AXIOO

For a little over a week we explore South Africa with two lovely couples. Setting Cape Town as our base camp was the right thing to do, especially when we found a homey Cape Heritage Hotel that welcomes us like a family. We set out to explore the Cape Peninsula, Table Mountain, Wine regions, beaches on separate days. Each day a new discovery made us fell in love with nature all over again. Not only does Cape Town has jaw dropping sceneries, great food & wine but also the friendliest people that made our stay memorable.

We stayed in tents at Buffelsdrift, heads up this is not your typical camping tent. This one has air conditioning, victorian bathtub and the best view of wildlife. We had a chance to get up close to some of the animals during our bush safari drive. Elephants, rhino, hippos, springbok, wilderbeast, mountain zebra, meerkat, and much more call this place home. Most of us grew up in big cities and the only wildlife we see are either in cages or in Discovery Channel. Our trip to South Africa made us see the world differently. We really are sharing our planet with these beautiful animals.

Can't wait to share more photos, here's a few sneak peek from our trip :)

Towards the last leg of our journey, we drove past southern Germany through Fussen, NeuSchwanstein castle, then head down south towards Austria. Have you watched The Sound of Music? Most of the scenes from that movie was shot in Salzburg, southern Germany & Austria. So here we are enjoying every fresh breath up in the mountain. Breathe in, breathe out...it doesn't get any better than this. 

The view is magnificent! We marveled as we reached the top, soaking in the moment. I said to myself, "We'll never forget this moment". Pinched ourselves a few times before jumping around and laying on the wildflowers for this shot. Life is great! 

Day by day, we come up with new travel itinerary and finally ended up in Lech, Austria. I wanted to stay here for at least a week longer, turn of my phone and enjoy the summer activities. We were so lucky to have found a Rote Wand Hotel through Tablethotels. This is by far the warmest & most memorable hotel stay ever, by that I mean they're awesome...considering we stay in hotels for almost 30% of the year. Thumbs up for the hospitality. If any of you get a chance to visit the area, try staying here, you'll know what I'm talking about. Oh yes, don't forget to visit the local cheese factory.

From Champagne, we continue east towards Germany then decided to stay overnight in Luxembourg. We knew very little about Luxembourg. It wasn't even in our original plan. But we thought since it lies at the border of France and Germany, that would be a nice resting place for the night before continuing on the next morning to Trier. We arrived in the evening and got a chance to roam around the charming old city center. 

We have been waiting for this summer holiday. For the past few months, our schedule has been hectic, and this is our chance to clear it out and have some 'we' time. For those who are married, you know what I mean...we all need a little escape from our day to day routine to just enjoy each other. 

This time we decided not to plan the trip, not to book the hotels, but instead go with our instinct. Our first stop is Paris. We've been here for a few times now, so we'll just make this our pit stop before heading out east to Germany (or perhaps Prague too). Day one of our trip, we roam around Marais district wiht my favorite LOMO LCA + instant back and snap a few shots. Little shops and art galleries lined the Marais district porvided us with endless amusement. Through the years, we knew time really flies when we're having fun, so this time we're not trusting our memory, instead let the camera capture the details of our trip. 

The next day, we start driving east, originally planned to go to Trier but instead we ended up in Luxembourg for the night (more on this later). A little more than an hour east of Paris, we reached Reims, the city in Champagne region, yes yes Champagne as the one we know it. We drop by to Veuve Clicqout Boutique, and was recommended to a famous Le Jardin Restaurant for lunch. One of the best lunch during this trip. Love that Rock Melon + Parma Ham for appertizer!!  

ps: check out our stay in Mama Shelter, that's the hotel name (i know it's a weird name, but kinda cute) apparently designed by Philippe Starck. 

Here's a lot more from our trip :) We found a really cool hotel for our stay in Dijon, actually it wasn't in Dijon...it was in a little town out of nowhere. But it's too beautiful to miss it. Abbaye de la Bussiere, is not your typical hotel...it's the one hotel we'll remember for a long time. Sometimes we underestimate the importance of choosing a hotel, thinking that we'll only use it to sleep. To me, the right hotel can make a world of a difference...be sure to check them out. I spend quite sometime to find what's unique in a city, where to stay, what to eat, what's in season, etc...this way we'll have a rich & memorable travel experience.

For Adrian & Sanny, it doesn't matter where they go, they are just so in love and they look good it every shot. During this trip, we didn't feel like it's a photo trip, but it's more like a 'roadtrip' with a bunch of good friends (with Hany & Andre as well). So much food to eat, good time to share...surely a lifetime to remember :)

Ok where should i begin? Adrian & Sanny is our all-time funniest and most expressive couple ever. After shooting for their pre-wedding last year and wedding day too, here come another series of their honeymoon photos in France :) You'll love it!!

Thousands of unforgettable moments traveling with them touring south of France to Paris. As we drive north, we have at least 6 bottles of wine & cheese to try along the way...good thing the police didn't stop us. The scenery kept changing from the blue beaches in south of France, to the autumn color nearing the mountains and then it snowed before we reached Dijon. None of us knew the way at all, totally relying on the GPS for every turn...thank God we're ok.

This is what we dream of for our Sweet Escape trips. A combination of exploring new places, funny moments and of course kick ass photos :) Enjoy...

We've just realized that we've missed out  Lydia & Benny Barcelona trip, big oops *sorry guys. Partly because we got too excited posting our own 'Barcelona moments' earlier on.

Honestly, we had way too much fun in Barcelona with Lydia & Benny. Our itinerary centered around food, whether it's breakfast, lunch, dinner or even the late nite 1 am tapas supper. Ooo the tapas, sangria, paella, and gastronomic surprises..I would go there again, just to eat ;) But of course the city offers more than just authentic food, the architectural wonders, natural beauty and endless shopping makes Barcelona our favorite destination.

We explored most of the city in a few days, first off La Rambla and Passeig de Gracia that runs through the heart of the city with street performers and endless retails shops. A pit stop at the Boqueria Market is a must! You'll be amazed at how fresh local seafood, varieties of ham (Jamon Iberico), and much more that glued me to linger there longer. 

Here's a quick Sweet Escape session we did very recently!

We got in touch with Kim Hyo Jin and Jae. Some of you who are into Korean entertainment might recognize Kim Hyo Jin as a comedian and actress. She is one multi-talented woman! Jae, turns out to be from Seattle, where I went to college. Small world it is. The coolest part is that their wedding dates are the same as mine & Felicia! May 22nd!

They've always wanted to have their honeymoon in Lombok. These days everyone seems to be eyeing on Bali, so they decided to do something different. And I'm always up for new locations and experiences.

We stayed at the Pool Villa Senggigi Beach. All these shots were done around the hotel.

Absolutely a joy shooting with them. Hope you'll find their happiness infectious in this little clip we've prepared. Enjoy!