Manarola, Cinque terre

The Cinque Terre ( Five Lands) is a part of the coastline of the Italian region Liguria that includes five villages: Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Monterosso and Vernazza.

The coastline and the hillside has been a natural reserve since1997 to preserve this reign made of wild scents, and they are part of the UNESCO world heritage list.

There is not much to do in the villages except to sit back and enjoy the beauty around you. You can actually trek and explore all the 5 villages as they are connected along the coast., Sentiero Azzurro ("Azure Trail"), connects the five villages. This treks runs along the coastline and offers a fantastic views all throughout.

If you prefer mechanical means,  Cinque Terre trains connect the La Spezia train station to all five towns. Unlimited day passes are available , and the trip from one village to another is five minutes or less. Manarola train station is on the cliff overlooking the sea and here you would never mind waiting for a train :)

We are sure that all the towns are charming in their own right but we can attest to Manarola's picturesque beauty and the mesmerizing sunset. We actually sat down for a good 3 hours and watched the sunset and the colours change till late night. The views captivate you and the time flies by. We almost missed our dinner, a trade off we were willing to make. The view was spell binding and it was not difficult to forget everything else. 

We did manage to get a pretty good meal in the end though. There are many restaurants lining the street as you walk towards the coast, with a few sea facing ones as well. Picture this, sound of waves crashing against the coast in the distance, comforting breeze caressing you, table by the side of road sloping and curving on its way up the hill, flanked by traditional colourful houses - dimly light by the moon and the night lamps and an delicious meal on the table. If this does not relaxes you down to your bones then nothing will.

We would strongly recommend a walk in the morning; with far less crowd on the street the place presents itself in a different light. For breakfast, the cafes serve freshly baked croissants,breads and of course  coffee (after our travels I can safely say that Italians make the best coffee).

Also, don't miss a Gelateria right opposite to the station and a take away shop Pan &Pumate which serves amazing focaccia. 

  

There isn’t any sandy beach here but that does not mean there is nothing to do - there is sea after all. You can go for a swim or jump off the cliff into the water. This in addition to delicious meals, picturesque treks and mesmerizing vistas.

Nestled cozily between sea and mountains, it is a place which offers escape from the frantic pace of our daily lives and cradles us to a state of mental relaxation that is so rare and precious.

   

How to reach- Nearest airport is Pisa and you can then take a train from Pisa to La spezia and from there to Manarola.Its around 45 min by train from Pisa . The train network is really well connected.

Where to stay- Its best if you stay in one of the villages. The prices are steeper in comparison to La Spezia but you will find the stay here worth it. We stayed at Giovanni Rooms.

The view was pretty amazing from our room and it was right in the center of the village.

Ponta da piedade!

The Ponta da Piedade is possibly the most beautiful natural feature of the Algarve coastline.The shoreline is carved by the greatest artists of all.It's our kind of wonderland where water has mesmerizing shades of blue and green which play around all the time with sandstone cliffs,where we jump every time we see a hidden grotto ,caves or an isolated beach.

The views this place offers are simply stunning and can truly keep you immersed for hours. There are different vantage points to look at the stunning scenery.

Views aside, what surprised and impressed me the most is the uninterrupted, undiluted, unbridled experience this place offers. I was not accosted by a vendor trying to sell me stuff; nor did a tour operator approach me repeatedly for a package. Even your walk to the very edge of the cliff is not monitored or restricted by some authorities. You are with the nature along with fellow travellers, that is it. Must visit!!!

  

Albuferia !

The name Albufeira is of Arabic origin: "Al-buhera" means in fact "the Sea Castle". In town there was once, therefore, a castle - and it’s possible that the entire town was once walled.
The architecture of the region is an eclectic mix of typical Portuguese Algarvean pale white and tiled residential homes, along narrow streets.

Despite the modern achievements and the millions of tourists that visit every year, Albufeira has maintained its Moorish feel and is still the fisherman's village it has always been.

Old Town-
 Old town is more relaxed and has a lovely central square decorated with trees and colourful shrubs surrounded by street cafés and restaurants for a quiet meal.The rustic feel is still there in spite of the modern bars and restaurants.It gets quite lively by evening with street performances.There are lot of restaurants with live music and karaoke. A glimpse of the nightlife can be seen here.

If you are looking for lively nightlife and bars and clubs that are open nearly 24 hours a day then you probably want to stay in the Areias de São João area, home to "the strip" (Avenida Dr Francisco Sà Carneiro), or nearby Montechoro both of which are about 2kms from Albufeira old town.

Beaches-
There are two main beaches in Albufeira itself - "Fishermans beach" (Praia dos Pescadores) is overlooked by a variety of restaurants and there is always the tempting aroma of barbecued fish in the air. Here it's possible to walk straight onto the beach without the need for steps. Adjoining Fishermans beach is Albufeira beach (Praia do Túnel).
We sat for hours everyday on the rocks admiring the beautiful sea whilst soaking the sun.

 

 

Food-
There are hundreds of restaurants to choose from.Albufeira is famous for its seafood.Loads of sea facing restaurants which serve some mouth watering sea food with amazing views.Other than that there are a bunch of Indian,Spanish and Italian places.

