My Imaginary Travels

NEW RSS feed

noreply@blogger.com (Juliana RW) — Thu, 10 May 2012 16:19:00 +0000

I tried few times to fix my old rss feed but I can't. So, I decided to delete it and create a new one. Feel free to subscribe this blog new RSS feed.

Singapore

noreply@blogger.com (Juliana RW) — Fri, 04 May 2012 18:03:00 +0000

We have never stayed in Singapore before, we have been there only a couple of times during transit at Singapore's airport when we flew from Amsterdam to Jakarta. Too bad isn't it? Hubby told me that if we are going to Jakarta again, I don't know when exactly. We should take the time to spend a few days in Singapore too because there are a couple of interesting places that we should visit. Besides, some of my cousins are living in Singapore. It would be great if we could visit them too when we go there.

I was browsing about flights to singapore from Jakarta. The flight ticket Jakarta - Singapore is not too expensive. So...we should definitely go there when we visit Jakarta again someday. These are places that we would like to visit in Singapore:

♥ Underwater World, Sentosa. I heard this place is Asia's largest tropical oceanarium. This photo was taken while we were visiting Bergen aan Zee aquarium (in Noord Holland).

♥ Jurong Bird Park. Wow...this place is the largest bird park in the world. Making photos of birds is always a challenge for me. This place would be a paradise to make photos of them :D

♥ Universal Studio.

There are more interesting places to see and even more places where you can go to eat something :D When it is time for us to go there, I will spend more time browsing around to find places and things of interest.

Tips for bringing a camera on vacation

noreply@blogger.com (Juliana RW) — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 17:36:00 +0000

Now that summer is almost upon us, it's time for everyone to begin planning their vacation. Of course, this also means that we'll be seeing plenty of vacation photos being added to photography blogs all over the Internet. Photography is almost as much a part of a family vacation as road trips and sunny beaches and now that technology has enabled anybody to take and store and share as many pictures as they want photography seems to have become even more popular. While vacation photos have always been incredibly popular with people all over the world, most of these photos are taken by novices who may or may not know much about taking quality photos or even caring for a camera. The best way to learn about photography quickly is probably to take some online courses on the subject, but those who don't have the time for that should try to keep some of these helpful tips in mind.

Clear Out Your Memory Card – One of the great things about a digital camera is that you can store a number of pictures as files on a memory card indefinitely. Unfortunately, memory cards have very limited space compared to a computer hard drive. If you're planning on taking your digital camera on vacation with you, you'll want plenty of space for your vacation photos. Go through your memory card and delete or transfer any photos you have stored on it. That way, you'll be sure to have all the space you'll need for your vacation photos.
Keep Your Batteries in Good Shape – One of the dangers of taking a digital camera on a long trip is that you may not have many opportunities to recharge the battery. The best solution to this problem is to always have at least one extra fully charged battery as a back-up to your main battery. If you find you can't charge your main battery, just switch it out with one of your extras in a pinch.
Keep Your Camera Ready – This is actually great advice for any budding photographer in any situation, but it's always good to have your camera on your person and ready to take photos at all times. You'll never know when you'll see something interesting or amusing that will make for a good photo.
Don't Take Pictures of Famous Landmarks and Monuments in the Middle of the Day – We're not saying that taking a photo of a monument or landmark isn't a good idea. It's always a great idea; there's a reason why these places are landmarks. The issue is that far too many tourists snap photos of famous landmarks without taking into consideration how the photo will look with a crowd of people standing around it or with the sun shining brightly in the background. Instead of taking a picture at high noon with the rest of your tour group, return to your favorite landmark late in the afternoon or in the evening. The lighting will be softer, and there will most likely be fewer people to crowd your picture.

Sources

ConsumerReports.org (2008)
Photopoly (2011)

Next stop... Germany...

noreply@blogger.com (Juliana RW) — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 17:30:00 +0000

My hubby told me that he could take a couple of days off around Christmas this year. So, he asked me to look around for a cheap holiday around that time. These days, I allow myself about half an hour searching around for the best places where we might spend our Christmas holidays.

