Author: adambronstein520

I’m in Bali… Get me out of here!

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Soon after arriving in Ubud it started to rain quite heavily. So all I had time for was a quick stroll around to get my bearings. Early the next morning I headed to the Monkey forest. Both inside and on the road nearby are hundreds of monkeys. Inside there is some temples and a nice little path around the site. It was great to see, but be careful with your stuff. I managed to get one of my water bottles stolen by one of the little monkeys. After this I decided to follow the nature trail which goes through some of the rice fields nearby. This is a nice little hike with some great views.

The next day I headed to the Elephant temple. This famous site is quite interesting to walk around and you can also get a guide to learn more about the site. Nearby there is a waterfall, which you can walk down to and get some great views. There is also a restaurant, with a view of the falls. The rest of day was spent visiting the museums in town. There is the blanco museum and ARMA; both have small exhibits of Balinese art. In the latter you can also kids learning traditional dancing, but you have to go at the right time of day.

I enjoyed my short time in Ubud, but would have liked to spend more time exploring some of the other tourist hotspots on the island. Bali has lots of culture, with Hindu temples everywhere, and the people are very strong in their beliefs. As I was there when the volcano was erupting a little, this did have an impact on how much I could enjoy my time here. Instead, some time was spent worrying about what I would do, especially if my flight was cancelled. Luckily for me the airport reopened, the day before my flight was due to leave. 

Just Jakarta

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My first day in Jakarta was spent in the old town of Kota. Here I discovered the Dutch colonial history of the city. With various museums and some houses still in their old style. I also walked around the Chinatown nearby, along with some of the temples in the area. The highlight definitely being cafe Batavia, which serves traditional Dutch food. Although a little on the expensive side! I then headed to Ancol, where there is a beach and water park. To gain access to any of the site you need to pay entry. It was already getting late in day, so I decided not to enter. In the evening I checked out the local shopping centre, the grand Indonesia.

On my next day I headed into the center to visit the sights there. First I went to the National monument in the centre of the park. Underneath the monument is a a small exhibition explaining some of the history of Indonesia. You can then take the elevator to the top of the monument to get a view of Jakarta. This was nice to do and gave some great views over the city. Nearby the park is the national museum, with artefacts and more history of the country. After this I headed to the national Mosque. Here, guests are allowed to enter upstairs and view the room below. It was fascinating to see and the Mosque itself was very grand. Opposite the mosque is a church, which is also worth a visit.

Unfortunately, I felt there wasn’t a lot of sightseeing to do in Jakarta. The city itself also isn’t that nice to view with run down buildings and traffic everywhere. However, the little sites I saw were interesting and taught me a lot about the country. Also, the Six Degrees in hostel is a great place to hang out and meet fellow backpackers. With a cinema room, pool table and even Mario Kart!

Singing praises for Singapore

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When I got to Singapore, the first place I visited was the Mosque. It was really beautiful to look at and there were lots of helpful guides inside. They were happy to answer any questions, so I felt very welcomed. I then headed to the National museum, where you can learn about the history of Singapore. I did a guided tour and discovered a lot about the little country. You can easily spend a few hours in this impressive museum, especially with the interactive exhibit they had going on. Afterwards I headed to the Battle box, this is an underground bunker where the allies coordinated the battle in Singapore. This can only be visited on a guided tour, but it is fantastic to go round and learn even more of the history of Singapore.

After a busy day learning, I decided to spend the evening exploring the bay. Here, you cannot miss the Marina Sands Bay hotel, with its iconic building. Three towers, with a boat on top, really impressive to see! I walked all around the bay and visited the area known as Gardens by the bay. This has amazing artificial trees that are lit up  in the evening. They make a real impression. Nearby is also the two garden domes. Together the whole place shows how much Singapore appreciates plants and wildlife. They really do have plants everywhere, even on the boat of the hotel. I finished my evening by watching the light show which is on every evening by the bay. A fantastic spectacle of lights and colours.

On my second day I thought I would check out Sentosa. This an island attached to Singapore, which I had heard had great beaches. I thought I would spend the morning here, and then go on to explore elsewhere. However, what I discovered on the state of fun kept me occupied for the whole day. Apart from the beautiful manmade beaches and seaviews, there is a whole resort full of activities. From zipwiring to Universal Studios, indoor skydiving to cable cars and all the fun in between. On Sentosa you can also visit the Southern most point of continental South East Asia, as well as do plenty of walking trails. Finally there is Fort Siloso, free to access, with lots more to discover about the history. Nearby the metro station for Sentosa is the mount faber park. Here, you can walk up to the top to see great views of the city.

