Travelogue: 3 free things to do in Bern, Switzerland

Bern , Capital of Switzerland

1. Zytglogge (Clock Tower)
This clock tower is a famous landmark in Bern, Switzerland. Every hour, there will be a performance of the clockwork figures.
Built in the early 13th century, this clock inspired Albert Einstein to discover his theory of relativity.  

Address: Zeitglockenturm, Bim Zytglogge 1, 3011 Bern
Getting there: From Bern Main Station take trams 6/7/8/9. Alternatively, walk along the main street of Bern Old Town (along where the tram tracks are) and you'll reach there in 10 minutes. It is hard to miss this clock tower while walking along Bern Old Town.

Zytglogge (Clock Tower), Bern Old Town

Zytglogge (Clock Tower)

2. Bern's Bear Park (Bärenpark)
Bern's Bear Park is a popular destination for both children and adults. The park is wheelchair & stroller friendly as it has an elevator which will take you down to the Aare River bank. Admission is free as well.

Address: Grosser Muristalden 6, 3006, Old Town, Bern
Getting there: From Bern Main Station, take Bus 12 (direction center Paul Klee) to the Bear Park. Alternatively, a stroll to the Bear Park from Bern Station takes about 15-20 minutes.
Opening hours: 8am to 5pm daily

Bern Bear Park (Bärenpark)

View from Bern Bear Park

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3. Rose Garden (Rosengarten)
The Rosengarten offers great view of Bern city. From the top of Rose Garden, you will be able to see views of the brown roofs of Bern Old Town as well as the Kornhausbrücke bridge.

Address: Alter Aargauerstalden 31B, 3006 Bern, Switzerland
Getting there: Bus 10 (Direction Ostermundigen). Or if you are visiting the Bear Park, the rose garden is a short (but steep) walk away from it.

Product Review: Bioré Marshmallow Whip Deep Clean Facial Wash

During these past few months, the weather in Singapore has been scorching hot and humid. This resulted in my skin becoming even more prone to oil production from sebaceous glands. Thankfully, Sample Store and Bioré sent me this product to try out! It is the new and improved Bioré Marshmallow Whip Deep Clean Facial Wash for Oily Skin! 

Having shiny oily skin is a common problem amongst Singaporean women. A survey done by Kao shows that Oily Skin is the 2nd Top Skin Concern (24.7%) for females in Singapore. Due to Singapore’s hot and humid weather, it naturally aggravates the skin condition as it leads to an increase in oil production from sebaceous glands. Oily skin is also associated with skin problems such as visible larger pores, black heads, acne that are also ranked amongst the top skin concerns. However, many oil-control facial cleansers worsen the skin condition as they strip of the natural oils on the skin causing dryness and hence, resulting in more oil production. With that in mind, Bioré has launched a new and improved product to the Burst of Joy Facial Foam and Marshmallow Facial Wash Range, Bioré Deep Clean to help consumers fight oily skin.

 The new Bioré Deep Clean range consists of two gentle yet purifying cleansers that can effectively cleanse the skin deeply and remove excess sebum, yet sealing in essential moisture and healthy oils to prevent dryness and hence, leaves the skin feeling moist and refreshed! Oil Control Bioré Deep Clean range helps to deeply cleanse dirt and oil from the pores and reduces extra sebum, without drying the skin. The gentle yet purifying cleanser ensures that the skin is cleansed thoroughly to help you enjoy a shine-free face all day! Improved Skin Purifying Technology (SPT) Cast away your fears of suffering from dryness after daily facial cleansing! The new and improved Skin Purifying Technology ensures that dirt and excess sebum are removed more easily and washed off more efficiently. Thus, preventing the loss of essential moisture from the skin and helping to improve skin condition, leaving the skin feeling moist and soft.

Directions for Use:
• Pump appropriate amount of foam (1-2 pumps) onto palm and massage onto wet face.
• Rinse thoroughly with water
• Avoid pumping in excessively wet conditions

Review:

As you can see from the photos above, it really foams after just one pump! Moreover, the foam is ultra fine as well, which cleanses better and gently with bubbles smaller than pore sizes. After the wash, I feel that this facial wash really removes sebum. This made my skin feel more refreshed and smooth after using! This product doesn't have any strong fragrance as well.

However, I have combination skin, so it might be a little drying for my skin. It would definitely work well for people with oily skin though!

Bioré Marshmallow Deep Clean Facial Wash is priced at $13.90

Available at all pharmacies, hyper & supermarkets, beauty stores, departmental stores and selected minimarts from 5th April 2016.

Head to Sample Store to read more reviews of Bioré Marshmallow Whip Deep Clean: https://www.samplestore.com/biore-marshmallow-whip-deep-clean-facial-wash.html

Travelogue: Bali 2015

After months of procrastinating, I finally decided to sit down and blog about my impromptu weekend trip to Bali in December 2015, the week just before Christmas.

It all began with this photo. 

A week before I posted this photo, my friend's hall mate won a trip for 2 to Vietnam by Jetstar Asia and she went on the trip with that friend. For the month of November, Jetstar was having this contest to win a pair of return Jetstar tickets for a weekend getaway by hashtagging #jetstarasia #FridayFREEFlights. The catch is that we would have to leave almost immediately (like the earliest flight to that destination). I decided to just post a photo and see how it goes. Besides, what are the chances of actually winning right?

Lo and behold, I ACTUALLY WON. 

I was speechless. Absolutely stunned. But so very excited! I immediately emailed them accordingly and they called me up. They gave me 2 of the earliest flights to choose from and so I picked the earliest one which is a 4 am flight the next day. Next, I had to make sure my friend, Ohn could make it too. So I called her up and told her I won. She was just absolutely thrilled as well! 