Yesterday, we finally made our decision: Germany. Why did we choose for Germany this time? Because it is not too far from our country. We could go there by car. What cities are we planning to visit then? That we have not decided yet. Maybe somewhere near Berlin or Frankfurt. I have been doing some homework this morning while Matthew was taking his morning nap.

In Frankfurt we could go to the Main Tower and The Senckenberg Museum of Natural History. Last time we went to the Natural History museum was in London. This photo was taken there.

There are a couple of interesting places that we could visit in Berlin as well like: the Memorial Church. As you can see, it is a very unique church. I would love to see it with my own eyes. I would also like to make photos on the East Side Gallery Berlin and then go on to Brandenburg Gate.

It is very difficult to choose between Berlin and Frankfurt :D

Tenerife

noreply@blogger.com (Juliana RW) — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 05:45:00 +0000

When we went to the city last weekend, we were walking near a traveling agency and saw this sales commercial on their wall. It said Cheapest Flights to Tenerife. I was wondering where exactly Tenerife is. My geographic knowledge is not my strong suit. So, when we got back home I turned on my laptop and started doing some research.

Tenerife is the most populous (around 906,854 people according to the 2010 data) and largest island of the seven Canary Islands. The other islands are: Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, Fuerteventura, La Palma, La Gomera and El Hierro.

I found a ouple of very interesting places to check out if we planned to go there.

I imagined walking through nature on Mount Teide national park and taking lots of photos of everything in this park. If you like to ride a horse, according to my research, then Playa de las Américas is the perfect place to go.

Of course we would bring our children with us, so...we should take them to places that are interesting for them as well like: Siam Park Water Kingdom, Royal Delfin and the Botanical Gardens Puerto de La Cruz.

If you like the beach, then here you would be at right place.

Thinking about China

noreply@blogger.com (Juliana RW) — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 16:52:00 +0000

A couple of days ago, Jason came out of school and brought a drawing. He said it was the Great Wall of China. Can you see it?? I was wondering how he could know about the Great Wall. I asked him and he said that he saw it on the television. He watched it on the National Geographic channel. When Jason's teacher saw his drawing, she told Jason a bit about the Great Wall. She went to China a few years ago.

I asked Jason, why did you draw the Great Wall ? Do you want us to go there someday? His answer was clear, he would like us to go on some China holidays someday.

Going to China is one of my dream travels since I was a little girl. I am sure we could go to China, I just don't know when exactly :D I Just finished doing some research on cities that we would like to visit when we are there.

Beijing
In Beijing we could visit Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City and the Imperial Palace, Ming Tombs Museum, the Summer Palace and the Temple of Heaven.

Xian
I would love to visit the Terracotta Army. I've only seen that in one of the Jet li movies if I remember correctly.

Shanghai
If we take the Shanghai city tour, we could visit The Bund, the Jade Budha Temple, Yuyuan Garden, Zhujiajiao Ancient Town and many other places.

Nanjing

I would really like to visit Mochou Lake Park, the Xiaoling Tomb of the Ming Dynasty, The Confucius Temple, and Dr. Sun Yat-sen's Mausoleum.

When the time comes for us to go there, I will spend more time to get detailed information about these places.

Breezand Flower's Exhibition 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Juliana RW) — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 11:19:00 +0000

Last month, we went to Breezand Flower's exhibition. This year theme was London. Almost every year since I live in the Netherlands, we went there but last year we didn't go there. I took lots of photos, the only photos that I forgot to take was me. I took photos hubby and the boys but I forgot myself, photos with the boys :((

I don't have time to share one by one in here, but you could see them on this slideshow. I hope you like my shots.

