Amongst the hustle and bustle of Istanbul's Sultanahmet, there is an oasis of art. Ebru painting is incredible!  Ryan tries out Ebru painting in Istanbul under the watchful eye of our teacher. Istanbul's Sultanhamet neighbourhood is no stranger to old buildings. It's home to the Hagia Sophia, which dates back to 537 AD, and Topkapi Palace, built in 1459. By comparison, Caferağa Medresesi is the new kid on the block. Built in 1559, it's a mere 456 years young!
But in its relatively short life, it's had many incarnations. The word medresseh refers to an educational institution and, since 1989, Caferağa Medresesi has been a centre of learning for traditional Turkish handicrafts, such as ceramics, mosaics, calligraphy - and ebru painting, which we were fortunate enough to try. It was incredible, so much so that we now think that everyone should try ebru painting in Istanbul, at least once! Sometimes a chain hotel is the best idea. This is why we loved the Holiday Inn in Singapore. Our room at the Holiday Inn in Singapore was really cozy! Singapore is home to some of the most gorgeous and unique hotel properties in the world. They offer stunning views, amazing roof top cocktail bars, and the chicest of design. So why on earth did we opt for the Holiday Inn Express on Orchard Road?
In short? We didn't think we'd be in any hotel long enough to appreciate any special features. Arriving late at night from Bangkok, we'd literally be in the room just long enough to sleep before heading out to explore early the next morning. We needed something that was centrally located, close to public transit, clean, safe, convenient, and EASY. It didn't exactly scream hip Singapore style, but it included free Wi-Fi, free breakfast, and rang in at around $150 - not our greatest deal ever, but still a respectable bargain for the city. You've hit the travelling mother-load at Mother Land Inn 2
Nothing has even looked so lovely to me as the MLI2
Have you ever been so happy to see a place that you nearly cried? In truth, it wouldn't have mattered what Mother Land Inn 2 looked like, or how friendly the staff were, or how comfortable the rooms were. We rolled into Yangon after the worst travel experience of our lives, 20 hours of pure misery on the overnight train from Bagan. It was a bone jarring, flesh bruising, filth accumulating experience and MLI2 appeared to us like a mirage, then an oasis.
Have a layover in Singapore? Here's what you can do.Singapore is one of many layovers on our round the world trip. We have just under 24 hours here - and we're not the only ones. Singapore is one of the most popular layovers in the world. With its compact layout and an airport that serves as a hub for endless international destinations, Singapore offers short term visitors a lot of city in just a little time.  Changi is consistently ranked as one of the best airports in the world but it reminded me of a confusing high end shopping centre. This Bangkok dinner cruise was definitely memorable, to say the least. Bangkok is beautiful lit up at night. What do you get when you combine a karaoke session that includes Country Roads and Gangnam Style, a buffet laden with spaghetti bolognese, and a little bit of line dancing to Achy Breaky Heart? Why, a night out in Bangkok on the Chao Phraya River, of course! We were happy to partner once again with Viator for their Bangkok Dinner Cruise on the Chao Phraya River tour.
We never thought Bangkok would be a rest and relaxation destination.
Seeing Bangkok lit up at night was a spectacular sight!
Our round the world, points based trip officially includes one main stop (Sydney) and two stopovers of our choice (we picked Brussels and Bangkok) and endless layovers and side trips. Considering that Bangkok is one of our official stopovers, it's about time we finally made it back to see the city! Our first stop here hardly counts, as we essentially did nothing more than transfer from one airport to another and spend the night in a hotel. Now that we're here for a few days, we're looking forward to seeing the city by foot, bike, and boat and (of course!) stuffing ourselves with pad Thai.
Yangon is a city of gold and an amazing travel destination.
Religious wares being sold outside the Shwedagon Pagoda.
Most travelers to Myanmar make Yangon their first stop, not their last, but we've been bucking the norm for a lot of our trip. With more and moretransportation options opening up in other cities, we were able to make the most of our limited time and not double back on our tracks. Yangon has plenty to offer visitors and, while you could easily spend a week or more exploring the city at a leisurely pace, it is compact enough to see a lot of the major sites in two days, which is exactly what we plan to do!
"Warmly welcome and take care of tourist" - this is the train ride of a lifetime! Read all about our experience on the overnight train from Bagan to Yangon in Myanmar.
All aboard! The train weaves its way through the countryside.
Less than 12 hours after enjoying the BEST travel experience of our lives, we were off to catch the overnight train from Bagan to Yangon. An overnight train seemed to an efficient and economical way to get across the country without losing a precious day of sightseeing to transit and we were excited to try something new.
There were times when we felt like we were in the middle of nowhere.
Our expectations for the train were very modest. We had done considerable research, learning a lot from The Man in Seat 61 and Lesley Leep Phoography We had watched Anthony Bourdain’s Burmese train trip on the Parts Unknown series and had taken to heart a passage from Lonely Planet, in which a local resident advises that the train is “not as bad as you think, not as good as you hope”.
Travelling to Bagan: Expect Temples, festivals, massages, golf & more!
A trip to Bagan has been on our list of "must dos" ever since we first heard about Myanmar. The incredible archaeological and spiritual sites are unparalleled and the plains of Bagan are home to the largest concentration of religious buildings in the world. Over 2200 temples and pagodas remain from over 10,000 that were built starting in the 11th century, when Bagan was a thriving kingdom. Built on fault lines, the surviving structures - some up to 1,000 years old - remain as an impressive testament to faith and community.
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