I immediately went to grab my luggage and started packing. While packing, I was wondering how to tell my mum. At that point in time, I didn't think she'd oppose or anything. However, I was wrong. She was rather firm on not letting me go. 

But, I had to. It was the one and only time I would get this opportunity to travel for free. Flights and accommodation for 2 roughly add up to probably about 1.5k based on last minute rates? Honestly, what are the chances of ever winning something like this again? Hence, I took a leap of faith and went for it.

Day 1 (19 Dec):

Met Ohm at the taxi stand outside CityVibe to catch a cab to Changi Airport for our flight at about 2.15am. Reached T2 at about 3 am, checked-in and went in to wait for boarding.

Even at the airport, we couldn't believe that we're actually doing this without a plan. It was the most reckless thing I've done, ever. Well, we're both 21 now. So I guess it's time to do something we've never done before (':

Product Review: Eruca 3D Volume Up, Moist & Repair, Scalp & Volume

Hello! 

Today I'm back with another product review sponsored by Sample Store and Eruca, which is the full range of Shampoo and Conditioner by Eruca. Thank you Sample Store and Eruca for sending this over! They have the prettiest packaging ever (:

Eruca is Japanese hair care brand of botanical oil infused shampoos and conditioners. Eurca utilizes 12 different types of botanical oils that provides a luxurious and thorough clean while being skin-friendly. The focus has been on seed oils, providing nature's 'silicon-like' effects but without the harmful effects of silicon itself. 

Seed oils from broccoli, cowberry, bilberry, milk thistle, etc is the hallmark of this moisturizing and shine-inducing formula, while the blend also contains other rich botanically-sourced oils such as argan, virgin prune and marula oil, which helps rejuvenate tired tresses. 

Product Review: Bioré Aqua Jelly Makeup Remover

Hello! Today I'm back with another product review sponsored by Sample Store which is the new and improved Bioré Aqua Jelly Makeup Remover!

The new Bioré Aqua Jelly Makeup Remover, with its revolutionary jelly-like texture, comes in an even smoother, lighter consistency but with the same high cleansing ability that effortlessly dissolves and lifts off more makeup in a gentle glide

It comes in a cute pink bottle with the usage directions printed on the back of the packaging as well as on the back of the bottle itself. Love the fact that it has a pump which most makeup remover do not have which makes it easier to get the products out of the bottle.

Travelogue: Mt. Rinjani (Senaru Crater Rim x Descend x Missed Flight)

"Travel is the only thing you buy, that makes you richer."

Day 4 (Senaru Crater Rim x Descend to POS 1):

When we woke up, we were greeted by the majestic view of the lake which we did not get to see the day before. 

After breakfast, we packed our bags and prepare to set off for the climb to Senaru crater rim.

 Group photo before setting off

We headed along the lake for a few minutes before climbing up. The view at every step of the way was no less than spectacular yet again.

Travelogue: Mt. Rinjani (Summit x Segara Anak Lake)

"Somewhere between the bottom of the climb and the summit is the answer to the mystery why we climb."

Day 3 (Summit x Segara Anak Lake):

Our summit climb began at 2:30am. When we were up, we could already see many flickering lights along the route up. People sure began their climb early! The summit climb was definitely the hardest part of the trek. The last part was the worse. People were right about taking 1 step forward and sliding 2 steps back. The summit seemed so near, but just like what our guide told us, don't always believe what your eyes see. Walking up the never-ending path to the summit was torturous. However, we just took our time and slowly crawled up. Manage to catch the gorgeous sunrise on the way.

Dawn breaks as we inched our way up the path to the summit.

Even when the sun was already up, we were still far away from the summit...

Travelogue: Mt. Rinjani (Transit x Sembalun Crater Rim)

"Nature, in the purest sense, is where both serenity and wilderness coexist in harmony. When we visit it, we feel both peaceful and uneasy all at once."

Still feeling the "Post-Rinjani Withdrawal Syndrome" even after being back in SG for a few days now. Miss everything about Rinjani, other than the torturous climb and aching muscles.

Well, here's my recount of the trip for future viewing!

Decided to go on this NTU ODAC public trip as my 7rek mates were signing up for it and they asked me along. Rinjani was on my list since last year after we completed our 7rek Indo recce (Read more about the previous trip here). And since the trip leaders are people I know too, so why not? 

This was a 5D4N trip with 1 day of transit from SG to Lomobok and resting one night before the start of our trek. However, it soon became a 5D5N trip... Read on to find out why.

Anyway, we went with Green Rinjani and yes their service was really good! From the accommodation before the trek to the food and tents provided during the trek, they were all excellent! We had 6 guides and approximately 25 porters for the 28 of us. The guides were extremely friendly and patient with us, accommodating to our needs and all. Really thankful to have them during our trek! 

I was all excited yet nervous all at the same time while preparing for the trip, not knowing what to expect. 

Day 1 (SG x Bali x Lombok):

Our day began at 6am at Changi Airport T2. Gathered for check-in and prepared for our flight to Bali. Flew by Tiger Air from SG to Bali, which took approximately 2.5hrs. 

First stop: Bali International/Domestic Airport. Made our way from the international arrival hall to the domestic departure hall, with plenty of time to kill. So we went around looking for lunch before checking-in for our domestic flight to Lombok.

View from domestic departure hall

 If you look closely, you can actually see the blue seas behind the runway.

 Second experience on a propeller plane

So our domestic flight was by Wings Air and it was a propeller plane! There wasn't much ventilation in the plane before take-off cause the air conditioning wasn't turned on. It felt like we were in a sauna x.x Thank goodness it was only a 30min flight.

Felt like ages before the plane finally took off.

 Bird's eye view of Bali