At Children Farm

noreply@blogger.com (Juliana RW) — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 19:32:00 +0000

We went to children farm in our city about three weeks ago. This was not our first time to go there. I like to go there to take shots of birds because they have lots of different colors. It is also a challenge for me to take photos of them while they were flying everywhere in their cage :D

I still have few shots, some other time I will share more ^___*

Realise Your Dream To Own A Car At cerritos infiniti

noreply@blogger.com (Juliana RW) — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 09:22:00 +0000

Many people have a dream of owning a personal car. This is not only to satisfy the need to say that you have your own car but also to cater to the rising need in transport. Most people are now opting to buy used cars as opposed to new cars from dealers like cerritos infiniti. Used cars are those cars that have been used for a few months or years then put up for sale. Such include personal cars and trucks. The increase in popularity of these vehicles is due to the fact that used cars are readily available and affordable. This shift in the demand in the automobile market has led to deterioration in business for those who sell new cars and an equal and greater increase in business for those who sell used cars like cerritos infiniti. Second hand cars have proven to be more affordable due to the constant deterioration in the economy and the consequent rise in inflation. Other than the above, it is also believed that cars prove to be more durable and of higher quality with time. However, the physical condition of the car is solely dependent on the previous owner. It should not be expected that all used cars are the same. They are all different owing to the fact that they all have different history even in terms of repair and maintenance. Anyone who intends to buy a used car should have conducted thorough research in advance on the preferred models and performance. They should also be prepared financially when they go to shop for a car depending on the average costs form dealers like cerritos infiniti. The internet has proven to be a major asset in developing the idea of used cars. This is because it is swamped with free online classifieds which host a variety of advertisements for used cars posted by many dealers like Cerritos Infiniti.

Brought to you by Infiniti of Montclair

Floriade 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Juliana RW) — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 10:17:00 +0000

We are going to Floriade next Summer. It is an international exhibition of flowers and gardening that held only every 10 years in the Netherlands. This year, Floriade event will present at Venlo city. It take around 3 hours on the way with a card from our city. That's why we are going to stay few nights in there. We booked and paid a bungalow, can't wait to go there. I hope the weather is nice and not too hot.

Clipix Boards

noreply@blogger.com (Juliana RW) — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 23:00:00 +0000

Have you ever heard about clipix? If a friend of mine, hadn't told me about this site. I would never have found out about this site. It ia a very interesting site and it's easy to use. I personally opened an account in there, but so far I didn't have much time yet to clip something to my clipix boards only one clip boards. Mostly during the weekend, I have more time working behind my laptop. So this weekend, I will clip a couple of articles from my blogs, places that I would like to travel someday, places that I have been before, my photography, my upcoming projects, and lots more. I am so excited to put everything on my clipix boards next weekend.

Clipix is available for an iPhone application so you can take your clipboards where ever you go and clip new things just by using your mobile. You can create as much clipboards as you wish. Of course you can share them on Facebook, Twitter, etc.

Feel free to visit and sign up. It is free of charge. If you do have an account there, could you give me some examples of what you put on your clipix boards. Just leave me a comment on this article. For more details about clipix, just watch this video.

Promoted Post

Turkey

noreply@blogger.com (Juliana RW) — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 17:42:00 +0000

We never went to Turkey before, it is a bit far from our country we haven't had a chance to go there yet, but it really is a country we would like to visit some day.. When I was still going to school learning the Dutch language, I had a friend who came from Turkey. She told me that almost every Summer she went back to her own country to visit her parents. I am happy for her that she can. Last time I went back to Jakarta, the city where i was born, was around four years ago.

If the opportunity presents itself, we could visit Turkey someday, I don't think it is a good idea for us to go during the Summer. Because the weather would be too hot for all of us, my oldest son can't stand high temperatures for too long. I was just browsing around for cheap turkey holidays but i sure do not wish to go in the Summer.

