Cliff(y) Goes Travelling

Hi, everyone! I hope all of you're safe and sound wherever you're. Pikachu and Melon are going for a quick travel again soon, so they'll be taking a short break from blogging for the time being. They're so excited! Do look forward to more entries in the near future! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year in advance! Take care and stay safe!

Kyoto, Japan Nestled in the western outskirts of Kyoto, Arashiyama (lit. Storm Mountain) is also the name of the mountain that serves as a backdrop to the district. Primarily known for its enchanting bamboo grove, the area has historically been a haven for aristocrats to seek solace, delighting in the vibrant hues of autumn leaves and going boating along its scenic waterways.

Kyoto, Japan Known as Kyoto's most famous geisha (lit. arts person) district, Gion holds a profound historical legacy tracing back to the Sengoku period that spanned from the 15th to the 16th century. The district originated as one designed to cater to the visitors to Yasaka Shrine, a focal point of the Shinto faith in the region.

Kyoto City, Kyoto, Japan Kyoto, the former imperial capital of Japan known as Heian-kyo, holds an enduring allure for visitors with its seamless blend of ancient traditions and modernity. As mentioned earlier, I don't have a lot of photos to share this time round, but I'll split the story into three posts. The first one here shall cover a few attractions near the downtown area.

11 Higashikujo - Nishisanno-cho, Minami, Kyoto, Japan Sotetsu Fresa Inn (3*) is a hotel chain in Japan that prides itself in having each and every hotel "located within a 5-minute walk from a major city station". If you're wondering, the name Fresa is an acronym for 'FREsh, Sense and Amenity'. For our first three nights, my family and I stayed at the branch near Kyoto station.

[MH608] SIN-KUL (1h) Boeing 737-800 ETD:  5.25pm (GMT + 8) ETA: 6.25pm (GMT + 8) Welcome to the start of a new series of travel posts! Our long-awaited family trip, which happened in December 2022, led us to explore the Kansai region of Japan. This series is going to be a rather brief one as I've unfortunately lost most of the photos I took, except those I've shared on Instagram. Still, join us as we revisit and relive our adventure!

BKK-SIN (2h 15min) Airbus 350-900 ETD:  11.20pm (GMT + 2) ETA: 2.20pm (GMT + 7) I know I've been taking so long, but we're down to the last post of the trip to Azerbaijan that my BFF and I embarked on in the middle of last year. We found ourselves on a plane for the third time in less than 24 hours, heading back home from the Land of Smiles. My previous flight with Thai Airways had been long before the COVID-19 pandemic, aboard one of their Boeing 747-400.

VIE-BKK (10h) Boeing 777-200ER ETD:  11.20pm (GMT + 2) ETA: 2.20pm (GMT + 7) The second of the three flights to fly home the long way was from Vienna, Austria to Bangkok, Thailand. By virtue of miles, I had my virgin experience with the flag carrier of Austria in the Business Class cabin. You'll see a combination of 1 : 1 and 4 : 3 photos in this post as I'm taking some from my Instagram and others from my BFF.

Entry Road, Non-Schengen Area, Vienna International Airport,  Vienna, Austria Daily: 5.30am - 11.00pm To begin with, I'd like to say that this is going to be a really short post as my BFF didn't take a lot of photos. As we were going to fly in the Business Class with Austrian Airlines, we were entitled to access the Austrian Business Lounge in the non-Schengen area of the country's principal airport, which is actually a rather small one.

IST-VIE (2h 15m) Airbus 321 ETD: 5.10pm (GMT + 3) ETA: 6.25pm (GMT + 2) Here's a post on the first of the three flights to reach home the long way. It'd been a while since I last flew with Turkish Airlines, the last time being in 2015 for the domestic route from Izmir to Istanbul, Turkey. Hence, the flight from Istanbul, Turkey to Vienna, Austria was my very first international flight with the airline.

1 Terminal Street, Istanbul Airport, Istanbul, Turkey Daily: 24 hours The spacious flagship lounge of Turkish Airlines occupies the upper floor of the transit area of Istanbul Airport. Many have raved about the Turkish Airlines Lounge at the old Istanbul Ataturk Airport , which I've never had the chance to experience, so I'm sure the new one is all th emore going to live up to those praises, right?

1 Terminal Street, Istanbul, Turkey The year 2022 saw me stepping my feet on the new Istanbul Airport for the first time, about 4 years after its inauguration. I mentioned in my previous post on  Azerbaijan Airlines J2 76  that I'd save the post on the airport till later, but little did I know I'd lost all my photos. Such a pity, but anyway I can still briefly write about it, thanks to my BFF for sharing his with me.

GYD-IST (3h 5m) Airbus 320 ETD: 8.50am (GMT + 4) ETA: 10.55am (GMT + 3) It was time to depart from Baku, Azerbaijan for Istanbul, Turkey. Before we jump into it, I need to let all of you know that I've unfortunately lost all photos from that point onwards, and am borrowing from my BFF to feature in the next few posts. Anyway, be honest: how many of us actually pay attention to the safety information card like Pikachu before we fly?