I had received lots of recommendations to visit the Zoo in Singapore. I usually feel that in most cities, there are more interesting things to, however I decided to try it out. I spent the whole day there, going round all the different exhibits and seeing the shows. I have to admit it was worth doing, and I was especially taken back by the elephant show and the Polar Bear. Apart from the main zoo, they also have some other animal exhibitons. One being the night safari, which opens soon after the zoo closes. Here you can take a safari ride round the park and see animals at night. There is also a fantastic show, displaying some nocturnal animals. This was definitely worth doing and is something I haven’t really seen elsewhere.

On my final day I headed back to the Gardens by the bay. On my first trip I just walked around the attractions and now I was going to inside. Firstly I did the skywalk, amongst the manmade trees. This was fun to do and you get some views of the bay and the Marina bay hotel. I then headed to the flower dome and cloud forest. The flower dome is a great space, with plants from all over the world. Really nice to walk around and admire nature’s beauty. The cloud forest has a massive waterfall as you enter, which you then proceed to go up the top of. On the way back down again you see more plants and also some exhibits on conservation. It was again very serene and beautiful.

I don’t think I can put into words what is so great about Singapore. It is everything a modern city should be, with lots of nature but also modern technology. Both skyscrapers and trees stand side by side. It is also very proud of its rich history and has a lot of culture to explore. A fantastic place, which I can’t wait to return to. 

The 9 Kings of Kuala Lumpur

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So on my first day I decided to venture to the edge of the city to find the Batu caves. After alighting from my train the first thing I noticed was the sheer amount of wild monkeys freely roaming the area. It was awesome to see, and there were even more of them as I headed towards the cave. The cave itself had a steep set of stairs to climb to reach the top. Here you will find a few caves and then a temple. This by itself is pretty astonishing, but there was even more. The opportunity to go inside the dark cave system on a guided tour. This cost a small fee, but it was totally worth it.

After venturing around the caves I headed back into the centre. I visited the National museum of Malaysia, which tells some of the history of the country. I then walked around the main park. Inside the park there are lots of attractions such as a bird park, butterfly park and a planetarium. However, I didn’t go into these, instead I entered the Islamic museum. This was mainly due to the ferocious rainfall that was about to come. Whilst going around the museum I realised I had got inside just in time and waited out the storm inside. The museum itself is great to see with lots of different exhibits, including models of famous mosques. I ended the day with a visit to the main mosque in Kuala Lumpur, which was interesting to see.

The next day I decided to visit the famous Petronas towers, and the kl tower. The petronas towers were at one point the tallest in the world, but have since been overtaken various times. Still as twin towers connected with a sky bridge they are very iconic and well worth a visit. Unfortunately the price to go up is expensive and you only have a limited time to view. So, you might just be better off taking pictures from the outside. Underneath the towers is a vast mall and there is a park behind, so you can easily spend a few hours here. I decided to not go up the kl tower as well, but instead took pictures outside. I also took some time exploring the KLCC park in front of it. This was a great park to visit with a scenic hanging bridges route. I finished my day visiting chinatown and little india. Both nice areas to walk around.

Having seen a lot of the key sites in the centre I decided to try out some the free walking tours the city had to offer. I headed to the city gallery, where the “I love KL” sign is, and joined the heritage tour. This takes you round the colonial part of the city, and explains some of the history of the buildings and the city. I found it fascinating to learn about the British history of the city. And was astonished to discover about the fact that Malaysia actually has 9 kings, one for each state. We also got to go inside some buildings, which are not usually open to the general public. The second tour I did was a night tour of the markets. Here we learnt a little bit about the history, but more of the focus was on trying different street foods. All of this was completely free, which as you can imagine I thoroughly enjoyed.

Overall I think Kuala lumpur is a great city and is very accessible to tourists. There was an expo going on and I saw a lot about how the city plans to develop in the future as well. I definitely think the Batu caves were my highlight, but all the other sights mentioned will not disappoint. 

Brunei – The abode of peace

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Well what can I say, the key is in the title. Brunei Darussalam, the full name of the country literally translates to the abode of peace. And the country definitely lives up to the name. The place is definitely, peaceful, clean and tourist friendly. The streets are litter free and the gardens are so well kept, you can see the people take true pride in their country. Not to mention how friendly most people you meet are, with most speaking English quite well.

