Trips around Europe: Belgrade, Budapest, Sarajevo and Mostar / June 13, 2015 by Michael Pung

I like travelling alone. I don't always do it, but whenever I get the opportunity, I look forward to the freedom of doing what I like and enjoy the immersion of exploring a new city. A couple of months back, I embarked on a two week trip around some countries in Eastern Europe. I wasn't too sure what to expect, but what I experienced was sublime. I'll break my trip down into the cities I visited.

Belgrade

I arrived in Belgrade on a Saturday evening and instantly felt that this trip would be an eye opening experience. I ended up catching the bus from Nikola Tesla Airport into the main city centre and made my way to my hostel in Skadarlija which is considered to be the bohemian quarter in the city.

I was told by a local that Belgrade means "White City" and it was the first destination for my trip. It's a fun little city to explore and I stayed around its bohemian quarter meandering around the cafes and listening to performers out in the streets.

Enjoying the view from Belgrade Fortress

Fairy floss during Easter outside St Mark's Church

Belgrade is also known as a party capital in Europe and it's pretty easy to see why. People both locals and travelers revel in the night life here where there are restaurants and clubs galore open to the wee hours. Drinks can be had on the cheap here and Rakia (a fruit brandy which is commonly brewed in homes... it's also high in alcohol!) can be had at full flow here.

Budapest

After spending a few days in Belgrade, I decided to make a brief trip to Budapest. When I got there, I found a pretty city with many breathtaking monuments. Since I was only there for such a short amount of time, I decided to just take to the streets and capture much of the architectural beauty that was around for show.

I started by grabbing a delicious goulash with bread at a cafe near where I was staying, and made my way towards St Stephen's Basilica. The interior of this place was such a sight to behold and a must-visit place! Other highlights include the parliament and the beautiful view of the town via the Citadella.

Overall, I think Budapest is well worth a visit and definitely worth spending more than the two days I ended up staying there for. There is so much to see and do in this town and I think I've only just scratched the surface during my short stay here.

Mostar

During my stay in Bosnia and Herzegovina, I also paid a short day trip to the city of Mostar. I was traveling with a friend who I met from a hostel in Sarajevo and was greeted with a glorious day. We soaked up the sun and did plenty of sight seeing around the main city centre and in Blagaj.

We took the train from Sarajevo to Mostar and encountered some breathtaking views of the countryside:

When we got to the city centre, we strolled through the cobbled streets, walked across the Old Bridge (Stari Most) and visited the Kajtaz House- Thought to be built sometime between the 16th and 17th centuries.

Old scripts from within the Kajtaz House

Soon after visiting the Kajtaz house, we made the short trip to Blagaj to see the Vrelo Bune spring and later on watched over the valley from Stjepan Grad:

SARAJEVO

Through a recommendation from the owner of the hostel I stayed at in Belgrade, my trip took an unexpected turn as I headed towards Sarajevo. Despite their recent history, the people from both countries share a deep love for each other.

There were a plethora of things to see and do in this town and I started off by heading to the old Olympic Bobsled Track with a couple of friends I made from the hostel. I was amazed with how snowy it was up in the mountains and I even made my first snow angel ever!

I also spent much of my time here learning about the history here which can be described as quite poignant. The free walking tour I participated here gave me a lot of insight about how the locals lived and survived the Bosnian War, but also showed how grateful the Bosnians about being able to rebuild considering their painful history. The evidence of the war is still around for those to see and serves as a reminder of what has happened in recent past. Among these reminders are the Sarajevo Roses, mortar holes filled with red resin. These mark the mortar shells that had caused one or more deaths after exploding. They are found all around the town.

During the time I was here I spent much of my time trying the local food around here. Cevapcici and Borek can be had for very low prices, the former being delicious combination of bread and meat which with only one serving, can keep you full for the entire day.

Climbing up to the Yellow fortress revealed a breathtaking view of the city skyline and I felt that it was a fitting end to my time in Eastern Europe. For anyone who is considering on travelling to these parts, you should definitely make the trip. It's was such a spectacular experience that included meeting some brilliant like-minded travelers, friendly locals and some rich, beautiful locales.

100 Strangers Project - 24/100 / June 1, 2015 by Michael Pung

Clara was spotted sitting on a street bench, reading George Orwell's Books v. Cigarettes around Warren Street here in London. She has made a move to London over the past year after living most of her life in Barcelona. She currently works as a freelance in fashion and one day hopes to work as a fashion curator.

In your 20 odd years of life in Barcelona, could you tell me about one of your happiest moments?

"Oh! I hate these kind of questions! For me it's really difficult to choose your favourite thing. I like feelings, so when spring comes, I love the feeling. Barcelona smells different, I love the smells of the neighborhood and that makes me feel very happy. The life and it's like you start meeting friends almost every day."

Clara's immediate family reside in Barcelona. They aren't a big family, just her parents and her older brother who is completing a PHD in computer science. She really misses her brother and parents. They skype a lot.

Like myself, Clara has only moved to London fairly recently, so I asked her what she found challenging with her move here:

"I came here alone. My boyfriend had a job with a company in Barcelona and I was working as a freelance in fashion. So I was the one who said okay, I'm moving because I'm freelance and I'm not earning much money. When I came here, that was pretty tough. I knew a couple of people, but all of my friends who were living here were in Barcelona at the time. I was alone a lot. I learned to do things on my own a lot. (And) I'm proud of that as well."

Thank you Clara for taking part of the project and I wish you the best with your ambitions.

Dublin Travels & on the Wildling Trail / May 21, 2015 by Michael Pung

A few weeks ago my friend Kerzia extended an invitation for us to travel to Dublin and check out the Game of Thrones Winterfell tour! As a fan of the series, I happily obliged.

