Oberhausen, Germany

Oberhausen is well known for the biggest shopping mall in Europe i.e. CentrO as well as being the home to Paul the Octopus.  

Unfortunately we were not able to have a glimpse of Paul as he passed on in October 2010 prior to us immigrating to Europe however his shrine can be found at the Sea Life Centre.  For those who are not familiar with Paul, he was the oracle used to predict the results of the soccer matches in which Germany played.  He and his accurate predictions received global recognition during the 2010 world cup.  

Nurburgring, Germany

"For a quick lap at the Nürburgring, you've probably experienced more in seven minutes...than most people have experienced in all their life in the way of fear, in the way of tension, in the way of animosity towards machinery and to a racetrack." —Jackie Stewart"

The Nürburgring Cornering Map

A tick off our bucket list was the invigorating experience of being able to race in an BMW M3 around the Nürburgring race track.  We have had a passion for high performance cars since our childhood days.  The sound of a mind-bendingly, reason-defyingly fast engine translates into a sweet serenade for us.  Ironically, when we met many years ago... our interests were so much alike that being able to appreciate the Nürburgring experience together has definately proved to be one of our highlighted memories together.

Dublin, Ireland...

Home to one of the world's most influential rock bands, The beatles - Dublin was a city we were excited to visit.  As it was our first trip to Ireland, we decided to stay at a central point with easy access to all amenities such as the Hop on Hop off bus,  Aircoach to the airport, Temple bar, restaurants and local shopping area's.

Ha'penny Bridge over Liffey River.

The majestic temples of Siem Reap...

Being granted the opportunity to visit Siem Reap was sheer luck as we were told by one of our local Cambodian friends, that part of their beliefs is to visit Siem Reap at least once in their lifetime.  Almost as a pilgrimage to the once holy land, Siem Reap is home to many majestic temples located in the north west region of Cambodia.  These temples awe visitors around the world with their enormity and rich heritage.  Built over a millennium ago, the temples still flaunt the reminisce of Khmer civilization and art.  We must admit that even though the temples are ancient in age, the carvings are still well preserved and magnificent to view.

The magnificent carvings on the temple walls and pillars.

Cambodia...

Cambodia was one of the countries that hit home for us.  Beautiful, humble people who albeit healing from one of the world's worst atrocities committed by the Khmer Rouge in the 1970s.  
Don't be mistaken by the depressing Tuol Sleng or Killing Fields tourist attractions, as the Kingdom of Cambodia offers much more richness in heritage.

Arriving at Phnom Penh International airport, we headed to the hotel to check in and freshen up.  Phnom Penh has an interesting story to it... legend has it that the name stretches back to the late 14th century, when an old woman named Penh stumbled upon a tree with a handful of Buddha images stuck on one of its branches.  The lady, Penh retrieved these images and had a hill (phnom) built to house them hence the name Phnom Penh was born.

Mozambique

Visiting Mozambique brought back some childhood memories for myself where my dad would prepare delicious peri peri LM prawns as a Sunday accompaniment to family lunch.  I recall my dad explaining that LM stood for Lourenço Marques, words which seemed strange at the time for a 8 year old.  18 years later, we got to visit Lourenço Marques which is today known as the city of Maputo in Mozambique.  Maputo is also widely known as the City of Acacias as the acacia tree's are commonly found along this coastal country.

Tanzania...

Bordered by Kenya and Uganda, Tanzania is one of the East Africa countries which boasts majestic tourist attractions such as Zanzibar, the stunning Serengeti National Park, Mount Kilimanjaro, Lake Victoria to name a few.

For our journey to this beautiful country, we began in Dar-es-Salaam.  “Dar” as it is known by the locals, is Tanzania’s richest and largest city.  Surprisingly quite a modern and busy city, Dar was a great place to shop especially for Tanzanites :) A rare stone, which is graded by the 5 C’s i.e. Colour, Clarity, Cut, Carat, Confidence (Certificate). 

Namibia...

Somewhere between the Kalahari and the South Atlantic, you’ll find a wonderful country rich in vast landscapes, beautiful mountains, colonial cities and a wide abundance of wildlife. Namibia as it known these days,  can very much be labelled as one of the youngest countries in Africa.

Kenya, Nairobi...

Nairobi… the capital and largest city in Kenya, welcomed us with fantastic weather during this trip.  Interestingly enough, the name "Nairobi" comes from the Maasai phrase Enkare Nyrobi, which translates to "cold water". The phrase is also the Maasai name of the Nairobi river, which in turn lent its name to the city. Home to the Maasai tribe, the city also boasts a diverse multicultural composition of people who settled in the city from British occupied regions such as India, Pakistan, Somalia and Sudan.