About my Kafkaesque blog

My Kafkaesque Life consists of 3 blogs with same design: Main blog, quick-post blog and photo blog. They're all part of my Kafkaesque family, please subscribe to all of them for the best reading experience.

✰ WHY THE NAME KAFKAESQUE: When I started blogging, I named my blog after my real name. However, a few months later I was involved in some online bashing, because I protected someone and got all the hate from certain people. Because it stressed me out a lot, I decided to delete my old blog and start over with a fresh name and a new concept. At that time I had less than 50 visits per day and only few real followers. I uploaded a new template and modified it to fit my design. And I decided to name it My Kafkaesque life. That was also a time, where I just broke up with my ex girlfriend and felt a little lost and distorted. I remembered one of my favorite German writers Franz Kafka, who's eponym Kafkaesque is sometimes used to describe concepts, situations, and ideas reminiscent of his literary work. The term, which is quite fluid in definition, has also been described as "marked by a senseless, disorienting, often menacing complexity (Kafkaesque bureaucracies) and "marked by surreal distortion and often a sense of impending danger" [source]. That's how I felt then, but not anymore. However, I like the name, because it's unique. I know many people don't know its meaning, nor do they know how to spell or pronounce it right, but I don't care, I want to be unique. Whatever you may say about my name, at least it's not boring and common like so many other blog names.

✰ MY BLOG'S BEGINNINGS: This blog started as something undefined. A diary maybe, some random notes... I have no idea, why I started it. I remember I just broke up with my ex at that time and wanted to start something new. That was March 2008. I wasn't even serious about the whole blogging thing. I once attempted to blog in 2006 and also lost interest pretty quickly. But in 2008 I kept on and had more and more fun while blogging. I thought: Wow, I can write whatever I want, it's my private space online. Cool. So I wrote a lot of crap in the first year, maybe 5% is still read worthy today. In 2009 my style changed a little, I started to post some travel posts from my time in Malaysia, but I didn't follow other blogs and I also didn't have any followers. I can say I blogged for myself and I wasn't online a lot. Then came July 2009 and that aforementioned incident and I decided to rename and redesign my blog. I put more thought into it. And I started to follow many other blogs in August 2009. Those bloggers came back and became readers. End of 2009 was the peak of my online bonding. I met so many new friends and became known among some 50 to 100 bloggers, with whom I still keep in touch today.

✰ MY BLOG'S EVOLUTION: Then came 2010 and a new beginning. I decided to fly to Taipei to meet my new girlfriend and completely start over. Unfortunately I had to return back to Europe after 3 months. But I had the best time of my life and couldn't stop blogging about Taiwan. I became a little more known Taiwan blogger at that time and my subscribers increased, but the comments became less. But I didn't and don't care. I decided to become an informational blogger and my style is to pay attention to the details, provide good info and post the best photos. I found my way of blogging. By definition I am a travel blogger, but I don't want to be defined by a single attribute. And that's why I'm going to keep my blog's name "My Kafkaesque life", because I reserve myself the right to blog about whatever I want and feel in the future. My blog reflects my personal changes, but I don't write about everything that happens in my life here. This blog is a part of me, but it's not the whole me. I keep a fine line between my real person and MKL, my internet alias. In August 2010 my blog reached its peak of popularity: My Visit Taipei! post was found by a Taiwanese celebrity, who linked to my blog and I had over 50.000 visits in that month, my top month to date. I wonder, if I'll ever repeat that success, but who knows. I'm only blogging for something more than 2 years. Anything's possible. Wish me luck!

