Barcelona: Gaudi's city and its old modern charm.

Barcelona is a place I have dreamed of going ever since I watched the Barcelona Olympics in 1992. That was the very first Olympics I have seen and I was barely 11 years old at that time. But I did not know that there are even more fascinating places to see aside from the Olympic Stadium. Through  years of waiting, I have learned about many places you can visit in Barcelona and up until the last two years, I have met fellow The Little Prince book collectors who live in Barcelona.

This city is one place I would definitely go back to. It is just an amazing mix of art, food and culture. And its people are quite relax and easy going.

Here are photos from my trip in Barcelona from July 3 to 8, 2016.

Marseille and Aix-en-Provence

Marseille, a port city, and Aix, a landlocked town, both in Provence, Southern France are two of the best places I have seen in this country. These two cities are completely different yet it left me with the hope of coming back again.

Here are photos of Marseille.

Photographs from Paris

Paris has been blogged by many so I am just posting the pictures from my trip. But to sum it up, the best places for me are:

1. Best Museum - Musee D'Orsay

Musee D' Orsay - is an old train station that was converted into an enormous  museum and well-packed with arts that were really impressive for me. A vast collection of the best works of Claude Monet and Paul Cezanne, two of the most iconic Impressionist artists I know and some of Van Gogh's great works are here as well.

15 Things You Need To Know About Tana Toraja

Tana Toraja  is one of the most intriguing places in Indonesia because it is known for its centuries old rituals of how they celebrate the dead.The regency, as it is referred to, is surrounded by rugged mountains and cliffs all protecting this highland city. The valleys are all filled with lush green fields and coffee plantations. Toraja produces one of the best coffee beans in the world.

Towering end of a Torajan house

A stunning sunrise from Candi Borobudur

This is my 3rd time visiting Borobudur Temple, a Unesco World Heritage Site, and it just never ceases to mesmerize me with its stunning backdrop. It is a Buddhist temple built in the 9th century.

This time I got the chance to stay at the Manohara Hotel situated within the complex. I just need to wake up at 4:00 AM and get to the temple to welcome the morning sunrise. A day before, one of the personnels told me that if it rains at night, the sunrise would look even more spectacular. And yes it was. Here are my shots for this weekend trip.

Hakone and a view of Mt. Fuji

Weeping Woman by French artists Francois-Xavier and Claude Lalanne at the Hakone Open-Air Museum.

It is my first time to visit Japan and as I have a full Tokyo itinerary for 8 days, I squeezed in a day visit to its neighboring city Hakone. Little did I know that this will be the highlight of my trip. I only managed to visit 3 places, the Pola Museum of Art, The Little Prince Museum and the first of its kind in Japan, the Hakone Open Air Museum. Navigating the city was quite easy and I managed to take a ride in one of their old electric railway system, a cruise on a huge 4-tier boat and the reliable and easy to handle bus system.

Sketches and Photographs: An Instagrammed chronicle of my first visit to Japan.

My first trip to Japan and I visited Tokyo and Hakone. I have never been so excited to visit the crazy city of Tokyo and I was also well inspired that I have made a lot of sketches during the trip.

Here are the sketches I have done and some of the photographs I have taken.