Jerash, Jordan

March 20, 2014 by [ayu]

After Ajlun Castle, we headed to Jerash, which was another impressive ruins we got to visit that day. Located 48 km north from Amman, Jerash is the largest and most well preserved sites of Roman architecture in the world outside Italy. We could see the big arch gate from the road as we arrived, and I thought, wow, even from a distance it looked so impressive. It’s not your usual sight to see as you drive around a city these […]

Categories: going places • Tags: Jerash, Jordan, Roman Ruins, travel photography

Ajlun Castle, Jordan

March 1, 2014 by [ayu]

Walking amongst the ruins was scheduled (heavily) for the day. Ajlun (Ajloun) Castle was our first destination. Located 50 km from Amman, Ajloun was standing proudly up on the hill. Through an uphill winding road we passed villages, some olive orchards and other interesting landscapes. Going further up we could still see patches of snow that blanketed the ground. We stopped half way there, to stretch our legs and to have some fresh pomegranate we bought from the side of […]

Categories: going places • Tags: Ajloun Castle, Ajlun Castle, Jordan, Qalat er-Rabad, ruins, travel photography

In Petra

February 3, 2014 by [ayu]

Petra is amazing. No words, nor pictures can describe how amazing this place is. We went to visit Petra back in December. As one of the world’s 7 Wonders and UNESCO World Heritage Site, Petra surely didn’t disappoint. You need more than just one day to visit Petra. To thoroughly see Petra. And preferably without kids with short legs 😉 . The area is massive. You will do a lot of walk, a lot of climbs mixed while standing with […]

Categories: going places • Tags: Ayu's Jordan Adventure, Jordan, Petra, The Monastery, the Siq, The Treasury, travel photography, urn tombs

52 Portrait Project – 4/52

January 26, 2014 by [ayu]

Faces of Petra is the theme of this week’s portrait project. Even with the stunning view surrounding us when we were in Petra, the locals had their way to make their presence truly felt. I’m talking about the trading locals who filled the area in front of the Treasury, who were there in throngs, with their various items to sell and animals for hire. We’ve got a wide selection of items to buy from them; silver bracelets, necklaces, (claimed to […]

Categories: 52 Portrait Project 2014, forever faces • Tags: 52 Portrait Project, 52 Project 2014, Ayu's Jordan Adventure, Bedouin, Jordan, Petra, portrait, travel, travel photography

on the way to Petra

January 23, 2014 by [ayu]

There are a two ways to go to Petra from the Dead Sea area; via King’s Highway or the Dead Sea Highway. We took the route via the Dead Sea Highway. It’s a challenging route but also one that offers great scenery.We had a trusty and dependable local driver, and I recommend you to get one as well if you consider going. It saves the time of getting lost, avoid the GPS drama and the anxiety of driving in a […]

Categories: going places • Tags: Ayu's Jordan Adventure, Dead Sea Highway, Dead Sea Highway route, Jordan, to Petra, travel photography

52 Portrait Project – 3/52

January 19, 2014 by [ayu]

After our visit to St. George church in Madaba, I was surprised to find my son in a very good mood. He is a big games addict and a homebody who hates to be separated from his hand ‘device’ for too long. His pre-teen self gets a bit broody and sulky when the withdrawal kicks in. Anyhow, despite all the driving and playing tourist with us most of the day, he looked very happy and was being very playful on […]

Categories: 52 Portrait Project 2014 • Tags: 52 Portrait Project, 52 Project 2014, Ayu's Jordan Adventure, Jordan, Madaba, portrait, travel photography

St George Church in Madaba, Jordan

January 18, 2014 by [ayu]

The city of Madaba in Jordan is located about 30 km from Amman (the capital city). Madaba is widely known as the City of Mosaic. The first mosaics apparently were discovered purely by chance during the building of permanent housings using squared-up stones from the old monuments. Once the people were made aware of the importance of these mosaics they made sure to take care and preserve all the mosaics that came to light. Madaba is home to the famous 6th […]

Categories: going places • Tags: Ayu's Jordan Adventure, city of mosaic, Greek Orthodox Church of St George, Jordan, Madaba, Madaba Mosaic Map, St George, travel photography, travel photos

Gardens by the Bay – The Cloud Forest

November 25, 2013 by [ayu]

Gardens by the Bay is my new favourite place in Singapore. As our taxi drove closer, my excitement grew just from the sight that was right in font of us.The domes, the Super Tree constructions, the sheer size of the place was impressive, and quite overwhelming.  This is the Cloud Forest. The world’s tallest indoor waterfall welcomed you as soon as you entered the dome. The super fine mists in the air freshened and cooled you straight away. Coming from the […]

Categories: going places • Tags: Ayu's Singapore Series, Cloud Forest, Cloud Mountain, Gardens by the Bay, indoor waterfall, mists, plants, singapore, the dome, travel photography

Kampong Glam part 2

November 22, 2013 by [ayu]

The next destination after I was done with visiting the Sultan Mosque was to check out Haji Lane. After passing the many textile shops who were already in business since 1950s, entering Haji Lane would take you to another time and place completely. The tiny streets were filled with arrays of hip shops, offering coolest stuff made by local designers and entrepreneurs; from clothes, shoes, accessories and cute knick knacks. The tiny colourful independent stores with eclectic designs reminded me […]

Categories: going places • Tags: Ayu's Singapore Series, Bussorah St, explore, graffiti, Haji Lane, singapore, travel, travel photography

Kampong Glam part 1

November 21, 2013 by [ayu]

My plan that day was to visit the major landmark in the area, the Sultan Mosque, and explore the surrounding area of Kampong Glam. It was another sensory overload kind of experience, that I never get tired of in Singapore. I got off my taxi one lane away from the mosque, and I passed many traditional business, selling carpets, textiles, and the widest selection of colourful cushion covers I’ve ever seen. Masjid Sultan (Sultan Mosque) on Muscat Street is one […]

Categories: going places • Tags: Ayu's Singapore Series, Kampong Glam, Masjid Sultan, mosque, mosque in Singapore, singapore, Sultan Mosque, travel, travel photography, travel photos

Buddha Tooth Relic Temple

November 4, 2013 by [ayu]

We continued our roaming along the alleys of Chinatown in Singapore, then we stumbled upon this gorgeous building, the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple. There is almost always an outer gate around temples such as this one, which blocks the inner square right in front of the temple from the street outside. There was a lot of things to absorb as soon as I passed through the gate; the predominantly red colours everywhere just hit you straight in the eyes, the […]

Categories: going places • Tags: Ayu's Singapore Series, buddha tooth relic temple, Chinatown, Chinatown in Singapore, singapore, temple, travel, travel photography