✰ MY BLOG'S TOPICS: Although I reserve myself the right to blog about whatever I want, I do blog about some topics more often than others. I think travel has become my no 1 topic in the last year and I must say I really enjoy writing about the trips I make, because I truly cherish them. Not only do I want to write down what happened on my trip for the sake of memory, I also want to share my experience and give good info to those who plan to travel to the same destination. I love photos! How many times I google info about some places and I don't get decent photos! I hope my blog's strength are the awesome photos I make. My no 2 topic must be my thoughts and observations a variety of topics, but a lot of time about Asia or some global issues. I guess it's my fate to be somewhat connected to Asia, not only through my travels and my girlfriend, so many people with whom I become friends recently are from that part of the world and I'm really eager to explore the continent and learn about all the cultures and people from there. Somewhat related to that are my posts about women, of which many are Asian, but that's not only because they appeal to me, I also hope to introduce some great Asian models and photographers to my Slovenian people, because Asia (especially East and Southeast Asia) and Asians in general are not really very well known in my country. I am different. I travel, I live between continents and I hope my unique experience will help my people to understand that part of the world better. Apart from these topics, I also blog about some of my interests like the Chinese language, Swiss watches (big Breitling, TAG and Tissot fan) and skyscrapers. But sometimes I just write silly short stories or some funny stuff, because I feel bored. Although I want my blog to be like a neat easy-to-use website (check all my pages), I can't always be 100% serious, can I? My blog allows me not to, because it's still a blog, not a professional website.

Related posts:

October 2010: My Kafkaesque life is evolving!

April 2011: New blog design for 2011

"Don Quixote's misfortune is not his imagination, but Sancho Panza."

Quote by Franz Kafka

This video will change your life

said fellow blogger Chris Lim. And he couldn't be more right!

I found this video via Chris's blog and decided to post it here. After you have watched it, you can be sure that your life, as you've knew it before, has changed forever. But... you'll find out, who you really can trust. [*Video is in Swedish and it may load slowly, but it's definitely worth to wait]

Watch this video, it will change your life!

Do you know now, who you REALLY can trust?

Delicious Dutch delicacies from my awesome friend

I received a package from the Netherlands from my lovely friend Shirley!

I was so happy to see the package today. The postman put it on top of our mail inbox, because it was too big to fit in. I was thinking: OMG! No need to give me something so big. I became a bit shy. Then I ran down and brought the package up to my room. I unwrapped it immediately and saw:

Wow! So many yummy things! Amazing! Thank you, Shirley! What can I say more? Bedankt! The first thing I had to try were the interesting candies. There was all kinds of them and although they look like soft ones, they weren't that soft. But they were very yummy anyway:

Among the mouthwatering candies, I spotted two monkeys and I was so happy. I'm monkey in the Chinese zodiac, so it's "natural", that I love them. Then I remembered my other awesome friend, who is really scared of monkeys. Oh no... Too late now, the pics are uploaded, so...

Another thing about me, that's fairly known, is my love for chocolate. You can't go wrong by giving me chocolate as a gift. I wanna try chocs from all over the world. This one was yummy!

And then there were Dutch mini stroopwafles. Shirley said I need to put them in the microwave for about 10 seconds. And I tell you, they are delicious. Never had these before, so I was surprised how good they taste. The only thing Shirley didn't tell me, is how to eat them:

How would you eat them? :)

Really thanks a lot dear Shirley for this lovely surprise. I'm surely going to read the book on the train and plane, because it's a great story. I watched the trailer of the movie and was amazed immediately. I guess it will be fun to read the book first. And all the sweets are really great, especially the stroopwafles. I love them. I feel very appreciated and things like this make blogging a great experience. I hope your eye gets better soon, because I miss your posts and comments. I hope I can read your blog when I'm in Taiwan :-)

Speaking of sweets and Taiwan, you can check out Lily's new post about sweets, but it's in Chinese.

Ps: Sorry, Manju, for the monkey :-P

Pps: Dear Toothfairy, I will brush my teeth more times today, ok? I promise :-)

Hanna: A Taiwanese fairy tale

A Taiwanese girl's thorny path to beauty

Let me show you some photos of a lovely Taiwanese girl. Her name is Hanna 澎澎. Do you agree with me, that she's beautiful?

Hanna: Beautiful face, perfect body, dreamy eyes...

Hanna: Simply dazzling.

Hanna, a lovely Taiwanese girl.

Now you wonder why am I showing you photos of a beautiful girl? Well, there's much more to Hanna. Unlike other girls, she wasn't always as perfect as now (according to the modern standards of beauty). There's a story behind these photos. They are a result of a thorny path she had to walk to become like this. Why? Because...

