Travel & Trips Blog

Another of the Mandai Reserve parks is Bird Paradise, the new home for all the birds that used to be in Jurong Bird Park - also found on this website! The new park has larger spaces where the birds have more freedom to intermingle. It does mean there are lucky days where you see everything and unlucky ones where the birds all seem to be in hiding; however, the sheer size of the site means there will always be something special to see.

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Sentosa is the beach island at the foot of Singapore, home to Resorts World, a mega resort of multiple hotels, a casino, theatre, exhibition centre, seaworld, etc... but also home to nature walks, beautiful beaches and a historic fort. It's a lovely place for a walk, with forest and coast, and also a lovely place to sit on the beach with a cold drink. Also, for those who are interested, a rope bridge will take you to the southernmost point of South East Asia! These pics are taken from a couple of walks through Sentosa - hence the changes of clothing!

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Every summer we spend some days in London - mainly to see shows in the West End. This year was no different - we saw 8 shows in 4 days - check out the shows blog for details. However, we do get some time to snap a photo or two. This time, taking in a show out at tower bridge in the evening meant we could take a few nighttime pics on our way back to the flat.

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Our final day in Croatia was actually spent across the border in Montenegro - a full day tour to see the beautiful baroque town of Perast. The first time in a long time that teddy got a new stamp in his passport! It is a really lovely place to visit, but, in some ways, very much the same as the places we had already seen in Croatia, so, perhaps we were not as stunned as we might have been coming directly from the UK or Singapore.

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Lokrum is a small island, close to Dubrovnik with a monastery and botanical garden, as well as an old castle. It is just a small ferry ride away, and well worth a visit - some lovely walks around and across the island. Local folklore says the island is cursed - and so nothing can be taken from the island.

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Dubrovnik is another beautiful old town, officially a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1979. We enjoyed our stay, walking around the old town, but also walking along the coast. Croatia really is a fantastic country, but surprisingly more expensive than expected. Of course, this may be as we were in the most touristy parts of the country. I would certainly come back though. There are good offers from the UK.

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Badija is the largest of a small group of islands near Korcula. Whilst the most dominant feature is the 14th Century Franciscan Monastery, the island is perhaps better known for its tame deer, which roam freely throughout the island. We enjoyed our visit, both for the walking (we followed the coastal path around the entire island), and for the chance to be up-close with the lovely deer!

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Korcula was a relatively quiet spot compared to Split and Dubrovnik, but very similar in the fact it has the old town with the narrow streets, and nice hills to walk on. Interestingly, there is considerable local feeling that Marco Polo may have been from this town - he was certainly imprisoned here.

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Hvar is the fourth most populated of the Croatian islands, with a large fertile coastal plain, fresh-water springs, and hillsides covered in pine forest, olive groves, and lavender fields. For us, it was the walks into the hills, and the old town that kept us busy, as well as a full day of sailing (you can find in the family blog!).

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For an adventure - we hopped on a local bus into the next town, and found ourselves in Trogir, another UNESCO World Heritage Site and home to a pretty waterside town, and some amazing historic buildings such as the Cathedral of St. Lawrence.

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