Wandering Pinky

Sydney. This city has long been my favorite visited place ever. From its perfectly weird weather to its laid back crowd, countless beaches, active lifestyle loving people forcing one to be healthy, and most of all their coffee culture is like no other - a coffee lover's dream destination. It's been exactly 15 years to the day since my last visit, I was a naive innocent fresh graduate seeing the world with wonder and amazement, first time to be let lose and excited for the possibilities. And here I am now, in my mid 30s juggling duties and responsibilities with a lot of adulting badges in my sleeve but still Sydney kept me in awe and my appreciation for this wonderful place is the same as when I first laid my eyes on it. Just like my initial arrival, first order of business was to roam the CBD area and walk all the way to Australia's most famous landmark - The Sydney Opera House . The cool crisp breeze was perfect weather for a walk ...

Temple, shopping, coffee and FOOD! This is what reminds me of Seoul. The vibrant atmosphere of Myeong Dong to the artsy hipster feel of Hongdae. No matter where you end up, you can see the fusion of the traditional and the modern. The streets are full of life no matter what day it is. Summer was peering its sunny rays of sunshine when I travelled to Seoul. I took a midmorning bus from Busan and having always loved the contemplative feel of long land travel, it gives me the space to think, meditate and breath in the beauty of the country. We had a short stop and I got myself some java boost while enjoying the beauty of the Sokor highway. The cool breeze contrasting with the heat gives you a spring feel that I love, perfect travel weather. I arrived in Seoul right on time but with a few hiccups with figuring out how to reach my hotel. It was still an adventure nonetheless. The perks of solo travelling! :) Everywhere you can see evidence of how Koreans  appreci...

A little heads up, this was a very long overdue post. I traveled to Korea last September. It was as fun and awesome as I had expected. ☺ Cold chilly air welcomed me upon arrival, I didn’t know what to expect but I was excited nonetheless. This was my first time in Korea and another first solo travel adventure. Busan strikes me to be very laid-back chill city and reminds me somewhat of Bondi beach in Sydney, from its seaside scenes to its cool but very sociable party loving people and its various coffee shop scattered all over the city. I arrived in the late evening and I had to make way to the city on my own. First order of business was Gwanggan Beach. It’s one of the popular beaches in Busan and interesting to note that it's overlooking the Gwanggali Bridge. At night it was truly an awesome sight to behold and a perfect place to relax. So there I sat, with my lumbering backpack, in one of the shaded huts aligning the shore enjoying the tranquility of just enjoying the mom...

Third and sadly, my last day in Siargao. Of course, I wont pass up the experience of surfing in one of the best surf spots in the world. So off I woke bright and early, headed to Cloud 9 surf spot with my not so trusty action cam and prepared myself to own those waves. Greeting the sunrise with the early birds gave a certain sense of excitement like a kid on Christmas morn. I carried my rented surfboard and waded through the shallow water in Cloud 9, waited for the right wave and off I went flying in the water - both literally and metaphorically. There are times that I glided - feeling like a pro haha but most times wrestling the waves like a clumsy gymnast with two left feet. Two hours passed by too fast and since I still had a flight to catch, I went back to land and returned my board. Since I was unable to catch it on my first attempt, I dropped by a chill cafe just a few steps from Cloud 9 called Cafe Loka. They offer 3rd wave coffee so I definitely had to get myself a...

After a brief stint in beautiful Siargao, a lot of people have been asking why I have weirdly placed tan in my arms and legs?  Well, this is the main reason for it and needless to say I overdid the im-a-cool-chick-i-do-the-peace-sign-everywhere gig... And got myself a bit of a headache twirling about but it's all worth it exploring this super chill and amazing island!

Day deux and I woke up early to greet the sunrise in this amazing island, my island tour was not until 10 am but I went to the meet up place an hour and a half early so I can get some java fix before the trip.  I was a lone traveller so I signed up for this group tour in Bravo Resort. They organize island tours for solo travellers (as well as groups) which I think is a great way to introduce the island and meet new people, without the need of emptying your pockets to hire a whole boat just for one person or two. While waiting I enjoyed a glass of iced latte with a bamboo straw, props to creativity and environmentally friendliness!  Fast forward a few minutes and we are in the middle of the Gatorade Blue waters of Siargao excited to set foot on our first island. There I was surrounded by different nationalities and various languages intermingling with excitement above the loud banka motor. Then it was time for our first stop: NAKED ISLAND! Naked Island is not...