Europe backpacking - ICELAND

Hello, 

I feel like writing today. Not exactly, I feel like sharing pictures. In case anyone wonders, I did backpacking for 2 months in Europe last summer. Now I have the chance to share my journey. I took awesome pictures. 

5/17/2016

We flew from Boston to Reykajavic which is the capital city of Iceland. 

Tip 1: The exchange rate is 1 USD = 130 ISK 

The first place that we visited is their famous church called Hallgrimskirkja due to its architectural style.  

Fun Fact: Iceland is an inhabitant country, 90% of their population stays in the capital city. We camped during the whole trip with our own camping gear. 

5/19/2017

Tip 3: We rented a car from the airport. Need international licence. All the cars are using manual drive! 

Our first stop from Reykjavik is the Thingvellir National Park. The drive took about 40 minutes. This place is the plate tectonics that divide the North America and Europe continents. 

Tip 4: If you have a GPS, buy the Europe chip so that you won't have to rely on internet if there's no connection. 

After few hours spent exploring the national park, we drove to Geysir which is the active natural geysir that spouts water every few minutes. 

It was fascinating as we can experienced the water sprouts a few meters in front of us. 

Then we continue our journey to Gullfoss Waterfall. It was told that this waterfall is the most popular attraction in Iceland. 

Geysir and Gullfoss are 10 minutes away, so you won't miss the chance to visit both! 

5/20/2016

The next day, we drove to Seljalandfoss which took 1 hour and 30 minutes drive. We camped the night around the waterfall. 

Then we continue our journey to see Eujafjallajokull which means the 'island mountain glacier'. It is a volcano that is entirely covered by an ice cap and the last time it erupted was in April 2010. 

We also visited Skogafoss waterfall which is the famous waterfall from Shah Rukh Khan new movie. It was funny as we reached there, nobody was there and we had the place for ourselves. Once we were going back, people came from any side and started to crowd that place. We also did a lil bit hike here to view this waterfall from the top side. It was amazing!

Tip 5: Go to all these famous attractions early in the morning and enjoy the view all by yourself. 

 

After few hours, we drove to the famous Wrecked DC-3 Plane which landed on Solheimasandur beach 40 years ago. This attraction is famous as it crashed badly, but all the passengers survived and have been there ever since. We have to walked 2 km from the parking lot to the airplane and we did not expect any long walk. But we went through it for the sake of Iceland. Imagine that we have to walk for 4 km in total just to see this crashed airplane. Fuhh 

My favorite place in Iceland would be Dirholaey, which is a cliff 30 minutes driving from the airplane. The cliff is so amazing that all I can say is God is a wonderful creator.

Iceland is famous with its Black Sand Beach. It's so wonderful that I can experience a beach that is different from what I always see. 

As you can see, there's a cave, the opposite side of the cave is this magnificent view. The rock was natural carved to hexagonal shape die to the lava and erosion from the wave. 

5/21/2016

Skatafall was our  next destination. We hiked to see this waterfall with black basalt column. This is biggest waterfall at this destination. There were a lot of small waterfalls and we hiked to experience the nature here. 

The hiking was about 5.5 km and we can experience being in the peak of Iceland and enjoy the mountain views.
 
We travel to Jakursalon Lake, although it is summer in Iceland, the weather is still cold. We did not fully prepared for a cold weather, so we only bought our Fall jacket which was our biggest mistake. Went we reached Jakursalon Lake, we were in awe that the lake is still full of icebergs.

We drove to Dettifoss for almost 6 hours to experience the biggest power waterfall in Iceland.
5/22/2016

We stop to Namafjall before going to Godafoss which is the highlight of our nature expedition. Namfjall is a mountain ovelooking Hverir with boiling mudpots and fumaroles. We can see a lot of tourist took some muds from this place and apply on their face. I'm not sure about it effectiveness but it does sounds promising.

Our last destination before going back to Reykjavic was Godafoss waterfall. Godafoss means The Waterfalls of the Gods, and it is considered to be the most magnificent waterfalls in Iceland.
 
5/23/2016
We drove to Akureyri which is the second city in Iceland. This city is famous with their fish and seafood. At last, we managed to eat decent food after a week on camping ground and eat camping food. We spent the whole day in the city.

5/24/2016
We drove to Blue Lagoon which was the highlight of our trip. On our way, we stopped by the road to take picture here as the view was so nice and the rainbow there was perfect.

5/25/2016
We end our Iceland journey pampering ourselves in this natural hot spring.

The end. I hope that my journey can help any of you guys if you're planning to go to Iceland. This is only the first part of my summer travel, I have way more pictures to share. Just wait for it. :)

USA Backpacking - Florida

12/22/2015

The first and second day in Florida, we spent our days in Universal Studio Florida. It was awesome! I have been a fan of Universal Studio when I was a kid, and I have been to Universal Studio Singapore for three times. The reason why I love this theme park especially is because of the Harry Potter and Dr. Seuss theme. 