...Hanna used to look like this [photo on the left].

Hanna lost 44kg!

She's currently 24 years old and she's blossomed into a beautiful young woman. She used to have 94 kg and came down to 50. Isn't that amazing? I admire people, who have such will-power to change their lives by never giving up. Apparently she stopped eating meat and maintained a strict diet. I hope Hanna will be an inspiration for you. In case you're about to give up in one of your struggles, think twice. Is it really so hard to continue? You have to find that out for yourself.

On another note. Have you seen celebrities without make-up? If you haven't, check some pics here. It will make you feel good. I guess with great make-up, you can be perfect, too. But then again, what is perfect and what has value?

Hanna, 你鼓舞了我。我欽佩你，加油！

[Links: Photo source and more photos][Article about Hanna][Hanna's blog]

Slovenian winter video

Wanna hear me talk?

I made this short clip for you to see how snowy it is here today, actually it's like this throughout the whole winter. You can hear me speaking English a little bit. ^_~ What do you think?

ps: For now, I will remain behind the cam. I may be in front some day, but not too soon ;-)

Slovenia vs. Taiwan: A comparison

Climate, culture and way of life in comparison

Slovenia and Taiwan both have white, blue and red in their flags.

Slovenia and Taiwan are two small and mostly unknown countries: One lost somewhere in the West, one lost somewhere in the Far East. Of course there are many differences between the two countries and their countrymen, but there are also many things that Slovenia and Taiwan have in common. Let me show you the difference in the climate, landscape, culture, history and traditions of these two countries and its people. See some photos first:

Two countries, that are very similar, but very different at the same time.

✰ Basic facts about Slovenia and Taiwan

1. Official name: Republic of Slovenia (Republika Slovenija)
2. Continent: Europe, southern central part
3. Area: 20.274 km²
4. Coast: 47km
5. Highest peak: Triglav, 2864m
6. Population: 2,05 millions
7. Predominant race: Caucasian
8. Capital city: Ljubljana (City: 270.000, urban 330.000)
9. Second biggest city: Maribor (City: 112.000, urban: 140.000)
10. Official languages: Slovenian (Italian and Hungarian in small parts)
11. Currency: Euro (Eur)
12. Beginnings of democracy: 1988
13. Founding of the state: 25. June, 1991

1. Official name: Republic of China (中華民國)
2. Continent: Asia, the eastern part
3. Area: 36.191 km²
4. Coast: 1566km
5. Highest peak: Yushan mountain 玉山, 3952m
6. Population: 23, 12 millions
7. Predominant race: Han Chinese
8. Capital city: Taipei 臺北市 (City 2.6 millions, urban: 6.8 millions)
9. Second biggest city: Kaohsiung 高雄市 (City: 1.5 millions, urban: 3 millions)
10. Official languages: Mandarin, Taiwanese, Hakka
11. Currency: New Taiwan Dollar (NTD)
12. Beginnings of democracy: 1988
13. Founding of the state: 11. October 1911

✰ The difference in the climate

Slovenia, although it's a very small county (66% of the size of Taiwan) has a very diverse landscape and therefore also a very diverse climate. While the small Slovenian coast and the area along the Italian border enjoys a Mediterranean climate, which prevents snowy winters (it usually rains and has around 5^oC), the rest of the country has four seasons. The winters are cold and snowy, usually from November to March. The summers are hot, usually from June to end of August.

Taiwan on the other hand has a marine tropical climate (it's an island), which means that most of the year is humid, while the winters are rainy, especially in the north (Taipei). Usually it's raining around Chinese new year (Jan, Feb), which is due to the monsoon. The south of Taiwan (Kaohsiung) is usually hot and dry and shortages of water are a serious problem. Southern Taiwan reminds me of Singapore and Malaysia, it can be extremely hot and humid there. The mountainous central part of Taiwan is a bit colder than the rest, some parts even have snow in winter.

Snow covering the roof tops in Maribor, my home town, 2009.

