The Train Journey from Ella to Kandy, Sri Lanka

Train travel is something that I always fascinated with. When I am traveling, I will look for any opportunity to take a train ride even knowing that the journey will be longer and slower. I really enjoy getting from places to places in a more nostalgic way, also it allows me to meet the local people and admire the landscape scenery as the train runs across the country.

So far the most beautiful and scenic train journey that I have came across was the journey running through the hill country of Sri Lanka from Ella to Kandy. The train ride took around 7 hours long but I felt like only 2 to 3 hours short; most probably because of the spectacular views along the way and also the comfort seats that I got in the observation deck.

The Christmas Wonderland @ Gardens by the Bay, Singapore

Christmas Wonderland 2015 is back at Gardens by the Bay! The biggest yuletide fair in Singapore is back for the second time after a successful launched in 2014. The festival will be occupying a bigger area this year; bigger means more activities and more fun!

This dazzling festival will span across four main areas; the Fairground near The Meadow garden; the Festive Market around the Supertree Grove; the Christmas Toyland in the Flower Dome and lastly the majestic Luminaire light sculptures around the festival area.

:::CONTEST::: Invite & Win a Trip to Singapore

Singapore Tourism Board is running a Photo Contest Campaign for participants to invite their friends and relatives from aboard to Singapore.

Winners will be able to bring their friends or relatives to Singapore for a three-day stay, including return air tickets and 3 nights accommodation. There will have 25 winners in total, and each winner may invite up to three guests. 

The Faces of Myanmar/Burma

In 2014, I traveled to Myanmar/Burma for the first time. Since after, I became to like this country very much. The things that really impressed me are the people, food, culture and the countless temples around Burma.   

When I first stepped onto the Burmese soil, the very first thing that caught my attention was the yellowish white paste on the faces of the women, children or even young men. This yellowish white paste is called Thanaka and it is made from ground bark. This unique feature of Burma's culture is used as a cosmetic to beautify skin and also to protect skin from the sun.

Yi Peng Lantern Festival in Chiang Mai, Thailand

The moment we released the floating lantern into the sky, my heart became heavy, shortness of breath, ear was blocked and saw things in slow motion; standing in that mind blowing scene, I had to remind myself to get back to work as in start taking pictures of the thousands floating lanterns. That was my unforgettable experience during the Yi Peng Festival back in 2013.

Yi Peng, the Festival of Lights is celebrated on the full moon day in the 2nd month of Lanna lunar calendar in Chiang Mai, the ancient capital of former Lanna Kingdom. The people celebrate this festival by releasing the floating lanterns into the sky; the release is to get rid of their bad luck and make a wish for a better future.

A Scenic Hike in Santorini, Greece

Santorini (Thira), an unique crescent-shaped island set in the Aegean Sea and this beautiful place is almost everyone's dream destination for a honeymoon or holiday.

There are quite a number of activities to do during your stay in this island; and the popular one is to take a scenic hike along the caldera of Santorini island. The hiking distance is around 10km, and usually it takes about 3 to 5 hrs depending on your pace and how many times you stop to rest and take photos.

7 Places to See Autumn Leaves in Kyushu, Japan

Autumn is one of the most beautiful times of the year in Japan. Viewing of Autumn leaves is as popular as viewing of Cherry Blossoms in Spring. During the peak, the leaves turn red and yellow making Japan even more beautiful. The best way to enjoy the autumn color and fallen leaves is to walk around the park or visit a temple.

These are 7 picturesque places for the view of colorful autumn foliage in Kyushu.

Travel Journal: A Land of Countless Temples and Shrines (2006 Kyoto . 京都)

After Fuji, we went to the land of countless temples and shrines, Kyoto, also the former capital of Japan. The people in Kyoto said, "Even if you visit a temple/shrine a day in Kyoto, you still cannot finish all the temples/shrines in a year". This is true because there are over thousands of temples/shrines in Kyoto itself. 

The most efficient and comfortable way to get from Fuji to Kyoto is to take a Shinkansen also known as the Bullet Train. It was my first time trying out Shinkansen and the experience was great. Personally I would prefer Shinkansen over domestic flight.

Travel Journal: The Views of Mount Fuji (2006 Hakone . 箱根)

After a day in Tokyo, we traveled to Hakone for the volcanic valley and also to catch the view of nearby Mount Fuji. Hakone is a town located near Mount Fuji where you can enjoy hot spring, traditional Japanese inn and the beautiful nature; and it is a very popular destination for a short trip from Tokyo.

First Stop, we went to Lake Ashinoko or Lake Ashi, a crater lake with views of Mount Fuji. Our main activity there was taking a sightseeing boat and cruise around the scenic lake. 

Travel Journal: A Spring Day in Tokyo (2006 Tokyo . 東京)

Japan is one of the most beautiful destinations in the world. What I love about this unique place is their language, culture, food and nature scenery. Furthermore, with their 4 distinct seasons, you can visit this amazing place any time of the year.

In 2006, I visited Japan in spring season to witness the sights of cherry blossoms, also known as Sakura. In order to view the cherry blossoms blooming, you need some planning and luck especially if your trip is short. The best time to enjoy Hanami in Tokyo is around late March to Mid April.

Singapore Night Festival 2015

If you were to ask me which festival in Singapore I like the most, I won't think twice in giving you an answer, it's gotta be Singapore Night Festival! 

This is the 8th successive installation of the Night Festival. The festival progammes include performances, light installations and also plenty of activities for night festival goers to enjoy; almost all the progammes are free. For myself, I love light installation the most! Every year without fail, I will try to attend the festival and take some pictures of the Night Lights. 

Travel Journal: My First Pin on The Endless Traveling Map (2005 Hong Kong)

This is my very first travel post after 10 years of traveling. So let’s go back to the start! In 2005, I visited Hong Kong, one of the well-known places in Asia. During that time I don't know anything about travel, don't have any favourite destinations or anything that I want to see. It was a family trip and I just followed.

Traveling in ten years back was very different from now. We didn't have a smartphone, a good camera and the information from Internet was not as much as today. Word of mouth is pretty useful at that time; we got most of the recommendation from the mouth of our friends and relatives. And when we were on the ground, we rely on hardcopy tourist map a lot and also asking the people around to get to our destination. 

Welcome to Endless Traveling Map Blog!

Endless Traveling Map is a travel team, consisting of Q.J. and K.K. who have an undefined love in Travel and Photography, also fascinated with Food, Culture and Art from different places.

The Nostalgic Wall in the Old Town of Hoi An, Vietnam

We Travel because we love to do Photography or we do Photography because we love to Travel?

Until today we still don't have a definite answer.

Anyway, we love travel and explore interesting places. Without fail, when we landed on a new environment, we will stroll down the atmospheric street, busy taking pictures and trying out the food randomly by following what the locals eat. Sometime catching a sunrise is too early for us unless it is a must. Waiting for sunset tend to be easier as long as we are at the right place right time. And we never ignore the twilight moment as it is equally beautiful as a sunset. Usually the journey is slow when we took a train, but we love the nostalgic feeling that comes with complimentary scenic beauty. We believe that travel is not about visiting as many countries as possible, it is about seeing as many places as possible. And never judge a country by 1 place. 

Here’s the blog where we share our travel photos and experience one place at a time. If you follow us, you SEE what we SAW.

Endless Traveling Map is based in Japan and Singapore, and we enjoy the tagline below:

"Walking in the Strangers' Place"

#endlesstravelingmap

Do chat with us via email endlesstravelingmap@gmail.com

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