Out of Norm Travels

List of trips taken over the years  2020: 1. Nepal - Kathmandu, Pokhara  http://outofnormtravels-magty.blogspot.com/2020/03/out-of-norm-travels-2020-yoga-retreat.html 2019: 1. Feb  Italy  Venice - Carnival with Ugo Cei and Robin Yong  http://outofnormtravels-magty.blogspot.com/2019/03/out-of-norm-travels-2019-venice.html 2. Feb Italy Florence and Cinque Terre  3. March Indonesia Batam Nikon School Singapore Photo Fiesta 4. April Malaysia Penang  http://outofnormtravels-magty.blogspot.com/2019/04/out-of-norm-travels-2019-penang-food.html 5. May Australia Astrophotography 6. August - Japan Lake Biwa & Okinawa  http://outofnormtravels-magty.blogspot.com/2019/11/out-of-norm-travels-adventures-in-japan_21.html 7. Nov - Japan - Karatsu & Saga http://outofnormtravels-magty.blogspot.com/2019/11/out-of-norm-travels-adventures-in-japan_97.html & http://outofnormtravels-magty.blogspot.com/2019/11/out-of-norm-travels-adventures-in-japan.html 2018:  1. Venice - 1st tim

My photo-adventure tour for 2015 was to this seriously exotic location which is synonymous with Genghis Khan . The Inner Mongolia  (Chinese:  内蒙古 ; pinyin:  Nèi Měnggǔ ), officially  Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region  or  Nei Mongol Autonomous Region , is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China. Located in the north of the country, it contains most of China's border with Mongolia with a small section of the border with Russia, its capital is Hohhot, with Baotou, Chifeng, and Ordos as its other major cities.  (above info extracted from Wikipedia) Map from  http://www.chinahighlights.com/inner-mongolia/map.htm With almost one-third of China's grasslands stretching some 1,490 miles (2,400 km) across northern China, it has the bucket of r olling hills as far as the eye can see. L arge areas of rich grassland provides pasture for sheep,  goats, cattle, and the famous Mongolian horses and Bactrian camels , another animal from ancient times that ha

Here's my Out of Norm Travels programme in Thailand titled 'Trio of Market Visits in 1 day and 1 night' which includes 1 Railway Market and 2 Floating Markets namely, Maeklong Railway Market, Damonseduk Floating Market and Amphawa Floating Market. Locally known as the Umbrella Market , the Maeklong or Mae Klong Railway market is a fresh produce market that lies along the last part of the railway that runs for nearly 67 kilometres between Bangkok, and Samut Songkhram in central Thailand. What distinguishes this market from the other markets in Thailand is that not only it is authentic i.e. it is patronised by local Thais who live around the area who come here to get anything from vegetables to fish to fruits, it is also visited by tourists who come from all over the world (most notably by Anthony Boudain). What's so special about this place is that the stalls are all located along the railway tracks and when the train siren sounds, the stall holders proceed to close

Laghu Samrat Yantra, the Small Equatorial Sundial, Jaipur Observatory (Jantar Mantar), Jaipur Rajasthan, India (all rights reserved) The  Jantar Mantar  monument of  Jaipur, Rajasthan  is a collection of nineteen architectural astronomical instruments, built by the Rajput king Sawai Jai Singh, in the early 18th century.  Combining religion, science and art, the Jantar Mantar is the name given to a series of five, magnificent structures built in Jaipur, New Delhi, Ujjan, Varanasi and Mathura. It features the world's largest stone sundial and is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Designed for the observation of astronomical positions with the naked eye, they embody several architectural and instrumental innovations.  I must confess that I did not really appreciate the importance of the visit to this location but upon my return and having gone through my photos, I now understand that this is the MOST significant, comprehensive, and best preserved of India's historic observatorie

Here's a combined trip involving 3 farms in 1 day outside of Bangkok that I recently tried out and enjoyed my day out in the countryside: Farm, The Jim Thompson Farm ( http://www.jimthompsonfarm.com/ ) This farm has been in our 'to-do' list for some 2 years as it is only open for a limited time each year. This year, it is only open till 10 Jan 2016 and based on the theme of rice merit making (Mang Moon Boon Khao). Once inside, I was greeted by fields of cosmos blooms as far as the eye can see. A hop onto the bus ride brought me close to the Pumpkin Patch attraction which is surrounded by the  Phayaprab hills  that is filled with Giant pumpkins. An Isan village showcases Isan architectural styles at Jim Thompson Farm including a Korat- styled house that is honored with an Architectural conservation award by the Association of Siamese Architects under Royal Patronage.  The ambiance of this place is enhanced with sounds of Molam, a genre of music quintessential to t