Shakirah
Shakirah Joined: July 22nd 2009
Logged in: November 30th 2011
Logged in: November 30th 2011
"He who does not travel has only read one page of a book."
Barakallahu fik.
Travel Blog Posts
Dustbin along the road
What was interesting was that when I told my close friends that I will be spending a month in Europe, they had initially thought that I would be going to Western Europe, as by all conventions. However, I mentioned that I am going to explore Eastern Europe. Immediately, my friends went, "Seriously? Who goes there anyway? Is it safe there?" To be honest, I have my doubts, but seeing how I am already at the end of my formal education (I am actually having my University Convocation this Saturday, July 30th), I decided that being unemployed gave me the perfect opportunity to do things that I never thought I would do in my life ever. And travelling being my ultimate love - apart from photography - I decided to take the leap and do something about ... read more
Dhobi Ghat
Hey World, Mumbai is on the agenda today. Fret not, I shall make this short and sweet, unlike my previous entries, which I have to admit, is a bit on the long-ish side. Mumbai. The first thing that came to mind would be the Bollywood celebrities. I've read that many Bollywood stars were born in Maharashtra. Perhaps Mumbai is the place where they make these movies. I didn't have the chance to rub shoulders with any celebrity cos we were only in Mumbai for a day. I think we were on transit, hmm yes. Nevertheless, Mumbai is wonderful, with its own offerings unlike the other states that I've been to. Mumbai is industrialized. You get a sense of it being an industrialized city just by looking at its buildings. It's a bit like Singapore, minus the ... read more
Front view
Really been neck-deep in work, but I will emerge alive, insyaAllah. Hard to believe that I was in India last December. And oh yes, friends, I will be in Vietnam end of July till end of August, so yes, fantastic entries are underway! So, the previous entry saw us going through Agra, the place which held one of the greatest symbols of love, the Taj Mahal. It's been an eye-opening experience, just one that I know is simply so amazing that I don't think I can ever forget in this lifetime, or in the next, for that matter. I've also chronicled my journey through Jaipur the Pink City, and guess what friends? We are going through Kashmir today, yay to that! Before I left for India, I was initially very skeptical of the various 'dangers' that ... read more
Girl in the Meadow Field
Namaste World! How is everyone doing? It is 2325h in Singapore. Night is cool. Day is humid. The world's getting twisted, but we're getting by, alhamdulillah. I desperately need to continue talking about my adventures. It is only mid-week but the week has been crazy so far. Alhamdulillah, I got the best adventure Middle East blog for my 'Discover Iran 2008' post. Do check it out if you are interested. Honestly, I never foresee that I was recognized for it. I started this travelblog for the sake of wanting to pen down my feelings and experiences. I didn't have any target audience in mind because I was writing only for me. In any case, I'm just thankful that I was recognized for this. :) So previously, we were at Jaipur, the Pink City. I think I ... read more
The Friendly Waiters @ Macs
Namaste! Been busy busy busy with school. Term started a month ago. I am still adjusting to school. Apparently, I have to prepare proposals for my final year report, which sounds incredulous because I am barely finished with my second year, and I have to prepare for my final year already?! Tsk. Anyway, previously, I mentioned that I will be spending two weeks in India, where I went to Delhi, Agra, Jaipur, Kashmir, Gulmarg and Mumbai. Well, guess what? I'm back, and of course, with lots and lots of stories to share, so read on! From Singapore, I took a flight to Chennai and spent a 3 hour transit at the airport while waiting for the flight bound to Delhi. At Chennai, I had my first encounter with the locals, at the immigrations of course. I ... read more
Restaurant in Zanjan
Ever experienced an extremely cold night before? Well, wouldn't you know.. I had that experience when I was in Zanjan, in the northern part of Iran. When I say cold, I mean cold. Like freezing cold. Like the moment you spill water on the road, it instantly freezes. No, I am not kidding. It was about -13 deg C in Zanjan that night, and apparently, the next morning, I found out that it was the coldest place in Iran. How rad is that?! I was in the coldest place in Iran, really a lifetime-changing moment. Ok, now let's not rattle on how it's life-changing, but let's focus on what we have there, alright? The Zanjan hotel that we stayed in (I can't recall the name of the hotel, but I do know that the hotel is ... read more
Parseh Hotel
So far, I've talked about Kandovan, Esfahan, and Yazd, being the latest entry. Well, guess what? Today, we shall talk a little bit more about Shiraz. Getting to Shiraz was the ultimate experience, not in a bad way, of course! From Singapore, we took a flight to Kuala Lumpur International Airport as there wasn't a direct flight from Singapore to Iran as Iran Air doesn't do stopovers in Singapore. Yes, so from KL, we took Iran Air (IR840) to the Imam Khomeini International Airport in Tehran. Before the plane descended, I realised that the plane circled 3 times in the air. I wonder why that was so. It turned out that according to my guide Amu Amin, domestic as well as international flights are required to circle the mausoleum of the much revered Imam Khomeini as ... read more
Yazd View
Yazd A city with deep Zoroastrian roots. Initially, before going to Iran, I've read that majority of the Iranian's are Shiite Muslims. Little did I know that I would actually go to a city where the number of Zoroastrians would outweigh the number of Muslims. A city deep in history, with much to offer. So let's begin our tour of Yazd, shall we? First up, I went to the Amir Chagmagh Complex, where we had to climb winding, steep spiral staircases. Alright, did I mention that I have an extreme fear of heights? Plus, the fact that I get claustrophobic easily does not help either! Nevertheless, I had to psycho myself, saying that I made the decision to come to Iran to experience new things, so why waste the time and money in coming here when ... read more
Imam Square
Been exactly a month since I last updated. Reason being was that I had been too caught up with school and such, and well, second year in university isn't exactly that smooth-sailing. And the term's just started! Nonetheless, I shall try to meticulously update because I really really have lots of things to share with everyone, so, here goes! Though the Iran adventure ended approximately 8 months ago, whatever happened remains vividly in my mind. I guess that's the advantage of being young? You tend to recall these experiences better than, say, a 60 year old unless you record it down somewhere, like a videocam or something. Esfahan They said that Esfahan is half of the world, and too right it was! Before I left for Iran, I read all about Esfahan and it sounded like ... read more
Kandovan
Kandovan A truly spectacular, amazing village, that when it was time to leave, I found it hard to pull myself away from that place. I was lucky enough to be able to be presented with the glorious opportunity of discovering this tiny village in the outskirts of Tabriz. Initially, I had my doubts of going to a village. This was because I was used to seeing houses made of wood, and thought, Kandovan would not be any different. The prospect of travelling 2 hours just to go to a village is not that exciting, if you ask me honestly. Throughout the bus trip, I was contemplating on turning back and making my way back to Tashrifaat bakery (only the best pastries they sell in Iran!) and spending my moolah there. And yes, gorge myself silly (as ... read more
