• girl tourist smile trastevere cobbled stone rome italy summer agirlnamedclara
    Travel

    Trastevere, a Hidden Gem in Rome

    I’m sorry that recently I only update this blog once every two weeks. I don’t have the mood to share travel stories when many people are tired of the lockdown (like me) or facing financial problems. But! I realized that I feel happy when I recall summer trips when the sun shines so bright and the air feels light. Therefore, this week I want to share with you my lovely experience in Trastevere, a hidden gem in Rome, Italy. Finding Trastevere, a Hidden Gem in Rome I reached Rome in the afternoon and had a quick lunch at the airport (something that I regret). By the time I put my…

  • girl smile gabriella cruise deck stockholm to finland sea background agirlnamedclara
    Travel

    M/S Gabriella – What Overnight on a Cruise Feels Like

    Now that we have new hopes that the Covid-19 vaccines might be rolled out in November, December or Q1 2021, we can continue our travel dream. It’s not that I’ve stopped dreaming, but I had no mood (and inspiration) to write about my travel experience seeing the cases are increasing. This week, let me share with you my experience boarding a cruise when in Europe. We’ll be boarding M/S Gabriella, a cruise ship that departs from Stockholm, Sweden to Helsinki, Finland. My Room and My Favourite Spot on the Gabriella Cruise I love travelling but I never dreamt of boarding a cruise. Luckily, I was able to have the experience…

  • Putumayo CD collection CMCO music playlist agirlnamedclara
    Life,  Travel

    Clara’s CMCO Essentials – Try It!

    I thought I had my life back. I went to the gym regularly, started to adapt to the new office, planned my next revenge trips then BOOM! CMCO is back. If you’re living in Malaysia, I’m sure you feel the same. So, in this week’s blog post, I’m gonna share with you what calms me down and makes me happy. Here are my CMCO essentials: The CMCO Playlist to Destress – Putumayo My #1 playlist that I recommend to destress when drinking or taking a break is Putumayo. If you love travelling, this playlist will take you around the world with its world music, living up to the tagline “Celebrate…

  • Disco Ayala La Cueva Trinidad Cuba clubbing group of travelers diversity agirlnamedclara
    Travel

    Clubbing in Cuba: Disco Ayala, Trinidad

    I love dancing but seldom go clubbing (can’t stand the smoke!) in Malaysia. However, whenever I travel, I always visit popular bars to experience the nightlife in different cities. So, of course, I was very excited when I found out about Disco Ayala aka La Cueva, a dance club built into a natural cave in Trinidad when I was doing my research for my 15-days Cuba trip. At that time, “Despacito” was played everywhere around the world. I got even more excited, imagining dancing to the song in the Latin-influenced country. However, clubbing in Cuba isn’t as great as listening to their live bands. Read on to find out why.…

  • cuti cuti malaysia sekinchan kuala selangor man washing hand cow grass blue sky background agirlnamedclara
    Travel

    Cuti-cuti Malaysia: Kuala Selangor and Sekinchan

    Last weekend, I went for a day trip to Kuala Selangor and Sekinchan. That was my second visit but I never get bored with cuti-cuti Malaysia visiting those destinations! If you haven’t heard or been there, Kuala Selangor and Sekinchan are small towns on the west coast of Malaysia. They’re famous for fresh seafood, lush scenery, paddy field, mirror lake and fireflies boat rides. From KL to Kuala Selangor it takes around 1.5 hours by car, and from Kuala Selangor to Sekinchan is just around 30 minutes. They are far far away from the city but the highway is smooth and the scenery is lush – so you’re up for…

  • asian girl sit smiling mist morning obidos portugal agirlnamedclara
    Travel

    Misty Morning in Ă“bidos, Portugal

    Happy Malaysia Day! I hope you’re enjoying your one-day off đŸ˜‰ Last night the wind blew strongly and the weather was cold. So, this week I’ll take you to Ă“bidos, Portugal. In the previous week, we went to Porto. Actually, before I reached Porto, I stopped by Ă“bidos, a classic small town with narrow cobbled streets. There’s nothing much to see there, but it was a beautiful morning that I’ll remember. That day was cold and misty, I and my friends had the privilege to enjoy Ginja – a Portuguese liqueur made from ginja berries, alcohol and sugar. Imagine drinking cherry liqueur on a cold morning! Make no mistake, we…

  • pink hair girl traveler tourist take photo of ship building sea porto portugal agirlnamedclara
    Money,  Travel

    Vitamin Sea in Porto & How Financial Goals Saved Me

    I didn’t expect that many people enjoy reading my previous post. One friend even messaged me saying that it’s so refreshing. So I guess in unprecedented times (or stressful, to some) like this, you’d like to see a similar post. This week, let me take you to Porto, an enchanting coastal city in northwest Portugal and share how my financial goals saved me. P.S.: the girl on the cover photo is not me, but I like how her pink hair is contrasting with the blue sea hehe… Porto: Sea, Wine Tasting and Sardines I had only two days in Portugal – one in Lisbon, one in Porto. Of course, one…

  • sunny day asian girl black hair smile sit on rock blue sea background top of capri italy_agirlnamedclara
    Travel

    Starbucks What? One Fine Day in Capri, Italy

    “Oh, look at that mural! It looks similar to Starbucks’ logo, isn’t it?” I asked my tour guide who took me and the group around Capri, a beautiful island in the Bay of Naples, Italy. “Starbucks? What is it?” she replied. Oops! Right. Italians don’t drink Starbucks. Aaand, there wasn’t any Starbucks store in Italy when I visited in 2017. Due to sheer volume of business, Starbucks is designed to serve customers quickly and efficiently, whereas in Italy, you go to a coffee bar precisely for leisure and long, winding conversations with your local barista. Jenna Wang, “Why It Took Starbucks 47 Years To Open A Store In Italy” –…