Places that we think are worth to visit in Turkey are: Topkapi Palace (see image), Aya Sofya, and Bodrum. Of course there are more places that we could enjoy visiting. I just don't have the time to browse around to find all of them in one day :D

Our Summer's vacation

noreply@blogger.com (Juliana RW) — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 08:59:00 +0000

Finally, after waiting SOO long for my hubby could take his holidays hours . Few days ago, we got the response from hubby's work that he could take two weeks off for next Summer. So...we are going to city Venlo. It still in the Netherlands but quite far from our city. I will tell you more about the event that we are going to visit after we booking a bungalow.

I am so excited to go there and make photos :D

Family Cruise

noreply@blogger.com (Juliana RW) — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 19:30:00 +0000

One of my dream travels is going on a cruise. I saw photos from a friend of mine who got back from her cruise vacation last Autumn. Seeing those photos made me to want to go on a cruise even more, but realize that, we really have to make sure our budget fits the prize. That's why this morning while Matthew was taking his nap, I was browsing and did a search for cruises that will fit our budget.

After looking around, I found out that the best cruise for us would be a Family Cruise. The facilities on board this cruise are mini bowling, Nintendo Wii consoles, 4D cinema, kids' pool, etc. I am sure our children will never get bored during this trip. We are not going for a cruise this Summer or even next summer next year. We will have to wait for another two or three years until Matthew is old enough to travel far away. At the moment he's only 7 months. For now, we will have to manage our financial status to make sure that when we go on a cruise, it fits our budget with some money to spare :D

My Dream Book

noreply@blogger.com (Juliana RW) — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 11:34:00 +0000

When I was a little girl, I had a dream book. My dream book was full of cutting pictures that I cut from magazines or newspapers. Mostly it was landscape pictures. I imagined myself that I was there in that pictures. Besides, landscape pictures I liked to cut pictures where lots of teenagers took a break waiting their next classes. I imagined myself that I could go to college as well. That time, it felt like impossible for me to go to college because we live because of charity from my uncle. After graduated from high school, I worked. With helped from my ex-director where I used to work. I went to college.

September 2004, I move from Asia to Europe (the Netherlands). It was a big step of my life. Now, every day I feel like I live in that landscape pictures on my dream book with two children and a husband that love me SOOO much.

The point of this post is never give up of your dream. Every thing is possible with your believe, work hard and work hard. Don't just sit and do nothing, your dream will not just come to you. Although, I don't have my dream book in reality anymore. But still, I have it in my head. I do have few countries that I would like to visit someday ^___*

Saving on medication

noreply@blogger.com (Juliana RW) — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 03:00:00 +0000

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Walgreens for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

A friend of mine called me a couple of weeks ago, complaining about everything getting more and more expensive. You even need to pay a lot more for nothing less then coughing syrup. When she started talking about coughing syrup, I shared some information that I found out about the Walgreens Prescription Savings Club with her . For only $10 per year, it will be covering everyone in your family starting from our spouse, children under 22 years of age and even our pets. For a single person, the price will be even less, only $5 per year.

There are quite a few benefits by joining this savings club, one of those is that you can save a lot of money for more than 8,000 brand medicines and every generic medication.

After she got the information , she told me that she was happy that she called me. I told her about just following them through Walgreens on Twitter or Walgreens on Facebook to get updates on all their offers. Just for your information, they are donating $1 to the Well fund Commitment Partners based on the people who just take the time to on click the 'like' button of their special Facebook page.

Van Blankendaell Park - part 3

noreply@blogger.com (Juliana RW) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 17:50:00 +0000

Part one and two

I still have few photos that I took from our last visited. This one I took on the way back to our house from our car. Not bad wasn't it. Actually, I had few more. Maybe next time, I'll share it in here.

Next photos that I would like to share, maybe can make you little bit smile :D

They were enjoy sitting under the sun shine ^___* The sun was shining but it was really cold that day.