How to reach-
The nearest airport is Faro.We took a flight from London to Faro.There are buses running every 30 min from the airport to Faro city center from where you can take a bus or cab to Albufeira.It takes 45 min by bus from Faro city center to Albufeira.
The other option is to land at Lisbon and take a bus from there.Buses(Eva buses) run quite frequently and it's quite easy to book tickets.It takes about 3 hrs by road from Lisbon to Albufiera .You can also hire a car and drive.The drive is beautiful .

Pattaya!!

Pattaya is one of the most frequented place by tourists to Thailand. Much like other places in Thailand, Pattaya offers you shopping, beautiful islands and fair share of risque-entertainment options.

Our visit to Thailand this year started with a visit to Pattaya. We took a taxi straight from Bangkok airport. Pattaya is a  2 hrs drive from Bangkok.Taxis are available from the airport. They charge 1500 Bhat, which is not a bad deal given the comfort of the ride. Other option is to take a bus to Mochit and then take the taxi from there to Pattaya. 

There are a lot of attractions in Pattaya like Mini Siam,Floating market,Coral island,Ripley's believe it or not museum and the famous walking street

Our visit to Pattaya started with tour of Coral Island.

Coral Island Tour
 There are many options available for the Coral Island tour. We booked a tour to Coral island which included pick up and drop to the hotel,transfer by boat to the island and an Indian lunch,excluding the water sports.

Pattaya Beach

All set for the beach!!

It takes around 45 min by the speed boat to reach Koh Larn commonly known as Coral island.The first stop  was for para sailing,for 400 bhat they take you for a big round.

Para sailing.

 The next stop was for sea bed walking,where you are taken to the bed of the sea some 10 feet down with a device similar to self-contained underwater breathing apparatus(SCUBA). You are supposed to feed the fishes with food so you would be surrounded by fishes when they see the food in your hand. It can be enjoyed even by those who do not know how to swim.This was for 1200 Baht per person.

Once these activities are done you head straight to the crystal clear waters of Coral Island It was a bright and sunny day and we enjoyed  swimming,sunbathing and clicking pictures. 

Our half day tour culminated with a sumptuous meal which was part of the package. We headed back to our hotels for a nap to recharge our batteries. 

Recommended: Spare at least half a day to stroll the streets of Pattaya. The beach side roads are picturesque and lively. 

Along the beach

In the evening we headed out to the street with no specific plans. No matter how much research you do,there are  always a few things which you have to explore on your own. The walk along the lively beach side road were loads of fun. 

Sunset at Pattaya beach

There are a lot of cafes and restaurants along the beach. The one which caught our attention was Au Bon Pain.The interiors seemed  classy.They have outdoor and indoor sitting overlooking the sea.We enjoyed  our coffees ( Caramel mocha ),brownie , some sandwiches and  salads.

We loved the ambiance,the coffee and the food. The food is reasonably priced.Coffee are priced from 100-150 Baht and the sandwiches from 150-200 baht  You can make your own sandwiches too.We got a veg sandwich made for ourselves.Impressed with the place,we decided to come here again for breakfast the next day too.

Bagel with egg and veg sandwich

Au bon pain

With our tummies happy and energy meter showing full ,we shopped as we walked down the road.The next stop was Central festival. 3 years back when I² had visited Pattaya she had seen a fish spa in the mall,so we just hoped it still existed as we walked towards the mall.

Well as you can see in the picture the spa was still there and we indulged in some well deserved  fish therapy.The Fish spa is always fun,priced at 250 baht for a couple for 45 min.

The mall is huge and houses a lot of  international brands.We explored the mall,did some shopping and then it was time for dinner.The top floor has the restaurants.There are very few in fact almost no options for veggies.We had our dinner at this Italian place.The pizza was nice authentic wood fired pizza with some garlic breads.

Our only vegetarian Option!!!

The Night life-

If you are on the streets through the evening you can see the transformation of the place into  what it is so famous for ;). All roads now lead to the Walking street.
The walking street is just next to the south end of the  Pattaya beach.It has around 100 beer bars,30 go-go bars,discos,cabaret shows etc.The street is free form vehicles from 6.00 PM to 2.00 AM. You have to see for yourself the traffic outside the street at midnight.

The Famous Walking Street 

The place buzzes with energy in the night.Open Bars with pole dancers to live sex shows,everything happens here.There is Police to handle any sort of mishap .You have to be a bit careful if you want to enter a bar,do a little research.

TIP: If you are escorted to these places by the guys who are on the street luring you in, you might end up paying extra.  

The best thing to do after walking for hours together is to take a relaxing Thai foot massage. You would have ample options to take one. The services range from Foot, shoulder and full body massage. The good part is that these places are open till 1 AM. We had to wait for 15 min for the massage as the massage parlor was full 11 in the night :).

TIPs: 
1. Give yourself ample time to sample all that Pattaya has to offer. It is unfair to the place to come here only for the beach or the fun at walking street. Spend a day and do it all.

2. You can travel from Pattaya to Bangkok through a taxi or bus. Buses run on these routes at intervals of 90 minutes,  so make sure you reach the bus stand accordingly. Also,book you tickets in advance or you risk waiting a long time for the next available seat.

3. Bangkok traffic is notorious. Best thing to do is to reach the outskirts of Bangkok where you can get a Skytrain. Ditch the road and you can reach the heart of Bangkok faster.
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