The first day I spent exploring the centre of Bandar Seri Begawan, seeing the main mosque and the surroundings. They were a great sight to see, and as I have mentioned the gardens and fountains around it were all magnificent. I then visited the museum of the royal Regalia. Where unfortunately you cannot take pictures, and have to take your shoes off. This was worth seeing, but I didn’t spend too much time there. There is also a Chinese temple, but after being to China, this wasn’t really that impressive.

I decided to spend the afternoon visiting the Tasek Lama park, just outside the centre. There is supposed to be a waterfall here, but I didn’t get a chance to see this. Instead I did a long hike up to one of the highest points in the city. Some friendly locals, offered to show me the way and I decided to tag along. I quite enjoyed this and saw some great views of the city from the top, but it wasn’t an easy hike. After my hike, I was very ready for dinner. I decided to try the sushi restaurant, Kaizen, since it is highly rated. I must say the reviews are totally spot on and I recommend trying this place out for dinner.

On my second day I decided to check out the museum’s on offer. I visited the maritime museum, malay technology museum and the history museum. All of these are quite small museums that do not take long to go around. There are some nice exhibits, but I personally think there are better things to do In Brunei. Due to most of the day being a wash out, I didn’t really get a chance to do much else after the museums.

On my final day I still had quite a lot of sightseeing to do. I visited the palace and the park nearby. You can’t go into the palace, but you can see parts of it from the park. The park also has some old vehicles on display, which are worth a look. After the palace I still wanted to visit the water village. To get here you need to take a water taxi. You can either hire one to take you around it and show you from the boat, or they can take you to the tourist centre there. I paid to go around it, so that I could go the mangroves as well. Here you can see monkeys and other wildlife. The cruise is really great to do and I loved seeing the wildlife. Finally in the evening I went to peruse the gadong night market. This is a food market, which you can get a bus to from the city. It is worth a visit, but it isn’t very big.

For a place that is off the beaten track, I was surprised by how peaceful and friendly Brunei was. I must say that I was taken away by some of the sights in the city. However, it is quite small and there wasn’t much to do after a few days here. I think if they can increase the amount of tourist sites, they can easily become one of the top destinations to visit.

The Beauty of Bohol

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I arrived in Bohol late in the evening. Since my accommodation was nearby the port of Tagbilaran city, I walked from the boat. I spent the next day exploring the tiny city. People seemed to be very surprised to see a tourist on foot, and not using the tricycle taxis to get around. However, the whole city is very small and you can easily walk around the centre. Albeit, there isn’t much to do in the city itself. There is a small museum, which takes all of 5 minutes to go around. Then there is a church, a tiny park and of course some malls. I would not advise spending much time in the city, instead get out and see the island.

Tours can be done of the island in various ways. You can hire a scooter, or car and drive round by yourself, the cheaper option. Alternatively, you can pay a driver to take you around, this is slightly more expensive, but still cheap for everything that is included. The true Beauty that is Bohol can be seen as soon as you get out of the city. The natural scenery and wildlife are magnificent to see. For wildlife, you have the butterfly and tarsier sanctuaries, both of which are worth a visit. For nature, there is the man made forest, and of course the famous chocolate hills. The hills are spectacular and were definitely one of my highlights of the Philippines. The floating restaurant is also well worth doing, with a buffet and a cruise around the Loboc river. Although, be careful of the tourist trap of visiting a local tribe halfway through the cruise. They will expect tips for every photo you have with them.

The two old churches can be done as part of the tour, but they are also quite near the city, so they could be done separately. Both have centuries worth of history, but have been rebuilt after the earthquake a few years ago. After visiting all the main tourist sights, I decided the only other place worth visiting is the beach. Panglao, the island attached to Bohol by several bridges, is famous for being a great beach destination. After speaking to others in my hostel, I decided it wasn’t worth going to the famous Alona beach, since it is just like every other tourist beach. Instead I headed to the one nearest to Bohol, the Bikini Beach. I must say that I wasn’t impressed with this beach at all, but the Pearl resort was a nice place to sit, eat and enjoy the view of the sea from.

Overall I really enjoyed my time on Bohol. However, I would say there isn’t much to do beyond beaches and the few sights mentioned. All of the sights, can easily be done in a day, so your remaining days will be spent by the beach. Hence, I would only really spend a few days here. The chocolate hills are definitely worth going to see, as together with the rest of the spectacular scenery they make up the true Beauty of Bohol.  

