Amalfi Coast

28Nov 2015

Wow, tomorrow, I will be going to Switzerland and Paris with my son, and mother. And this is the first time my 11 year-old boy is travelling to Europe, and he is extremely happy, as he loves the cold weather.

I have been to Switzerland and Paris many times, due to my tour leading job assignments. And I must say the feeling is completely different this time, as we have more time to go around and explore the various places and museums, without having to rush through with time, on a tight schedule on those commercial tours.

And I am doing my research for the next trip to the famous Amalfi Coast, in Italy. And I will add in my research details here on this post, and will come back to update, as I have more details with me. In fact, I was so fascinated by this place ever since I read about this spectacular coastal drive almost 9 years back. I had bought a book from Italy - Amalfi Coast, and there are some write ups and descriptions to the various towns, and communes in this UNESCO Heritage Site.

The most famous towns here -
Positano
Amalfi
Ravello

My plan is to fly into Naples (Napoli in Italian), and then take a train or bus to Salerno, and then travel by bus from the East towards Sorrento, and then proceed back to Naples for the flight back to Rome for my international departure.

Why Travel to Amalfi Coast?

AMALFI COAST

Discover the jewel of the crown -
Sorrentine Peninsula & the spectacular coastal scenery of Amalfi Coast

Sorrento - Salerno (55km)
This coastal drive is unrivalled for its scenic beauty with the rocks, tumbling down right into the sea, and offers splendid views of the ancient towns, and panoramic seascape

The town of Amalfi was the capital of the maritime republic known as the Duchy of Amalfi, an important trading power in the Mediterranean between 839 and around 1200.

Enjoy the Sunny Microclimate here in the Amalfi Coast, for its cool winters

Discover the enviable patrimony of art, history and culture of this region

Experience the Infinite blue of the sky of Campania

The Dates of my travel
31Dec 2015 - 10Jan 2016

Where will I be staying

One night in Naples
One night in Salerno
Two nights in Amalfi
Two nights in Ravello
Two nights in Positano
One night in Mairi

NAPLES 
I have been to Naples a few times, but I like to visit the famous Archaeological Museum here.
And I just discovered that the fireworks is the most beautiful here in Italy on the eve of the New Year.


POSITANO
I was captivated by the lovely setting of the town from the movie - Under The Tuscan Sun. And the beautiful view of the town, with its imposing cathedral with the majestic dome, just continued to haunt me, as seen on the picture of this famous town on the internet.

Being a person, who loves nature, and the seascape, I want to go on the hiking trail - Path of the Gods, which according to my research , is not a difficult trail. The rewards would be the sweeping panorama of the Mediterranean Sea and the towns perching on the cliff.

AMALFI
As far as my research goes, this was once the powerful Amalfi Republic, which was once one of the four major Maritime Republics in the past. The four Maritime Republics are Amalfi, Venice, Pisa and Genoa.

RAVELLO
Ravello is unquestionably the most elegant of the small cities on the Amalfi Coast.

OTHERS
I will try to visit ATRANI, and MAIORI.

TRAVELLING AROUND
There are buses which travels from Sorrento to Salerno, and passing by these towns of Positano, Amalfi, and etc.

FERRIES
Ferries only operate from April to October. So, I will not have a chance to take a ferry to enjoy the views of the town from a different perspective.
Naples - Sorrento
Naples - Capri
Capri - Sorrento (or Naples)
Salerno - Positano / Amalfi

DRINK
Try the lemoncello, which is a famous liquer made from the local lemons which are big, and produced here in the gardens of the Amalfi Coast area.

FOOD
Will update when I get to eat the pizza, macaroni, pastiera cake, and typical dishes of the maritime cuisine includes cold mussel-and-clam salads, Mediterranean fish stews.

GUIDE
I will engage a local guide to show me the way of the Path of the Gods, and  a walking tour in Positano, to understand more of the history of this town.

More Updates and Pictures coming along.

And I will write  a book about Travels in Amalfi Coast after I return.

To get a FREE COPY of the Travel Guide to Bali / Nusa Penida
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User - olevia.explorer

Holidays in 2016

Dear all,

I have a number of trips line up for the year 2016.

Do feel free to join me if you like the destination, as most of the time, I have arranged for special location to be included in my trip -

2016
Amalfi Coast, Italy
Cambodia & Angkok Wat
Iceland Adventure
Italy
Mongolia
Tibet 
Nepal 


The dates of the trips are as follows - 

Amalfi Coast, Italy 
31Dec - 10Jan 2016
Walking, exploring, Bed & Breakfast, photography.
Amalfi region - Positano, Ravello, Amalfi.

Cambodia & Angkor Wat (UNESCO)
03-09Mar 2016
Culture, history, architecture.

Iceland Adventure
28Mar - 08Apr 2016

Catching the aurora borelis.. Lakes, National Park,
options for snow mobile
Soft adventure, sights , natural scenery,
Land of ice & fire.

12D Enchanting Italy
23Apr - 04May 2016
Sightseeing - Culture, history, food.
Includes _ Lake Como, Cinque Terre (UNESCO), and Tivoli Gardens from Rome, Colosseum, Florence.

Mongolia
04Jul - 17Jul 2016
Mt Altai, and camping in the National Park.
Great for adventure, hiking, photography, local culture.

Tibet
31Aug - 17Sep 2016
Note - High altitude, and camping by Lake Yamdruk for one night.
Sightseeing, and travel to Lingzhi & Everest Base Camp with option to trek to the base camp in about 2 hours.
Travelling in jeep.
Tibet - got to apply for special permit.