Taiwan's south is always hot.

✰ The difference in the culture and life style

Slovenia is a central European country and the culture is closely related to countries in central Europe, such as Austria, Germany and Italy. But Slovenians belong to the ethnic, cultural and linguistic group of Slavs, which includes Croatians, Serbs, Slovaks, Czechs, Poles and Russians. Especially the languages have a very strong resemblance and have common roots, but the cultures developed independently and can be very different. They say Slovenians work hard and are very honest people. That may have changed in the recent years, but historically we were people without our own country for a very long time (we were 800 years under Austria, Hungary and Italy), the struggle for our own state started in the late 18th century, but especially since 1848. We finally achieved full independence in 1991 and a lot of things changed. Not only did we leave a failing communist state of Yugoslavia, we entered capitalism and developed very quickly, but in the past years (during the 2008 crisis), many things started to stagnate and unemployment rose again. That made many Slovenians bitter. However, we still think we're a prosperous country and we're proud of our achievements. The daily life of Slovenians is same as in Taiwan: Work and home. But we don't work as much as Taiwanese, for us free time is as important as a good day at work. Usually we spend afternoons to pursue various hobbies or activities or just meeting with friends or family. Usually Sundays are reserved for visiting families. Young people like to go out on Fridays and Saturday, drinking is pretty common among the Slovenian youth (and a big problem, if you ask me). Unfortunately the bad side of the Slovenian society is a high rate of alcoholism, that goes along well with a high rate of suicide. But lifestyles in Slovenia vary highly depending on where you live. Half of Slovenia is covered by forests (only Sweden and Finland are more forested). And around half of Slovenians live in towns and cities, the other half prefers to live on the country side. That's why we don't have big cities like Taiwan, Ljubljana's population is lower than the one of Keelung, Hsinchu and Taoyuan, although the city area is bigger, that's because Slovenians prefer to build family houses with gardens in the suburbs of the cities. Taiwan's cities on the other hand are very densely populated. Both countries have beautiful nature, however Slovenia can pride itself as the country with the better preserved and partly untouched nature (primeval forest, river Soča).

Taiwan is of course a beautiful island and some parts are just amazing (Yeliou, Sun Moon Lake, Yushan mountains...), but it's also a very densely populated country and urbanization destroyed and polluted a lot of the nature, especially in the north around Taipei. However Taiwanese try to keep the natural wonders of the island clean and intact and that really works well in many parts of the country. Taiwan, sometimes called one of the "Four Asian Tigers", is a heavily industrialized country and the economic boom was experienced already in the 1980s, that's why centers like Kaohsiung, Taichung and especially Taipei are heavily industrialized. Taiwanese are stuck between traditions and modern times. It won't be unusual to see a sexy Taiwanese girl praying at a temple and using her iPhone when she's leaving. Young guys are into gadgets and photography, Taiwan is one of the centers of world's computer industry. But it's also a country deeply rooted in traditions, Buddhism and partly Confucianism makes Taiwan a very conservative society. That's really a difference from Slovenian. The main religion in Slovenia is Christianity, however those who really believe and abide by Christian traditions are in minority, probably one third of Slovenians are real Christians. Most other Slovenians are not religious or just paint eggs for Easter or go to church on Christmas. Slovenians are generally more liberal than Taiwanese. But that doesn't mean that you can't find open minded people in Taiwan. Especially in big cities such as Taipei and Kaohsiung you'll see people with their own distinct fashion styles. A big difference between Taiwan and Slovenia is the food. Not only is one distinctly European and one distinctly Asian, but Taiwan has a culture of eating out, we could say a "food stall culture". In Slovenia you'll seldom see food stalls and our day markets mostly sell vegetables and fruits, which you buy, bring home and cook. Slovenians mostly prepare food at home. Eating in restaurants is expensive, the only fast food we have is hamburgers, pieces of pizza and kebabs. In Taiwan you can get anything on the streets and it's usually cheap and yummy. That's something I love about Taiwan (and Asia). Another big difference is the transportation. Slovenians love cars, seldom they would ride scooters. Taiwan is scooterland. I have never seen so many people riding scooters in Taiwan. And big cities like Kaohsiung and Taipei have subways, but in Slovenia there's no such thing. Walking is also popular here, we're known as a nation of hikers and climbers.

