Che Bello, Amalfi & Capri!

There are moments in life when a place could struck you with awe and astonishment, it seemed like fantasy. The Amalfi coast and the island of Capri give you exactly that. The beauty of the coast of Amalfi (including Positano, Ravello, and Amalfi) is almost transcendental, an unbelievable place; and the island of Capri (and the connecting Anacapri) is historically known as the Roman Emperor’s private summer island, meant for royals with an exquisite charm that warrants it… after a year in memory, I am still dumbfounded .

But there comes the question from a lot of travelers -if they have to choose from the two, which one is better and/or more worthy to stay-in longer? The answer depends on your priorities and the context of your preference.

Let me put my two pennies worth at the following criteria with my respective choices based on my experiences (category – choice – reason):

• Accessibility – Amalfi Coast – easily reachable by train/road; you have to take a boat (normally from Sorrento) for Capri.
• Money – Amalfi Coast – because the coast is part of the mainland, commodities are normally priced; since Capri is an island with limited resources especially for tourists, you’d expect the goods to be priced slightly higher.
• Things to do – Amalfi Coast – Amalfi coast is a long coastline accessible by the Amalfi road which can get you around beautiful towns from Sorrento to Positano, Furore, Amalfi, Ravello, etc. Which means, you have yourself set-up for a lot of beach-bumming and exquisite old town-hopping adventures!
• Beauty & Exquisiteness – Amalfi Coast – hands down. I have the below photos to prove it 😉 Although the island of Capri has its own charm, beauty and exquisiteness -I was more dumbfounded by the towns of the Amalfi Coast, because it offered more!

Who wouldn’t take awe of this view… ahhh, Positano

The scariest road trip, Amalfi road, makes you forget of the cliff edges with its beautiful sceneries

View of Amalfi from its port

Take a breezy boat ride across the coast of Amalfi!

The devil’s cave, the white hotel, and badgley-mischka’s mansion down there!

Lovely view of Amalfi town

Walking around the towns of Amalfi, will never get you tired.

A toddler taking a break from all these travels, at Duomo di Amalfi around the piazza

South view of Amalfi coast from the high town of Ravello

But please, visiting the Island of Capri is a MUST! Although I do not suggest staying there longer than you can stay in Amalfi, mainly for the cost and the variety/extent of things to do.

Overlooking the Faraglioni rock from Augustus garden

Finding a friend at the piazetta, after a funicular ride -lucky we came in autumn or we’d take an hour to queue and ride

Nepal’s Beautiful Durbar Squares

If you like to be transcended into a totally different place, free of modernity but full of culture, Nepal is one good place for you to visit.

Nepal is a growing tourist destination apart from its Mt. Everest. The country is tucked in between mainland China and India, thus the juxtaposition of the locals’ friendly faces. There are a lot of things to do and see around the country. My lone (but very fulfilling) journey started off at its capital (Kathmandu) before I happily concluded my trip in Pokhara (with surrounding views of the Himalayas).

This writing/photo-log will focus on the 2/3 Durbar Squares in Nepal (all are UNESCO World Heritage sites) which I have visited –the Kathmandu (Basantapur) Durbar Square and Bhaktapur Durbar Square. “Durbar Square” is what they generally call the plaza or place around a palace/kingdom (several Kingdoms exist before it becomes a “unified” Nepal). It consists of amazingly old but beautiful architectures of courtyards and temples (now with added shops for tourists), accented by locals going about their daily lives.

KATHMANDU/BASANTAPUR DURBAR SQUARE. Make sure to visit Kumari Bahal, the residence of the “living goddess” a girl which shall be kept and revered as a living goddess until her first menstruation; depending on her mood she will show up briefly on the window, so I am one lucky tourist to have a 5 seconds glimpse of her – she looks to serious for a kid tho, probably because of the strong eyeliner *no pun intended.

 

BHAKTAPUR DURBAR SQUARE. I love Bhaktapur (20mins off by taxi or >10km from Kathmandu) and its Durbar Square – so full of life, culture, and it felt like I was shifted to a totally different place with its exotic or more like ethereal beauty. There are no motors or even tuc-tucs allowed inside which is absolutely not a problem for me wandering around in this place with awe on foot. 

It briefly rained in Bhaktapur while I was having my tea break at one of the rooftop restaurants with a small umbrella sheltering me. It was a sweet and peaceful moment -seeing the rain drop down to the roofs of old architectures, while you sip your tea and munch on local food, with your notebook on hand doodling poetry from what you see. It’s just pure love! 🙂