Reasonable level of fitness is required.

October -
South America


Will update the blog, and indicate the individual page for the various itineraries.

Note -
I am preparing to launch a book on travel in Bali island, and later Patagonia, and more.
Read about my Bali travels on my other blog -
http://inlovewithbali.blogspot.com

More Pictures being uploaded to Flickr.com
Username - olevia.explorer

Information -
Hidden beaches, special warung and local eateries recommended by the local,
activities for the family, adventure, diving, etc
Also covering the islands of Nusa Lembongan & Nusa Penida.

To get a FREE COPY of my Bali guide, please visit my website and SUBSCRIBE to my mailing list.

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www.izest-lifestyle.com

Video of Jiuzhaigou National Park

Welcome back.

I have just uploaded a few videos of the various ponds which I took while I went to Jiuzhaigou National Park, in the Sichuan province in China last year.

Jiuzhaigou National Park
(From Wikipedia)
Jiuzhaigou (pronounced [tɕjùʈʂâɪkə́ʊ]; Chinese: 九寨沟; literally: "Valley of Nine Fortified Villages"; Tibetan: གཟི་རྩ་སྡེ་དགུ།, ZYPY: Sirza Degu) is a nature reserve and national park located in the north of Sichuan province, China.
Jiuzhaigou Valley is part of the Min Mountains on the edge of the Tibetan Plateau and stretches over 72,000 hectares (180,000 acres). It is known for its many multi-level waterfalls, colorful lakes, and snow-capped peaks. Its elevation ranges from 2,000 to 4,500 metres (6,600 to 14,800 ft).
Jiuzhaigou Valley was inscribed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 1992 and a World Biosphere Reserve in 1997. It belongs to the category V (Protected Landscape) in the IUCN system of protected area categorization.

Sichuan Province
(From Wikipedia)
Sichuan (Chinese: 四川; pinyin:  Sìchuān, formerly Szechwan or Szechuan) is a province in southwest China. The capital is Chengdu, a key economic centre of Western China.
The name of the province is an abbreviation of Sì Chuānlù (四川路), or "Four circuits of rivers", which is itself abbreviated from Chuānxiá Sìlù (川峡四路), or "Four circuits of rivers and gorges", named after the division of the existing circuit into four during the Northern Song dynasty.

Huang Long Scenic Area
(From Wikipedia)
Huanglong (simplified Chinese: 黄龙; traditional Chinese: 黃龍; pinyin: Huánglóng; literally: "yellow dragon") is a scenic and historic interest area in the northwest part of Sichuan, China. It is located in the southern part of the Minshan mountain range, 150 kilometres (93 mi) north-northwest of the capital Chengdu. This area is known for its colorful pools formed by calcite deposits, especially in Huanglonggou (Yellow Dragon Gully), as well as diverse forest ecosystems, snow-capped peaks, waterfalls and hot springs. Huanglong is also home to many endangered species including the giant panda and the Sichuan golden snub-nosed monkey. Huanglong was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1992.


My itinerary
Day 1. Fly to Chengdu. Overnight
Day 2. Drive from Chengdu to Huang Long (8 hours)
Day 3. Visit Huang Long National Park
Day 4 Visit Jiuzhaigou
Day 5 Visit Jiuzhaigou
Day 6 Visit Jiuzhaigou
Day 7 Visit
Day 8 Visit Fairy Pond
Day 9 Depart from Jiu Huang airport to Chengdu.

Getting to Jiuzhaigou
The nearest airport is located at Jiuzhai Huang Long airport. The 3 letter code is JZH. There are flight connections from Chengdu airport, the gateway city to Sichuan Province.

Entrance Fees
You need to buy the tickets directly at the Park entrance - and the last time, we paid 350 RMB.


Peak Season
September and October are the peak seasons for travel to Jiuzhaigou as many flocked to this national park to admire at the crystal clear waters of the numerous lakes /ponds, as well as the various waterfalls within the park.
My friend and I came in early November, and it was already snowing in Huang Long due to its higher elevation at 3,200 m.

Travelling around
You could hire a car with a driver or take a taxi to Huang Long from Jiuzhaigou. This can be done as a day trip from Jiuzhaigou.
As for Jiuzhaigou, it is best you book a hotel within walking distance to the Jiuzhaigou National Park entrance, which will be so much more convenient. Our hotel was located about 20 minutes walk from the Park entrance.

Jiuzhaigou National Park
You could take the shuttle from the Park entrance to the 3 different gully. And in between, you could choose to walk around along the well-marked trails.We walked for at least half a day each, as we wanted to enjoy the nature and the beautiful settings instead of just whizzing past from point to point to just see the view point.

Huang Long Scenic Area
It is less crowded here, and do note that snow comes early due to the higher elevation here. When we were there in early November, it had started snowing. Come prepared with your jacket. However, it is advisable to try to visit this place in October, as it can get slippery along the board walk due to the snow fall.


I will update and give you the recommended hotels located nearby Jiuzhaigou in the next post.

For flight and hotel bookings, you could visit my website -
http://olevia.dreamtrips.com

NOTE - RATE SHRINKER technology which can help you to save money for all your travel bookings.

Watch the video of Jiuzhaigou, which I had posted on Youtube.

Click Below to watch the Video
Five Coloured Pond

More Videos on YouTube.
Olevia Cheong

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