Taiwan has a street food culture.

✰ The difference in food

Taiwanese food is East Asian food and influenced mostly by food from China and Japan and with aboriginal influences. Rice and noodles are the basic food in Taiwan, while bread and potatoes are the basics in Slovenia. Dating back in history, bread would be the number one food that allowed Slovenians to survive harsh winters and devastating droughts. Most important Taiwanese food is of course rice. But both countries have created many delicious dishes, that show creativity and the variety of local ingredients and spices. In Taiwan you can eat the famous stinky tofu, fried rice, oyster omelets, dumplings, buns, crepes, all parts of chicken and duck, fried pork and a lot of seafood. And let's not forget the tropical fruits such as bananas, mangoes and guavas, that are really tasty. Slovenia's dishes are usually based on meat and potatoes, famous is Kranjska klobasa (a sausage), fried pork and chicken with potatoes that's usually eaten with a salad. The food changes with the seasons, during autumn and winter Slovenians love to eat various stews and soups, such as ričet and jota, a porridge and soup based on beans.

When it comes to drinks, Slovenians love to drink coffee, usually in the morning and afternoon. If we cook coffee at home, we cook it the Turkish way. Outside in restaurants, we drink Viennese or Italian coffee. Taiwanese love to drink tea. And Taiwan has one of the best teas in the world. Young people like bubble tea to go, especially when they visit day and night markets.

Compare Slovenian and Taiwanese food here:

The difference is big, huh?

✰ Slovenia vs. Taiwan in conclusion

Similarities

- a history of foreign rule, wars and injustice

- started a democratic movement in 1988

- the colors of the flags

- both countries are commonly mistaken for other countries

- friendly and hospitable people

- both people mostly speak in dialects

- beautiful nature with a lot of mountains

- not flooded with tourists, but slowly getting

- both drive on the right side of the road

Differences

- Taiwan lays in Asia, Slovenia in Europe

- Taiwan is an island, Slovenia is continental

- Taiwan's area is 1.5 times bigger than Slovenia's

- Taiwan's population is 12 times bigger than Slovenia's

- Taiwan has 3 cities with over a million people, Slovenia none

- Taiwan is not an internationally recognized sovereign state

- Taiwan is under military threat from People's Republic of China

- Taiwanese mostly eat with chopsticks, Slovenians use forks

- Taiwanese writing system is hanzi, Slovenians use Latin letters

- Taiwanese love to ride scooters, Slovenians prefer cars

- Many Taiwanese wear glasses, less so Slovenians

- Slovenians work hard, but Taiwanese work harder

- Taiwanese love to drink tea, Slovenians prefer coffee

- Basic Slovenian food is bread, Taiwanese is rice

- Slovenians love to drink alcohol, Taiwanese usually don't

- Slovenians are less conservative and traditional than Taiwanese

- Slovenians generally speak better English than Taiwanese

✰ Some trivia about Slovenians and Taiwanese

Women are said to be beautiful every where you go. Something you might hear about Slovenian women, too, but also about Taiwanese. In Asia, Taiwanese women are famous for being slim due to their healthy diet, having good fashion sense and great make-up skills. So many singers, actresses and models from Taiwan become popular all over East Asia. Slovenia is a small country, however we have many beautiful women as well. The most famous may be Melania Trump, the current wife of Donald Trump, one of the richest Americans.

Oh, and just for fun, let's compare a Taiwanese girl in cheongsam and a Slovenian model. How do you like them? I guess it's women, who make the climate either bearable or unbearable for men. Sometimes they're just too hot.

Photo of Rebeka Dremelj in 2008, Slovenian singer (Photo source here).

On a more serious note: Something that Taiwanese (unfortunately) can't do freely and Slovenians can: Waving the national flag. Be it at home or abroad, Slovenia is a sovereign and internationally recognized country, something that Taiwan is not.