We landed in Dublin on a Saturday morning and were immediately greeted by conditions that were significantly colder than what we experienced before we hopped on our one hour flight. After all, Ireland is known as the land of the eternal winter.

Soon after we dropped our bags at the hostel we embarked on a walk around the city centre. We caught a glimpse of life over here, some old castles, monuments and plenty of pubs. I was amazed at the number of souvenir stores around town, and I must say when it comes to the souvenir game, Dublin is a hard act to follow!

The next day, we woke up early on a Sunday morning for the Winterfell tour. It was, in short... sublime. After we arrived via coach, we were off to the various filming locations for the series with our tour guide. Decked out in our cloaks, we took an excursion into the woods much in the same fashion as the wildlings did in the TV show. Fantasy.

It was a fun trip, we got to see some of the beautiful, green scenery of Northern Ireland, the rustic and historic buildings of central Dublin and met some wonderful people along the way.

100 Strangers Project - 23/100 / May 1, 2015 by Michael Pung

So I met this lovely lady over a week ago, down the road from the British Museum. Now, I'm kicking myself that I've left it this long to make this post because to be frank... I've forgotten her name! But she comes from the Shire- which is an area of Australia south of Sydney. She's currently working in media as a production assistant and is currently enjoying her time here and her career. Here is a snippet of our conversation:

What are you proudest of?

My relationship with my close family, where I've gotten in my career and the chances I've taken so far. I don't know, I'm not a very confronting person, so moving countries and doing crazy things have taken me out of my comfort zone.

Do you have any regrets?

No.

Everything that I've decided to do I've kind of thought, I'm thankful that I've got there. All of the things that have happened in the last two and a half years, a lot of them were huge decisions- staying over here (in London) and at one point I was choosing between going to Spain and taking a chance on a two week internship and that's landed me a really great job.

It was a huge step because I was going to go home and all of my plans were to... spend a few months travelling, do just bar-tending work or au pairing or something, get a bit of cash and go home. And instead someone was like, "Oh yeah, do you want to be a temp here? Can't promise you a job at the end of it," and that, ended up being a year an a half job, which landed me the production job that now is the beginning of my career.

Thank you very much for taking part in the project and keep taking those chances!

100 Strangers Project - 21 and 22 of 100 / April 26, 2015 by Michael Pung

I came across Amy and Marcos as they were walking down Brick Lane enjoying their frozen yogurts. About the yogurts, I asked them if they would recommend them and they said they were alright, though nothing really to write home about. Good to know!

Amy is an apprentice tattoo artist and has been one for 15 months. Before this, she was working at job in marketing but decided to change career paths on suggestion from her boyfriend. She has not looked back. She enjoys being social and would like to one day live abroad, perhaps somewhere in the United States or Australia.

Marcos on the other hand, hails from Portugal and is employed as a waiter at a restaurant in Brick Lane. He is content with his job, but has aspirations to travel the world. He too wants to go to Australia and harbours an ambition to experience new and different cultural pursuits such as having a BBQ on the beach on Christmas.

What is some life advice you would give to your future children?

Amy - "Be yourself."

Marcos - "If you never make any mistakes, you'll never learn."

Thanks for taking part in the project guys and good luck with your ambitions!

Guild London Photo Walk / April 22, 2015 by Michael Pung

Just a quick post on what I did on Saturday 18th of April. I was invited to take part in a photo walk around central London, with people from a variety of photography groups. It was brilliant meeting up with like-minded people and gave me a chance to get into discussions about photography, gear and other random things.

The plan was to meet at the London Eye and then via Westminster tube, make our way to Soho, Chinatown, Leicester Square, Covent Garden, Embankment and Southbank. Somewhere along the way, myself and Katherine (a friend I made from a previous walk) lost the group and ended up in Oxford Circus. But it did give us a chance to catch some great opportunities:

The Thirst - A band from Brixton. They play funk-inspired tunes.

Probably the widest grin I've ever seen.

Central London was buzzing all over, with opportunities almost everywhere on the street to take photos. There's something very vibrant about London especially heading into the warmer months, which makes me quite excited about spending time here in the summer.

For anyone into photography, no matter the level, going on a photo-walk is something I highly recommend that you do. It's fun, you meet great people and it inspires you to take photos!

100 Strangers Project 20/100 / April 20, 2015 by Michael Pung

On the hottest day of the season so far (it was 25 degrees!), I came across Yaz. She was on her way to work and she had her earphones plugged into her ears. She was in a bit of a rush so we didn't have much time to chat, but I complemented her on her outfit and she was flattered. She remarked that she was told by one of her friends on Snapchat that her outfit was hideous, but I think she has a great sense of style.

What are your strengths?

"I can talk."

And what is your weakness?

(laughs) "I can talk."

When pressed, she claimed she has a weakness for cigarettes, but she is looking at quitting someday.

Thank you Yaz for taking part in the project and hope you enjoy the images.

100 Strangers Project - 19/100 / April 19, 2015 by Michael Pung

I was strolling around Belgrade's bohemian quarter when I discovered Jana sitting with her puppy Quince. As it turns out, she was waiting for a friend who she was helping out with his radio show... and he was running late.

Being a fan of Humans of New York, she was absolutely delighted to take part. I found out that in terms of her fashion, Jana 'discovered' colours fairly recently and has incorporated them into her sense of style. In the past, she tended to wear more muted, neutral colours- similar to my style at this very moment! In addition to this, she is currently studying a PHD in the arts and is going to take part in a female art exhibition in London later in the year.

About a year ago, Jana wanted to get a new puppy as she missed her old dog. So when she was on the lookout for a new companion, she visited her friend who had a couple of puppies. Once she was there, Quince came up to her and climbed into her bag! It was destiny... and perhaps even love at first sight.

Thank you Jana and Quince for taking part in the project and have the best time in London!