12/24/2015 

We drove to Miami and spent the day on the beach. 

12/25/2015 

Key West activity - Parasailing 

12/26/2015

We took a ferry to Dry Tortugas National Park from Key West port. It used to be a prison and the only way to go there is by this ferry. The ferry was about two hours from the mainland. We were able to explore the island and even snorkeling.

The package that we paid for included with snorkeling gear, so we did not need to rent any gears. Which is a plus!

12/27/2015
Everglades National Park is 5 hours from the Key West. If you would like to experience tropical life in United States, this is the place to begin with. It reminds me a lot of Malaysia

12/28/2015
Weeki Wachee river is famous with their mermaid performance. The theme park is not as big as Universal Studio, but we get to experience something that is totally different. We even had the chance to swim in the river and it was a very cool experience. It was a bummer as we did not have the chance to kayak as it was super crowded that day.

That is the end of my journey in Florida, the trip did not end yet. We still have Georgia and Tennessee!

Asia backpacking - Japan

8/11/15

Flew from Kuala Lumpur to Tokyo.

1. Meiji Shrine



2. Shibuya



3. Gundam

 

8/12/2015

Took train to Ueno, visiting the outskirt of Tokyo. 

4. Ameyoko: The traditional city experience in Japan. Recommended to come here! 

5. Naritaya

8/13/2015

Mt Fuji. It was foggy this day, and we couldn't see the peak of Mount Fuji, and the person there told me the best time to experience Mt Fuji would on early February.



So we decided to go to Fuji Q instead. We chose this theme park instead of Disneyland. We even rode one of the fastest roller coaster in the world.



8/14/2017

We spent the whole day on the bus to Osaka. It took almost 8 hours. We should have taken the fastest train but we did not :(

8/15/2017

Nara Park is the the park full of dears. We can have active interactions with them. It was a unique experience.



Then we walked to Todai-Ji temple which is the most famous temple in Nara.



8/16/2015

This was a very unexpected trip. We decided to visit local attractions in Kobe. When I first arrived here, this place is not famous with tourists however, locals like to spent their time in Mount Rokko. We took a trolley to go up the mountain.
The most interesting place to visit on the mountain is their Musical Box Museum. They collected musical box from all over the world and from any era. It was so fascinating to see how music is created using mechanical tools. I even made my own musical box!
There are other activities to be done on top of the mountain too. We visited their botanical garden, and observatory.



8/17/2015

We took another train to Kyoto and explored the must visit places in Japan!

Fushimi Inari. It was a struggle to take this picture! This place was swamped with hooman!



Arasyimaya. The bamboo field.



And that's the highlight of my Japan trip. I would love to come here and explore the North side of Japan next time!

Najwa A

Asia Backpacking: Seoul, Korea

5/21/2016

Destination 8: Gamcheon Cultural Village

We took an early flight to Busan. And we took Taxi to Gamcheon Culture Village. We asked for permission to store our luggage at one of the store and that lady is so kind. This village is the street art village. We were given a map to visit all the checkpoint in the village and explore all the local arts. It was interesting. 

Destination 10: Nami Island, Seoul

In the evening, we took KTX to Seoul. It took almost 4 hours. We spent the night at Nami Island as we plan to spend the next day in Nami Island. The next day, we took ferry to Nami Island and pretended that we are Korean artist in one of their dramas. 

Fun Fact: Nami Island is famous because of the Winter Sonata drama.

Obligatory picture of Korean food.  

Destination 11: Hongdae

They called this place the 'Mecca of Asia'. People are everywhere, street food are everywhere. And of course, I have to stuff myself with this famous fishcake.

5/23/2015

Destination 12: N Seoul Tower

We freaking walk to this tower. And when we were lost, we saw a taxi and the driver told us to walk up a lil bit. Yes pakcik, yes, thank you for loosening more screws on my patella.

Destination 13: Myung-Dong

If anyone is crazy for Korean skin care, this is the heaven of shopping. Everything is inexpensive here. 

Destination 14: Itaewon

We were lost here again because why not. Hahaha, this is the outskirt of Seoul, and if anyone wants to experience the old city of Korea, visit Itaewon! 

 On my way back to the hostel, I accidentally met my friend who studied in Korea! He told me he is going to see the sunset at The N tower and asked us to tag along. As we did not have the chance to really go up to the tower, I agreed to join him. As he is the expert, there's a bus to go up there. A BUS!

5/24/2016 

And the last day of our trip is to visit all the historical places in Seoul. We visited this palace of course and watched the guards performance. 