Pimp my cube

noreply@blogger.com (Juliana RW) — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 02:00:00 +0000

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Contest Factory for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Have you ever heard about the Pimp My Cube Contest? It is a very unique and easy contest. They are looking for an unusual workplace or office or cube where you usually work. Example: You don't have a comfortable workplace, maybe it's dirty, noisy or there isn't any comfortable furniture, there is really old computer, etc. Why don't you try to enter this contest by sending a video showing your uncomfortable workplace with an explanation why it is so uncomfortable for you to work and why the Contest Factory should pimp your cube.

After your video has been received, you can ask your family, friends, coworkers or anyone you know, to vote for your video. The total prize value that you can win, is worth about $1200. There are three prize packages: A new and high performance computer system, new furniture or a new entertainment package.

It is not difficult to enter your video for the contest. You can also upload the video via your mobile phone or a webcam. But your video should be fun and have a good story, in other words your video should be unique. For moreinformation about this contest, please take a look at this video.

Don't waste your time, this contest will end at 31 January 2012.

Rent a car during vacations

noreply@blogger.com (Juliana RW) — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 14:21:00 +0000

I have been thinking, if we are going back to England again for a vacation, why don't we just hire a car while we are there. Because last time we went to London, we wasted our time waiting for some public transportation. At that time, we only had one child. Now that we have two children, going on vacation will be a bit more difficult if we have to depend on public transportation alone. I would like to share a couple photos during the time we were visiting London in 2009.

Natural History Museum

I know a site where we can hire a car and it doesn't matter where in the world we might go. This site won four awards during the years 2010 and 2011. For car hire in Canada, Australia, USA, and any place in Europe and more you can visit this site.

When we are going to visit my brother in Perth. We could just hire a car and explore many more places in Australia. Sounds like an adventure doesn't it.

Van Blankendaell Park

noreply@blogger.com (Juliana RW) — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 11:04:00 +0000

Last month, one day after Christmas we went there. It was around 30 minutes from our city. Van Blankendaell Park is smallest than the zoo but bigger than the children farm. It was beautiful day, the sun was shining but the wind was TOO cold.

They have cleanest toilet that I ever seen. Hubby asked if I made a shot of their toilet....LOL. Maybe next time, we definitely will go again someday when Matthew is bigger. So...he could enjoy seeing those animals as well.

These are some photos I took while we were there. There rest of my photos could be seen at my personal blog soon.

Things to do in the Netherlands with children - part 2

noreply@blogger.com (Juliana RW) — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 07:30:00 +0000

On part 1, I wrote about places that we went to visit since the last few years (posted not all of them yet). This time, I am going to share places that interested to visit that we are going to plan as well.

Burgers' Zoo
In here, we could see not only the biggest mangrove plants collection in Europe but there are different kind of birds and tortoise.

Dierenpark Emmen (Animals park Emmen)
The most beautiful zoo in the Netherlands.

Dierenpark Taman Indonesia (Animals park Taman Indonesia)
I was born in Jakarta - Indonesia. It is one of interested place that we would like to visit. Actually, I am curious. Too bad, the place is far from our city. So, we could not just take a day out. It will be too tiring for the children. If we plan to go there someday, we have to spend a night in that city.

Dolfinarium Hardewijk
I LOVE to take photos those dolphin when they are in action.

Ouwehands Dierenpark Rhenen
At this zoo, there is a biggest play jungle in Europe.

Safaripark Beekse Bergen
I've been go to safari park few times in my own country but never in the Netherlands. It's open only in March until Augustus. Again it is far from our city :(( We need around 2,5 hours one way to go there. According to my research, the biggest elephant in Europe lives in here.

Vogelpark Avifauna (Bird park Avifauna)
My hubby went here when he was single. I hope we could visit here too someday and take lots of birds shots :D

Things to do in Mallorca

noreply@blogger.com (Juliana RW) — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 17:46:00 +0000

A few days ago, I wrote an article about Magaluf (one of the islands near Spain). Another famous island near Spain is Mallorca. I've never been to Spain before, but my hubby ever did. I thought he went on Holidays to Majorca with his family but he was not. He never visited Mallorca either.