On Tops of Cebu

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Before arriving in Cebu, I had heard mixed reviews about the island. A lot of what I had read before said that I should spend less time here, and more on Bohol. So I only planned to stay 2 nights. However, after having many discussions with people, there was supposedly a lot more to do on Cebu. As I only had a short time, I decided to dedicate my time to Cebu city. The time I had was plenty to explore the “Queen city of the South”. Although, with more time it would have been nice to explore the whole island.

I arrived in the afternoon and therefore had the evening to explore the centre. I headed in, and decided to visit Fort San Pedro. Definitely worth having a walk around this place, and learning about its history. Not to mention how picturesque the whole place is. In front of it is a nice park as well, so it was a very tranquil spot to spend some time. There are other sights in the center, but I didn’t have time to fit them in that evening.

There are lots of places listed to do on a sightseeing tour of Cebu city. So much so that I had planned to spend the whole day visiting them. Instead I managed to visit them all in a few hours. The cross, and two churches are worth seeing, but aren’t that spectacular. Instead, I would recommend visiting the old houses that have been turned into museums. Both the Yap Sandiego house, and Casa Gorordo were spectacular to see. The houses show the true history of how people used to live on the island. Casa Gorordo also provide a tour, included in the admission price, giving you the chance to learn even more about the history.

After completing all the main sites in the center, I had plenty of time to do something a bit further out. I decided to visit the Tops, as I had heard it had great views of the city. Since there is no easy to way to get there I had to pay a taxi to wait for me, but it was totally worth the price. I stayed up there for a few hours chatting to people and taking in the views. I waited for sunset especially, which was spectacular. When visiting I recommend going just before sunset, so you can see the city before and after.

Since I had managed to do a lot of the main sightseeing the first day, I spent the second day in the malls. Just like Manila, malls are definitely a part of the things to do in the city. Overall I enjoyed my time here and loved the views from the Tops. But I wouldn’t recommend spending more than a day or two in the city.

Malls of Manila

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One of the first things I was told upon arrival to Manila was that there are a lot of malls and it is not so special. And after staying here for 3 days, I agree, only with the former though. There are a lot of malls and when talking to people, that is what they recommend doing. However, there is more to this coastal capital than malls and those are what make it special.

Firstly, there is history and lots of it. The intramuros (literally in the walls) is the old Manila. It is surrounded by a wall which locks in centuries of colonial history. It was owned by Spain, America, and even the British for a short time. One of the churches has even lasted over 400 years, even when the whole city was bombed towards the end of WW2. So, it was nice to spend a day discovering these old buildings, and the museums made to remember them.


Next, there is culture, it is obvious straight away how proud Filipinos are of their independence. After being ruled for so long by different colonial powers, they have done a lot to commemorate their hero Jose Rizal. The central park is named after him, and it is a really nice park to walk around. It has a beautiful Chinese and Japanese garden inside. Furthermore, there is a museum dedicated to him in Fort Santiago. Very interesting to take a look at. Other icons of course include the jeepneys, the long jeeps used to get around.


Finally there is modernisation. Of course this includes the malls, which i would definitely recommend at least going round one. They are great for restaurants, shopping and entertainment, all of which are relatively cheap. I went to the cinema for only £3. Furthermore there are lots of other attractions like star city and the manila ocean park. The ocean park is a great place to spend the day seeing lots of animals and watching shows. I thoroughly recommend sticking around for the night show. It was quite the spectacle.


So Manila is definitely a place to visit when in the Philippines. More than just malls! The city has modernised, whilst still holding on to it’s heritage. This is what makes it special. Although the rich and poor divide is still quite evident. Hopefully this will change in years to come, making it even more tourist friendly.

Surprise surprise

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I never really like the saying “Ignorance is bliss”. I think that knowledge is so important, and wish I had the capacity to know everything about everything. The more I learnt about the world the more awesome it became. The secret hidden levels that we all work at, but just can’t comprehend, are just so impossible that it makes me awe in wonder. However Saturday I found a reason for this saying in my life. The one time where I was happy that I wasn’t in the know.

SURPRISE!!!

After returning home for what I thought was my aunty and uncle coming round, I soon noticed the sheer amount of people in my garden. I started to cycle through the emotions. First I was confused; I was trying to put the jigsaw pieces together, but for some reason they just wouldn’t fit. Then elation arrived, I was so happy to see everyone. So happy to see all the amazing people in my life who care about me. The smile came across my face, so big I felt like I was faking it. There was “no way” a person can be that happy. Then finally my favourite bit of all, the complete and utter lost for words. I had no words to put together to possibly describe this moment. That was what made it so perfect.