[Slovenia][Taiwan][All photos by MKL except where otherwise noted, 2010]

Read also my post: About the young people of Taiwan

Italian female TV host grabs David Beckham's crotch

Where is the outrage?

Have you heard about this story? It's all over the news. An Italian female (supposedly funny) TV host and reporter thought she's really hilarious. While David Beckham, famous English soccer player, was so kind to grant her an interview, she groped his crotch. Yep, she went with her hand and touched his private parts. Check the photos:

The Italian woman, Elena di Cioccio, said she wanted to check, if he's really as manly as it appears on his advertisments for underwear, like for example this one here [*how many of you girls have saved this pic now?]. Apparently she's infamous for playing all kinds of pranks, but in this case she went too far in my opinion. And I'll tell you why:

1. This is sexual harassment and it doesn't make it less bad, because she's a woman.
2. She disrespected him, his wife and his children.
3. Imagine a male reporter groped Victoria Beckham's crotch:

• Would the reaction be the same? Would it still be funny?
• Why is it ok, if women grope or harass men, why is there no outrage?
• Why is it not funny, if men play such 'pranks' on women?
  
• Double standard? On which side are you?

[Photo source, the video and more reactions at: TMZ]

WiFi access points of Slovenia

Find free WiFi hotspots in Slovenia on Google Maps


View Slovenian WiFi hotspots in a larger map

Blaž, a Slovenian blogger, came up with the idea of making a Google map with all the free WiFi access points around my homecountry Slovenia. I found out about this great idea via the most popular Slovenian blogger Had. Since the whole map (and the related post) is in Slovenian, I decided to help my foreign friends, who may travel to Slovenia, by translating some words to English. I know at least one of you will travel here and many more might come in the future, so this information might be very useful to you. I know most of you have WiFi cell phones and laptops and need to have free internet access wherever you go. So, if you want to know where you can freely access internet in Slovenia, check the map above or click on this link:

http://tinyurl.com/WiFiAccessPointsOfSlovenia (spread the link)

Once there, you will see many blue bubbles - they're links. If you click on them, you will get information in Slovenian. Here's some things you may not understand, so I translated them for you:

WiFi točka - WiFi point
WiFi je prosto dostopen - WiFi is freely accessable
Javna dostopna točka - Public access point
Prostodostopen WiFi - Freely accessable WiFi
Na voljo računalnik - Available computer
Prost dostop do interneta - Free internet access
Brezplačni WiFi - WiFi free of charge
Brezplačen - Free of charge
Odprt, odprta - Open
Dostop - Access
Prost dostop - Free access
Ni zaklenjen - Not locked
Odklenjen - Unlocked
Geslo - Password
Restavracija - Restaurant
Pivo - Beer
Kava z mlekom - Coffee with milk

If you have any more questions, please ask in the comment section.

Skyscrapers

List of skyscrapers I've seen so far and blogged about.

509m: Taipei 101, Taipei, Taiwan
378m: Tuntex Sky Tower, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
264m: Samsung Tower Palace, Seoul, South Korea
261m: The Grand Lisboa, Macau, PR China
249m: Building 63, Seoul, South Korea
245m: Shin Kong Life Tower, Taipei, Taiwan
237m: N Seoul Tower, Seoul, South Korea
228m: Trade Tower, Seoul, South Korea
200m: Samsung Town Seocho, Seoul, South Korea
192m: Shr-Hwa International Tower, Taichung, Taiwan
186m: The Grand Hi-Lai Hotel, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
154m: President International Tower, Taipei, Taiwan
148m: Xin Fu Hwa, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
147m: Hua Guan Tower, Keelung, Taiwan
132m: Jongno Tower, Seoul, South Korea
117m: Kyobo Gangnam Tower, Seoul, South Korea

Back to My Travels>>

Singapore: My first Asian destination

Today is my 5 years anniversary of travelling to Asia

And that's why I want to commemorate this noteworthy moment: On 20th January 2005 I boarded a plane in Paris and flew 13h straight to Singapore. On 21st January 2005 my foot touched Asian soil for the first time. And to be precise, that happened at Changi International Airport in Singapore.

