Tamaseseri: A Traditional New Year Festival In Fukuoka, Japan

Attending a festival is the best way to get close to the local community and learn more about their culture and tradition. If you are planning to visit Kyushu for your upcoming new year celebrations, consider sparing yourself half a day to watch a group of men who brave themselves in the cold to celebrate the Tamaseseri, a traditional new year festival in Fukuoka.

Tamaseseri or Ball-Catching Festival is a traditional event that is held in the Hakozaki Shrine every year on the third of January. This festival is considered one of the major festivals of Kyushu and it has been around for more than 500 years since the Muromachi period. In a cold winter weather, the half-naked men in Shimekomi (loincloths) compete for an 8-kg wooden ball while getting showered with cold water. This purified wooden ball is believed that it can bring good luck and success to the person who can grab the ball and lift it high above his head.

Here are the highlights of the Tamaseseri festival 2017 that might interest you:

Komyozenji Temple: The Beauty of Japanese Autumn, Japan

As the summer heat slowly gives way to the crisp cool breezes of autumn, the cities across Japan will be slowly taken over by the striking shades of orange and red as the autumn leaves changed its color. This is the most anticipated moment where most of the people, especially the nature lovers and photographers are waiting for.

When the autumn season arrived, I love going outdoors and hunt down as many places as possible for the amazing fall foliage. So far, the most beautiful autumn that I saw in Japan was the serene rear garden at the Komyozenji, a Zen Buddhist temple located in the city of Dazaifu in the Fukuoka Prefecture. Komyozenji Temple is famous for its Karesansui (枯山水) Garden, commonly known as Japanese Rock Garden or Japanese Zen Garden.

K Maison Boutique Hotel: The Hidden Gem of Bangkok (Thailand)

K Maison is a stylish boutique hotel tucked away in the quiet alley of Soi Rum Chi in the neighbourhood of Ratchathewi. This four-storey hotel is not easy to spot since it is well hidden away from plain sight, and furthermore it has a simple white exterior design that humbly blends into the surrounding old buildings. In contrast to the exterior, the interior of the hotel is decorated in timeless oriental elegance and modern Thai classic, which create a luxurious ambience. K Maison is truly one of the hidden gems in Bangkok, where you can relax in a cozy atmosphere, yet enjoys the bustling city just a couple of steps away.

Explore The Old Town of Heraklion In Half-Day, Greece

After seeing the magical and romantic island of Santorini, we headed further south to Crete, the largest island in Greece. We took a ferry at the Thira Port in Santorini, and arrived at Heraklion Port in less than 2 hours. The traveling time will depend on the type of vessel you use, and for us, we embarked our journey with Hellenic Seaways, which was much faster than conventional ferries.

Heraklion or Iraklion is the capital and largest city of Crete. Heraklion may not be the most appealing city or your quintessential island destination, but still an interesting place filled with beautiful historical buildings, Byzantine churches and a well-preserved Venetian wall and fortress from the 15th century. To discover all these remarkable landmarks, you just have to wander around the Old Town in the city.

A Journey on the Yangon Circular Railway, Myanmar

If you are going to visit Yangon for the first time and want a quick introduction of the city without any tour or local guides, you could simply hop on the Yangon Circular Train for a nostalgic journey around the city, where you can get a close up on the daily life of the Myanmar people and also capture some beautiful images of the changing landscapes.

The Yangon Circular Railway was built by the British during the colonial times back in 1954. The railway track loop consists of 39 stations and it covers a distance of 45.9km; the slow moving train that runs through urban, suburban and rural areas takes about 3 hours to complete a single circuit journey. Today, the railway has about 200 coaches, and it runs 20 times a day with up to 150,000 tickets sold daily. The circular railway is the cheapest way to travel around Yangon and it is mainly used by the lower income passengers to get from one place to another along the course. In recent years, taking a train ride on the Yangon Circular Railway has become one of the top things to do in Yangon.

Mandala Ou Resort: Relax . Recharge . Yoga (Laos)

After exploring the ancient town of Luang Prabang, we made our way to Nong Khiaw, a small beautiful village on the bank of the Nam Ou River in Laos. Nong Khiaw is famous for its amazing limestone karst mountain scenery, unspoiled virgin rainforest and the tranquil river of the Nam Ou. From Luang Prabang, we took a public minibus and we arrived at the Nong Khiaw bus station after 4 hours of journey through the beautiful landscape of Laos. Our first impression of Nong Khiaw was very peaceful and laid-back, and we didn't see any tour buses or tourist crowds like what we saw in Luang Prabang.

The unspoiled virgin rainforest and the tranquil river of the Nam Ou

Limestone karst mountain scenery

The Street of Nong Khiaw Village

Just a short 5 minute walk from the bus station, we arrived at the Mandala Ou Resort, the place where we stayed for 2 nights. We chose Mandala Ou Resort because it was one of the most charming and exclusive accommodation in Nong Khiaw. The Mandala Ou Resort is a boutique accommodation situated along the idyllic Nam Ou river offering 10 spacious and comfy bungalows with an eco-friendly room design and modern conveniences. The main features of this resort are the infinity edge pool, river side Yoga Sala, poolside bar, covered restaurant serving Lao, Thai and Western cuisine, and free Lao herbal steam sauna during the winter months.

Balos Lagoon: The Turquoise Paradise in Crete, Greece

Paradise is a place of great happiness and beauty.
Paradise is a place that has a complete peace of mind.

Paradise is a place where you came, you saw and you loved, 

But no choice have to leave when the time is up.

Paradise is the best word that I could think of to describe the exotic beach lagoon of Balos. Love at first sight, Balos lagoon looked exactly like those beautiful places in the postcards; surrounded by clean turquoise waters, white sandy beach, stunning landscape scenery, and this breathtaking turquoise paradise is absolutely one of the most photogenic beaches in Greece, or even in the whole world.