Make a speech

That’s what I hear being heckled from the crowd. I’m not very good at making spontaneous speeches; I just come up with random words that don’t seem to make sense. Being speechless from the surprise also didn’t help. All I remember was thanking everyone for coming and then the rest being nonsensical. I do also recall someone making a comment about what had I learnt from those 4 years. Well a computer science degree taught me how to sit behind a computer. However the experience of university has taught me a lot me than just what I learnt in my lectures. It would take years to explain.

After getting over the initial shock, I found myself looking back over the past few days. There were so many clues which I realised I should have noticed. That doesn’t even include the cars that I should have recognised on the day. I mean there was one familiar car, but still the pieces just didn’t slot in. Never had I imagined that people would put in such an effort just to surprise me. To be proud of my achievements with me. So who cares that I wasn’t clever enough to put the clues together.

Do you know what I love most about surprises?

It is those facial expressions that I went through as I slowly started to figure it out. I love watching it on someone else, but experiencing it was just fantastic. I thought the last day of university was emotional for me, trying to look back and work out where the 4 years had gone. This went beyond that. It is these highs in life that I look forward to. The days that remind me that all the materialistic things don’t really matter. That’s the end of my speech, so all that is left is to show my eternal gratitude. Well at least attempt to.

So thank you

Thank you to everyone who came, and to those that couldn’t. Thank you to everyone who helped put it together. Thank you to everyone who managed to keep it a secret from me. Thank you for all the presents and cards. Thank you to mum for putting in all the hard work. Thank you all for just making me feel so loved. And remember that friends and family are not important things. They are everything!

Degree := Complete;

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The past 4 years have all been leading up to this moment. About 30 exams and who knows how many assignments have been completed. Hundreds of hours spent in lectures pretending to make notes. And now it’s just over. It’s one of those moments in life where you think you should know how to feel, or everyone tells you how to feel, or even the movies have told you how to feel, but you just can’t put your finger on it. Emotion comes at you from every direction, and your brain desperately tries to comprehend. Unless of course, you have the emotional range of a teaspoon.

What are those feelings?

Well for starters I feel a bit nauseated, but that’s probably stress related. Obviously I feel on top of the world, knowing that my degree is complete. Every time I think about it I can’t help but smile, and I will probably be like this most of the summer, just enjoying that feeling of completeness. I feel sad about all the things I will miss. The list would go on forever. I feel jealous, bet you didn’t see that one coming, of all the people just starting out or even carrying on. I wish I could just tell them to make the most of every last second. I feel excited and nervous for the future that is to come. I just hope it doesn’t come too soon.

Who have I met?

I have met computer scientists, engineers, musicians, physicists, geophysicists, historians, mathematicians, chemists, biologists, linguists, nurses, doctors, psychologists, and whatever you call people who study law or English. I’m sure that list doesn’t even cover all the students, and then there is everyone else. These include lecturers, a rabbi and his family, and so many more. They were all different shapes, colours, races, religions, cultures, nationalities, genders, ages, and they were all awesome. Okay maybe not some of the lecturers 😛

What have I done?

Well the first answer to that question is I don’t remember. No, not because I was drunk, I rarely drink alcohol, but because the whole thing just seems like a bit of a dream now that it’s over. I mean I attended lectures, went out with societies and saw friends whenever possible, oh yeah and got some work done at some point. However now it just seems to have all blurred into one. In my course I made an app that can recognise people’s faces and made a computer program that could play poker, albeit not very well. Outside of that I watched a lot of tv, cut myself a few times (once while washing up a fork) and only managed to start a fire once when cooking!

What have I learnt?

Well obviously computer science stuff, lots of which I have probably forgotten by now, but I achieved the main aim of learning more about how computers work. I joined the magic society, so guess, what I know some magic tricks. I learnt how to play poker a bit better, through lots of practice.  I also learnt how to live independently, which apparently involves more than just learning how not to set fire to stuff. I learnt a lot about other subjects too, but mostly I would say I learnt about myself.  I learnt a lot more about how I think and see the world, and to be even less afraid of being myself. This blog is proof of that. Finally I learnt how grateful I am for everything I have and to try and show that gratitude wherever possible. So on that note, I just want to say thank you to everyone who has helped me get here, especially my family and close friends. Remember that there is always something to be grateful for, however little we have.