/01/out-of-norm-travels-rajasthan-jantar.html  Indonesia - Borobudur Temple, Indonesia - http://outofnormtravels-magty.blogspot.sg/2012/12/indonesia-2012-yo

The ancient Kingdom of Sukhothai (Thai: สุโขทัย ) - Sukhothai is from Sanskrit sukha (सुख "happiness") + udaya (उदय "rise, emergence"), meaning "dawn of happiness".   According to the Lonely Planet, the Sukhothai (Rising of Happiness) Kingdom flourished from the mid-13th century to the late 14th century. This period is often viewed as the golden age of Thai civilisation, and the religious art and architecture of the era are considered to be the most classic of Thai styles. The remains of the kingdom, today known as meuang gòw (old city), feature around 45 sq km of partially rebuilt ruins, which are one of the most visited ancient sites in Thailand. Wat Mahathat translates as “great relic”, and it is one of the oldest and most important Buddhist temples in Thailand.      Wat Mahathat, Sukhothai    Wat Mahathat, Sukhothai  Wat Si Chum Temple is a 13 th century temple enshrining the largest Buddha image in Sukhothai measurin

For those up for a trip up north of Thailand, the most famous, largest and connected of its cities will be Chiangmai or Chiang Mai or Chieng mai . It is also regarded as  the unofficial capital of Northern Thailand, second in importance only to Bangkok.   A must see temple when you are on your first trip to this location will be  Wat Phra That Doi Suthep  (Thai:  วัดพระธาตุดอยสุ เทพ ). Easily accessible by car or van around 15km from the city centre, you have a choice of taking the cable car or climbing some 300 steps to reach the temple grounds which is a Theravada Buddhist temple in Chiang Mai Province, Thailand. The temple dates from 1383 and is located at  Doi Suthep  mountain which is a sacred site to many  Thai s. During important festivals like Loy Kratong, you will see many Thais making a pilgrimage to this temple to release thousands of paper lanterns into the sky in the month of November to celebrate From the temple, you can take on impressive views of Chiang Mai.  

Finally got my act together and endured 4 overnight running of various versions of my Time lapse videos to arrive at this version which took 1962 Time lapse photos to make:  Continuation of my other blog entries of my trip of a lifetime:  Out of Norm Travels - Alaska adventure in 2014 Out of Norm Travels - Be Smart Tips for future trips and those whowant to travel to colder climates like Alaska till the next time, onto the world and beyond! 

Cruise along Ha Long Bay -  Vietnamese:  Vịnh Hạ Long , literally means 'Descending Dragon Bay' is  one of the UNESCO Natural World Heritage Site  in Quảng Ninh Province, Vietnam which is a  3 hour transfer from Hanoi to the Habour The official information from Wikipedia is that Hạ Long Bay has an area of around 1,553 km 2 , including 1,960–2,000 islets, most of which are limestone which has undergone 500 million years of formation in different conditions and environments. The geo-diversity of the environment in the area has created biodiversity, including a tropical evergreen biosystem, oceanic and sea shore biosystem. There are many cruise operators that you can choose from as Ha long bay is one of the most popular tourist destinations when you come to Vietnam. Choosing Pelican Cruises over the rest is easy as it is one of the newest 4-star cruises (operations started in 2012) sailing in Ha Long Bay. I was really pleased that it is relatively small sized with 22 ca

Sapa , is a frontier town and capital of Sa Pa District in Lào Cai Province in northwest Vietnam . I had the privilege to spend 3 days 2 nights at this location which can be reached via Hanoi , the capital of Vietnam (where international flights connect into the country). I heard that there is a new highway that was recently built that links Hanoi to Sapa which takes a mere 5 hours (and at less expense). But for my trip, I took the longer route (and to me, more authentic way of travelling within Southeast Asia i.e. by train) which required 8 hours train travel from Hanoi to Lao Cai. For the way down to Sapa, I took the Livitrain Express Train that departed from Hanoi at around 9p.m. before reaching Lao Cai at 5.30a.m. For the train ride back from Lao Cai to Hanoi, I took a different train service which is the Sapaly Express Train that departed at 8p.m. and reached Hanoi around 4a.m. I will highly recommend the Sapaly Express Train as it wins hands down even though it’s sl