It was during a time, where I still studied and I had 1 month of semester holidays. I had saved up a big sum of money and wanted to do something extraordinary. It was pure coincidence, that I ended up in Singapore. I wanted to fly far and to warm place, because we had a cold winter around that time. I had someone from Singapore helping me and so she rented a room in an apartment for me. It was way cheaper than hotel. I was more of a backpacker at that time and I wanted to spend money for other things than accommodation.

After these things were settled, I could enjoy exploring the city. I have to say, everything was great: I saw the whole city with all its main sights and I even went on a short 3 days trip to Kuala Lumpur. At that time it was the best 3 weeks of my life and ever since I went on that trip, I continued going back to Asia, almost every year once. From that time on, I totally immersed myself in all things Asian (as it's obvious from my blog). I have a special bond with Singapore, it's a place I will never forget, because wherever I will go in the future, it will always remain my first Asian destination.

Here is my collection of my photos [29] I made during that trip. Please wait a little, it may take some time before they fully load. Thanks.

My Singapore trip started at Changi Airport and continued to Tampines, a lovely neighborhood in the eastern part of Singapore. I rented a small room in an HDB block and I felt like I'm living like a local Singaporean. It was a unique experience. Here's a little set of photos I took during my trip, a very small fraction of all the pics I took.

This was where I stayed. I miss the warm weather in Singapore, feels so good every day.

The toilet wasn't really a high standard, but I didn't mind. I was a student and used to it.

The room was small, but nice. I loved to watch TV, especially Channel 5.

I was amazed to see people carrying coffee in plastic bags. You won't see that in Slovenia.

One of my favorite shopping malls The Heeren. I spend a lot of time here.

I liked this old part of Singapore: Kampong glam ('kampong' is Malay for 'village')

This was also one of my firsts: the coconut drink. Cheap and refreshing.

One of my fav dishes in the region: roti prata. Later I liked the similar roti canai in Malaysia.

Photo of my fav spot, a beautiful garden near the zoo. Read article here>>

Singapore has an impressive downtown. Many banks and offices are located here.

A statue of Singapore's founder. He's more like Singaporean Washington, not Obama :P

One of my favorite breakfasts, Delifrance in Takashimaya shopping mall. Yummy.

Singapore Chinatown, located in Outram, is more of a tourist trap, but nice to see.

I found this statue somewhere on Orchard road, Singapore's most famous road.

One of my favorite parts of Singapore: Sentosa, a lovely island with nice little beaches.

Sentosa with the cute islets below, in the back ships and heavy industry. What a mix.

Singapore downtown seen from the Esplanade, a futuristic building resembling fly eyes.

A very colorful and clean neighborhood in Tampines. A lovely place to live.

Singapore Botanic gardens, one of my favortite spots. A must see, when you visit Singapore.

Never saw such huge cactus before. The climate is good for such plants to grow in Singapore.

Botanic gardens are full of small surprises, so it's really worth to take a long walk.

The so called Palm valley, a lovely spot, where Singaporeans love to gather for picnics.

There's so many turtles and ducks in a cute little pond. You'll even find koi fish.

One of my favorite photos ever taken during my travels. Ain't it lovely?

In my last days in Singapore, I looked for spots to swim, but I skipped this place, I chose Sentosa instead.

Last day before flying back to Europe, I spent in Sentosa. It was fun.

It took me one whole day to return home, after 15h of flying, I finally saw our mountains.

Almost landing in Slovenia... Reality was hard: A cold winter. I wanted back to Singapore!

This trip was a turning point in my life. It was really a great experience and I really had the best time in Singapore. Even if it was only 3 weeks, it was my very first trip to Asia and it was a great idea to start discovering Asia in Singapore. I highly recommend it to everyone, espeically if you're traveling in winter. You will fall in love with Singapore just like I did. And I still love the place.

• What was your first destination on the other side of the world?
• Have you ever travelled to Singapore? How did you like it?

[My SINGAPORE page][All pics by MKL 2005]