The beauty of Rubiah Island, Aceh, Indonesia

As we approach the gorgeous Pulau Rubiah, Aceh

The water surrounding the island is stunningly beautiful

 

I feed the fish with bread and here they come!

While searching for places to stay on Weh, we found Freddies and Iboih Inn which are equally comparable in terms of their beautiful surrounding.  But we decided to take Iboih Inn as it is close to Pulau Rubiah. From Iboih Inn, this tiny remote island is pretty close and visible. It took us about 15 to 20 minutes to get there.  No electricity on Rubiah, no hotels or any accommodations for tourists. Most people would do a day trip and return to the near by Weh island on the same day.

I heard so much about Rubiah Island and they say,  it's the divers heaven. As our boat approached the island, the pristine turquoise water, the green jungle and white sandy beach caught us speechless. It's amazingly beautiful! The many people in the water will not disturbed you since everyone is busy dipping their heads in the water. Snorkeling or diving are the two most popular activities here. 

The mesmerizing underwater kept everyone busy paddling to enjoy the superb view.  If you're tired of swimming and paddling in the water, then just sit in the shallow water near the beach, throw some bread and the fish will come for you.

The locals complained that the corals were destroyed during the 2004 Tsunami but still Rubiah's beauty is enthralling.  Can't imagine what was it like before the tsunami.  After the water activities, we had tea and grilled fish just before returning to Iboih. Of course the fish come from other parts of the deeper sea and not around these Islands.  No one is allowed to catch fish for food or fun around Rubiah and Weh Islands. It's forbidden to protect the underwater lives.  

The white sandy beach

The fish enjoying my bread

A local girl joins the tourists

Snorkeling very close to the beach

Forever hungry :)

Just sit under the tree and enjoy the view

Posing for the camera

The local girls swim like mermaids :)

Everyone is busy with their own activities

 

The boat man sends the tourists and picks them before dark

You enjoy the underwater from above

A Touch of Greece - Kos, Greece

The hydrofoil that swifts us to Kos

Greece is known to be a beautiful country and to write on Kos alone of course would not be a representative view. But I took the advantage of my presence in Bodrum to extend my trip to Kos, the nearest Dodacanese Islands of Greece. The hydrofoil from the Bodrum harbour transported us to Kos in just 15-20 minutes. We left Bodrum at 9am, arrived in about 20 minutes and leisurely returned to Bodrum by 5pm. While we read about the unrest in Athens, nothing seemed to bother this peaceful small Greek island.

The port in Bodrum in the early morning

Kos is said to be the birth place of the ancient physician, Hippocrates and right in the center of the town is the Plane Tree of Hippocrates and the Hippocratic Museum was built as a dedication to him. The town of Kos is situated at the eastern coast of the Island and populated by approximately 18,000 permanent residents. Modern constructions stand side by side with the restored historic buildings. It was reported that the town was established in 366 BC and it flourished during the Hellenistic and Roman periods. There are 2 mosques in the center of the town which reminds us of the Ottoman rule that lasted for 4 centuries, from 1523 to 1912, Although, the mosques (built in the 18th century) in the center is now not functioning, it remains as historical and architectural landmarks of the past. There is another mosque, Hajji Hasan Mosque with a huge and impressive minaret but we were not able to locate this mosque. Built in 1786, this mosque is located in Lotzia square, behind the plane tree of Hippocrates, and it has two floors. 

Mosque (converted into cafe)  in Elftherias Square

 Many boats and yachts are berthing in the Marina and it has a capacity of accommodating about 250 vessels. Hence, there are stores in the island which sells marine equipment and they provide repairing services for the vessels. We saw a number of booths selling island hopping packages since from Kos we can actually do islands hopping but we need at least to put up a night in Kos. There are many other Dodacanese Islands around Kos but we just don't have the time to do it. Getting around the island is fairly easy. There is a bus in the town that can get you to other parts of the island. First, we walked all over the town center and then we took the open train bus for €2.90 to tour the town thoroughly.

The Marina of Kos

Nice to sleep on a cold autumn afternoon

It was late Autumn and the weather was pretty cold. Kos was a bit quiet, the beach was empty unlike Summer when the British holiday makers would flood the island. In fact the cheap airlines Easyjet has a direct flight from London Gatwick to this island. The only exciting part that could kill our time is to ramble through the bazaar full of souvenirs shops and cafe. Things are quite expensive but this is expected in any island.

The interior of the hydrofoil

Elftherias Square

 

 

Alook at Bodrum castle before we left

Shopping Bazaar

Souvenirs 

Colorful bracelets

Rental apartments lined the streets of Kos

Flowers contrasting the white wash buildings

Beautiful cafe

Men busy repairing their net

Quiet road side cafe

Shimmering Murano - Murano Island, Venice, Italy

This huge glass sculpture - a centrepiece on the island

Murano is famous for its lovely shimmering glasses. In 1291, all the Venetian glassmakers in Venice were ordered to move their foundries to Murano because the industry posed a fire threat to Venice. There are many glass workshops, galleries and showrooms all over the island. The artisans produce beautiful and stunning contemporary art work from glass. 

Shimmering Murano glass beads

In those days the glassmakers were not allowed to leave the island or he risked being assassinated or his hands cut off!  As a matter of fact, the Murano's glassmakers were special because they were the only people in Europe who knew how to make glass mirrors. They also developed or refined technologies such as crystalline glass, enameled glass, glass with threads of gold, multicolored glass, milk glass, and imitation gemstones made of glass. 

Today, Murano is one of the attraction that should not be missed when you visit Venice. The easiest and cheapest way to get to this island of glass is to take the Vaporetta (water bus) number; 12, 13, 41, 42, 71 or 72. Taking the private water taxi would be much more expensive.

Glass factory in Murano

Colorful glass bracelets

The canals in Murano

Drying clothes on a sunny day

Necklaces are among items of glass jewelry. 

 

Beautiful Murano glass lamp shade