Gardens by the Bay 2013

Do you remember Singapore's Gardens by the Bay? 

I wrote about them 1. here, 2. here, 3. here, 4. here, 5. here and 6. here. This was a series of posts in august 2012, right after they opened.

About a month ago I went back. During daytime and at night. To walk, for a photoshoot and for dinner and drinks.

People walking on the SkyBridge between the Super Trees.

The third sex. Transgenders in India.

In my post about elephants in Kerala I promised to come back on the topic of transgenders in India, also referred to as The Third Sex.

Ofcourse we have gay people in the Netherlands. And we have transgenders too. But not in the numbers in which I see them in the streets of India and not manifesting themselves in the way they do over there.

Transgender at Indian temple.

BoHo Gypsy

Being at home in the Netherlands these months -so no travelling- does not mean I cannot  LOOK like a Wandering BoHo Gyspy;-)!

I felt for an extravagant boho look today. Do you like it or is it too much for you?

And since we are talking about fashion now anyways, I was featured today with an interview and lots of pictures on the blog 40+style, a very popular fashion blog for women over 40. The focus of the post about me is on accessorizing.

Funnily enough I am not as much into fashion as you might think, nor do I read fashion blogs a lot. Do you? Which ones are your favorites?

#TBURTM Travel Bloggers Conference in Rotterdam

Blogging is one thing, but becoming a succesful blogger is something else. Succes in terms of page views, followers, comments or monetising your blog, it all is hard work. Good content alone won't necessary do the job. 

There's a lot to learn and consider, so I was excited to find out that there was gonna be a travel bloggers conference in Rotterdam and that I was in the Netherlands when that was scheduled. 

So I decided to attend the TBUEurope Blogging Conference at the brand-new 5 star Mainport Hotel in Rotterdam.

Exciting, but also a bit scary, since I would know absolutely nobody there. And  because I had no idea of what to expect. 

Travel Quotes

“Why do you go away? So that you can come back. So that you can see the place you came from with new eyes and extra colors. And the people there see you differently, too. Coming back to where you started is not the same as never leaving.” 
― Terry Pratchett, A Hat Full of Sky

Banff, Canada

How to make new friends while traveling (and keep your old ones)?

It seems I am not a very rooted person.

Untill I was 18 I lived with my parents in Roosendaal, the Netherlands, where I was born. 
I never felt I belonged, and felt suffocated there. As soon as I could, I left the nest.

Before I turned 40 I moved more then 15 times within the Netherlands.

Around my 40th birthday I bought my first house, in Haarlem, the Netherlands. I am still very happy to live there. It really feels like home.

My lovely house in Haarlem, the Netherlands.

Elephants in Kerala

I ended my last post with this picture of an elephant on the road in Kerala.

And I promised to tell you more about elephants in Kerala.