This beach is beautiful isn't it. I heard from people who have been there, that Mallorca has a couple of beautiful beaches, awesome landscapes and delicious food. If you are planning to go there and are looking for a place to stay, feel free to browse around for some cottage rentals here.

here is a short Majorca travel guide for places to worth to visit:
1. If we are to visit there someday, I would like to go to Monestir de Lluc. I saw some pictures through google and it challenges me to take photos.
2. Fundació Pilar i Joan Miró is an art gallery.
3. Auto Safari Park is perfect place for a family visit.

Off-Peak Travel: A Different Approach to Vacations

noreply@blogger.com (Juliana RW) — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 16:48:00 +0000

There are many different approaches to traveling, such as planes, jet charter, trains and cars, but if you want to have a truly different travel experience, consider looking into off-peak travel. This is a good way to have a great trip, save some money, and see more than the typical tourist would.

For example, many people want to go to Las Vegas for the gambling and the casinos, but may be turned off by the intense desert heat in the summer or the expensive hotels. As long as you are not still in the city for New Years, then the prices are very reasonable. The winter is very mild and all the hotels and casinos have over the top Christmas decorations.

Paris is also a very popular destination, but can often be overcrowded and expensive. Everyone wants to visit Paris in the springtime, but Paris in winter can still be a beautiful, romantic getaway for you and your loved one. As long as you don’t mind the cold, it won’t be a problem. Flights and hotels are much cheaper, and with less people, maybe you could finally get to see the Mona Lisa at the Louvre without having to climb over heaps of tourists.

This technique is also a good one to help you go somewhere you’ve always wished to visit but maybe thought was a bit too expensive. If you’re willing to be flexible with when you take your vacation, you can get some great deals on popular destinations. Also, by choosing to travel off-peak, you will often encounter less crowds, which many people find to be a big bonus.

If you know what dates you wish to travel or what part of the world you want to visit, with a bit of research you can discover the off-peak time to visit.

By being flexible with your travel dates, you could find a whole different travel experience. When you visit a city that’s overrun with tourists you may not get the true feel for it in the same way if you visit at a different time. Off-peak travel is ideal for people that wish to feel more like a local even if you’re halfway around the world. It’s also good for people that want to be adventurous, without scaling a mountain.

Last minute deals

noreply@blogger.com (Juliana RW) — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 14:07:00 +0000

The first week of the new year, hubby will get one week off from his work. But until now, we don't have any plans yet to go anywhere. Because we are not sure what the weather will be like. Last year, we had a heavy winter. We hope that this winter, we don't have too much snow. We have seen enough snow since last year ^__*

Today, I got a little bit extra free time when Matthew was taking a a nap. I took this chance by browsing through some late holiday deals. After browsing a while, I decided to stop because none of those fits our financial budget. I don't think Matthew is ready to travel too far away yet. So, another option to spend this Christmas school holiday, is to just go a day out. Now, we have a car. It will be more easy and faster for us to go somewhere not too far out from our city.

But even now, I have no idea where we will be going this Winter season?

The World

noreply@blogger.com (Juliana RW) — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 09:19:00 +0000

I just found out why some people we know, would like to go to Dubai during the wintertime next year. It is because they want to see "The World" with their own eyes. I heard a few of them already found a couple of good Deals on Dubai Holidays and they can't wait to go there next Winter. It is better to book everything for your vacation a few months ahead. So, you can get a good price :D

The World or World islands according to the Wikipedia is:

"artificial archipelago of various small islands constructed in the rough shape of a world map, located 4.0 kilometres (2.5 mi) off the coast of Dubai, United Arab Emirates."

Look, The World view from the sky.

Some more detailed information about The World - Dubai.

Oh boy, there we have another place to be added to my dream travels lists.