Airport Road, Baku, Azerbaijan Opened to the public in 1933, Heydar Aliyev International Airport is one of the six international airports, and the biggest one, serving the country. Formerly called Bina International Airport prior to 2004, the airport is located approximately 20 km northeast of the capital city. It's the hub for Azerbaijan Airlines, the flag carrier, and Buta Airways, the low-cost subsidiary.

Quba District, Azerbaijan Welcome to Part 2 of my Quba and Khinaliq Tour. As a quick recap, in Part 1 , I covered the journey from Baku to Quba with two brief stops at a convenience store along the highway to see Beshbarmag Dag, and at Qachrash Forest respectively. The day tour saw me getting pretty close to Russia, the closest I've ever been to that largest country in the world, in fact.

Quba District, Azerbaijan After enjoying the half-day group tour to Qobustan by TES Tour, my BFF and I embarked on a full-day group tour to Quba and Khinaliq by the same tour operator on our second last day in the country. On our way to Khinaliq, which is known to be the highest and most remote village in Azerbaijan, we passed by the city of Quba.

Qobustan State Historical and Cultural Reserve, Qobustan, Azerbaijan Azerbaijan is known to be the country with the most mud volcanoes, having more than half of the world's 700 spready broadly across the country. The locals call them bozdag (lit. grey mountain). Still on the half-day group tour to Qobustan by TES Tour, we shall now move on to see those small mud-ejecting craters not too far from  Qobustan Rock Art Cultural Landscape . 

Qobustan State Historical and Cultural Reserve, Qobustan, Azerbaijan Daily: 9.00am - 5.00pm Qobustan is a small municipality that's approximately 65 km from Baku, a perfect destination for a day trip. Located to the west of the settlement is a historical and cultural reserve, part of which features archaeological monuments with captivating rock carvings that have been preserved from the Upper Paleolithic era to the Middle Ages.

Baku, Azerbaijan Baku is the capital city of Azerbaijan that's situated at 28 m below sea level, making it the largest city in the world below sea level. It's also the largest city in the Caucasus region, covering an area of approximately 2,140 square kilometres. About 25% of the country's population live in the metropolis.

Zamkovskaya Side-Street, Icherisheher, Baku, Azerbaijan Daily: 10.00am - 6.00pm Maiden Tower is a 12th century tower that houses a museum showcasing the story of the historic evolution of Baku. Along with  Palace of the Shirvanshahs , the tower has been in the UNESCO World Heritage Site list since 2001. Till date, nobody has come to a foolproof conclusion of the design and purpose of the tower.

Zamkovskaya Side-Street, Icherisheher, Baku, Azerbaijan Daily: 10.00am - 6.00pm Erected in the 15th century within  Icherisheher , Palace of the Shirvanshahs is described by UNESCO as "one of the pearls of Azerbaijan's architecture". Shirvan is a historical region in eastern Caucasus, covering a sizeable area from the western shores of the Caspian Sea in the east to the Kura River in the west. The rulers of Shirvan were given the title Shirvanshahs.

Along Neftchilar Avenue, Baku, Azerbaijan Icherisheher (lit. Inner City) is the historical core of the capital city of Azerbaijan that's surrounded by fortress walls. Along with Palace of the Shirvanshahs and Maiden Tower that can be found within the complex, Icherisheher became the first location in the country to be classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000.

Southern end of Mehdi Huseyn Street, Baku, Azerbaijan Located on the highest point in the capital city, Highland Park is a terrace that offers the most fabulous panorama of Baku and the world's largest inland body of water, the Caspian Sea. It's also home to Martyrs' Lane, a memorial and cemetery dedicated to national heroes and civilians who perished during turbulent times in Azerbaijan.

93 Stamford Road, National Museum of Singapore, Singapore Daily: 10.00am - 7.00pm Let's continue with Part 2 of "The Doraemon Exhibition Singapore 2022", which is the first global showcase outside of Japan since its first inception in 2002. As a quick recap,  Part 1  showcases one of the three galleries that I went to, together with the gift shop and pop-up café. In today's post, we shall marvel at what the second and third galleries have got to offer.

93 Stamford Road, National Museum of Singapore, Singapore Daily: 10.00am - 7.00pm Let's take a time out from Azerbaijan to take a nostalgia trip at one of the exhibitions hosted by the National Museum of Singapore that's going to be over soon. "The Doraemon Exhibition Singapore 2022" has been running since 5 November 2022, its first overseas debut since its premiere in Tokyo, Japan back in 2002.

Seaside National Park, Baku, Azerbaijan Happy New Year, folks! Let's continue with the sightseeing in Baku, Azerbaijan. Opening its doors, or should I say cabins, to the public since March 2014, Baku Eye is a Ferris wheel in Baku that offers panoramas of the capital city and the Caspian Sea. For some reason, it's also colloquially known as Devil's Wheel. The Ferris wheel features 30 cabins, two of which are VIP cabins.