My Winter Holiday 2016, the five weeks of Jan-Feb 2016 in Tokyo, in New Zealand and in Singapore, is now in slides. Keywords: colors, contrasts and differences. Stone & glass cities, rain forests, volcanoes, plays of light… Nature vs human creations… Both can be amazing.

1. Pics from my Winter Holiday 2016
Tokyo - New Zealand - Singapore
Kristi Rohtsalu © February 2016

2. Part I: Tokyo
Six days in the Land of the Rising Sun

3. 7 January: Arrival
“Can you speak Japanese?” I was
first asked in the customs.
“No, not a thing…”
3
…But at least there are Burger King, Starbucks and 7-Eleven. So, it should work in
any case. … And it did. I found Tokyo one of the most welcoming large cities (if not
the most welcoming) where I have been so far.

4. 8 January: Visiting Tokyo Stock Exchange
4
It was so quiet there! Even during the trading hours. Gone are the open-outcry
trading and the times when stock prices were written on a blackboard.
Then: Tons of paper work Now: Flashing numbers

5. 9 January: Attending Grand Sumo Tournament Opening Ceremony with
Sangenjaya International Meetup
I’m the one
with blue
hat
5

6. 10 January: Climbing Mt. Takao, about
50 km from the center of Tokyo
6
Apparently, it’s very busy there, especially during the weekends. Expect to see
and experience quite a bit of Buddhist.

7. 11 January: Lexus International Gallery Aoyama, Sony Building & Sound
Planetarium, Tokyo Metropolitan Government Observatory
7

8. 12 January:
Walking over 918m long
Rainbow Bridge to Odaiba
Discovering a replica of the
Statute of Liberty here in
Tokyo
8
Nicely prepared sushi for lunch
to add some color to this grey
and cold day

9. D
Part II: New Zealand
Three weeks in the Land of the Long
White Cloud

10. 14 & 15 January: In Auckland (1/2)
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A view from Mount Eden, the highest
of the Auckland volcanoes (196m)

11. 14 & 15 January: In Auckland (2/2)
Auckland Art Gallery: a piece of art
The City Neighborhoods
Auckland Domain 11

12. 16-18 January: Queenstown / Arthurs Point (1/3)
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Shotover River and home, sweet
home in the Arthurs Point
I stayed by Claire and JP Arrowsmith; it
turned out to be a great choice 

13. Just me @ the Ben Lomond saddle; Queenstown and lake Wakatipu in the background 13
16-18 January: Queenstown / Arthurs Point (2/3)

14. 16-18 January: Queenstown / Arthurs Point (3/3)
Queenstown: Looks like a small town 14

15. My first glance to Stewart Island:
“So this is the jungle I’m about to go!”
Wide streets of Invercargill
InterCity bus that transported me from Queenstown to
Dunedin… It had a cool driver, btw.
15
19-20 January: From Queenstown to Stewart Island via Invercargill
It’s such a small plane to Stewart Island  … And the
Invercargill Airport has only one gate: Gate 1

16. 16
21-23 January: Stewart Island / Rakiura Track, Day 1 of 3
The chain link sculpture at Lee Bay marks
the entrance to the Rakiura National Park
Accommodation in Port William Hut before and after hikers
moved in for the night: fairly modest 
Grey sand and a bit of flora
Maori Beach swing bridge

17. North Arm: It’s beautiful, isn’t it? 17
21-23 January: Stewart Island / Rakiura Track, Day 2 of 3

18. Views, historic sites, mud… I did it (despite of the rain)!
21-23 January: Stewart Island / Rakiura Track, Day 3 of 3
18

19. 19
24-26 January: Trip from Stewart Island to Franz Josef (1/2)
One of the last glances to Oban / Halfmoon Bay Morning in the Queens Park in Invercargill
Fantastic collections in the Southland Museum and Art Gallery

20. Here we go…
“Mandatory” stop for photos @
Thunder Creek Falls
20
24-26 January: Trip from Stewart Island to Franz Josef (2/2)
Another fairly modest accommodation, this time
in Base Queenstown for the “stopover”
Most of the day in the bus behind: it wasn’t that
bad after all 

21. 27 January: Peters Pool & Franz Josef Glacier
(Little walk followed by hot chocolate and Glacier Hot Pools)
21

22. 22
28 January: Walking (climbing) Alex Knob in a cloudy day
Apparently, some found it a good idea
to dry their shirts there in the top 
On the way

23. 23
29 January: Bus trip to Greymouth
Visited the national KIWI Centre in Hokitika, on
the way from Franz Josef to Greymouth
It was not allowed to take a pic of the kiwi; so I
took a pic of this lovely little blue fish with big
bulging eyes instead 

24. InterCity buses in NZ stop for such attractions. This day we had a notably great, funny etc. driver too.
“Everybody, listen! He is great,” one of the passengers announced at the end of the trip. I fully agreed.
24
30 January: Pancake Rocks in Punakaiki, just on my way

25. On the background: a view from the bus window while travelling from Nelson to Picton
(Note the clouds!)
25
31 January: Trip from Nelson to Picton to Wellington
There are many “boats” in Picton
“Don’t cross the Cook Strait , cruise it!” – or
so they are saying @ InterIslander

26. … And this little bird welcomed me to National Park 26
1 February: Trip continues from Wellington to National Park Village
They even have golden houses in Wellington 

27. 2 February: Walking the Tongarino Alpine Crossing (1/2)
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Well, walking a world-renowned trek means that you are
hardly left alone. They all want to see it…

28. Illusion of magical stillness
28
2 February: Walking the Tongarino Alpine Crossing (2/2)
I was there too 

29. D
Part III: Singapore
Six days in the Lion City

30. I was welcomed by the tropical heat and rainfall.
During the next few days, the Rochor Centre showed me the way back to my hotel.
30
5 February: Arrival to Singapore
Yeah, it’s clean but not THAT clean here…

31. Like these guys (or girls?) in the background:
the one on the right is weighing nearly 300 kg and is 74-79 years old (or young).
31
6 February: In the Singapore Zoo
Zoo and Year of the
Monkey
Do you know the bite force of a crocodile?

32. Like a picture from a Tour Magazine 32
7 February, pic 1: Sentosa Island
Yes, that point is here on
Sentosa… And so was I.

33. On the background:
Singapore’s national icon, the mythical Merlion with the head of a lion and the body of a fish
33
7 February, pic 2: Singapore Night
Marina Bay Sands: One of the giant
shopping centers that is worth a look

34. Celebrate they can. No wonder that the streets are relatively empty on the daytime
(given the population density) if they have such an active night life.
34
7 February, pic 3: Festivities of the Chinese New Year, Year of the Monkey

35. One could almost pretend that there are large forests in Singapore  35
8 February (1/2): In Coney Island Park

36. Night walk in Chinatown: it’s 3:51 AMLittle India looks always busy.
There will be room for many more people in Punggol
36
8 February (2/2): Some more pics
That’s how Malaysia looked from Singapore…

37. Of course, the Monkey and the Dragon were there. 37
9 February: Festivities continue

38. 38
10 February: Observed everyday life of regular people in Singapore
… Where they live … Where they work
… How they spend their spare time

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The End
Let’s get back to work.