And lastly, Hanok village. It's the only village that they still preserve and keeps the traditional elements in their houses.

 

Asia Backpacking: Jeju Island, Korea

5/16/2015

I took a flight from San Francisco to ICN airport by myself. I bought a wrong ticket and end up a day earlier in Seoul from all my friends. In the history of my life, I spent the whole day being a zombie in the airport and I really appreciate it.

Tip 1: Bought a T-money card from the airport

5/19/2015

We took an early flight to Jeju Island from Gimpo airport. We arrived to the nearest LRT and it was not open. We called the tourist center from the public transportation and they advised to take the taxi to the airport. (UBER did not exist yet at this time). The taxi fees surprisingly is super cheap. We rented a car once we were in Jeju Island.

Tip 2: Get an international licence. It so much easier to drive in Jeju Island. The driver is on the left side.

Destination 1: Hallasan National Park.

The first destination that we chose would obviously be a hiking place. We were not prepared for the hike and were super shocked when everyone was wearing their hiking gear. But really, we do hike with our pretty clothes. Interesting fact, most of the hikers are locals elders and they are super healthy. Like seriously, stronger than us.

Our first authentic Korean meal. It was okay.

Destination 2: Daepo Jusangjeolli Cliff

We drove to this cliff. If you squint your eyes, you can see that the rock is hexagonal shape. It was caused by the erosion of lava stone from the waves. The best part of visiting all these places in Jeju Island was that the entrance fees would be 1000 won ~ 1 USD for youth. 

Destination 3: Cheonjiyeon Waterfall

This is the famous waterfall here. Obligatory to come here too. We did not have the chance to meet up with the Dol Harubang that was said can grant all our wishes. No wonder my wishes did not come true yet. Hahaha

Dstination 4: Jeonbang Waterfall

Another waterfall because why not. It is bigger that the previous one. 

5/20/2015

Destination 7: Seongsan Illchibong Peak

Another hike in Jeju Island. Truthfully, I am a mountain person, and I do not mind hiking at all. The entrance fees would be 5000 won ~ USD 5. This hiking is a lot easier that Mount Hallasan and more people were here. It was crowded and you did not have the chance to stop walking as people was in line behind you. 

Destination 6: Manjanggul Cave

This is an overrated cave but it worth the walk. 

Destination 7: Udo Island

We did not plan for this one, we were lost due to putting too much trust on the GPS. We saw this ferry and they said it would be a day trip to Udo Island. Without any clue, we said yes to them. And I did not regret going here. We have no idea what to do here. We saw people rented bicycle and we decided to do the same. 3 hours rental is 10000 won ~ USD 10. 

So we basically explore the whole island on bike for three hours. I used my energy to the maximum. I felt like my legs are leaving me behind. 

After returning the bicycles, the owner told us to jump on the back of his truck so that we can catch the ferry. Now I can feel like a local Korean. 

End of our Jeju Island journey. Wait for the next part in the main land! 

Najwa A

USA Backpacking - San Francisco

Salamualaik,

I finished my finals on Wednesday, only Allah knows how relieved I was. But still, I am so worried about my results. I want to get all A's but He knows the best. Kerja kita, tawakal dan usaha selagi masih ada masa. 

So I took the 8.30 am to Chicago on Thursday, and have almost 10 hours sitting in the bus. I was so worried that I might miss my flight. But Alhamdulillah everything happened so smoothly. 

I thought my flight to San Francisco only took about 3 hours, but I was wrong. I forget to consider the time difference and it actually took about 6 hours.

I reach San Francisco at 11 am and I need to check in my hostel before 12 am, because that is their policy. So I called the hostel and said that I might be late. Thank God, she willingly to wait for me. 

The next morning, I strolled alone in San Francisco downtown. I went shopping, and such. I wonder why I never do this before. After doing some shopping, I went back to my hostel to rearrange my luggage, and I found out that I make a mistake by buying a duffle bag. I want to return it but I am too lazy to walk to the store and I thought maybe sometimes the duffle bag might have its use. 

I really fall in love with San Francisco, the downtown is so beautiful, but the living cost is so damn high. Other than that, San Francisco is full with migrates. Like almost every shop is owned by Chinese. Everywhere I go, I could spot Chinese first. 

Then I get hungry, I tried to google for halal food and while walking, the google maps seems to bring be to a weird place. So I decided to get back and find something vegetarian. While walking back, I decided to off my gps and start walking where my legs lead me too. And Allah knows I haven't eat anything since the morning, so He leads my legs to a halal cart. I am so grateful to meet the truck. 

Sebabkan tangan Najwa dah nak patah, tarik bag macam hape je tadi, so I will only upload a picture for you. This is the famous tram in San Francisco.