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Article contributed by New Shan Travel

Mention the Balkans and a sense of mystery prevails. This off-beaten tourist destination, located in the south eastern part of Europe, is slowly attracting visitors looking for something different. Flanked by the Balkan Mountains, hence its name, each of the countries in the Balkan Peninsula exudes its own personality and charm.

Podgorica, Montenegro – Our arrival at the Crne Gore International Airport in Podgorica, capital of Montenego marked the start of our 7-day Balkans tour. We were met at the airport by our English speaking driver cum assistant and were whisked off to lunch at a local restaurant, where we had a first taste of traditional Podgorica cuisine. After a satisfying lunch, we headed off on our city tour. Podgorica, of which the name originated in 1326, is the official commercial and cultural city of Montenegro. The city was built around five rivers, Zeta, Moraca, Ribnica, Cijevna and Sitnica. As most of the city was destroyed during World War II, Podgorica is a relatively new city with modern buildings and parks.

Kotor, Montenegro – Kotor, with its medieval architecture and numerous monuments of cultural heritage, is a UNESCO World Natural and Historical Heritage Site. It is located along one of Montenegro's most beautiful bays and is known as a city of traders and famous sailors. There are many well preserved buildings from the Middle Ages that were built between the 12th and 14th century.

Budva, Montenegro – Budva is a coastal town in Montenegro. The coastal area around Budva, called the Budvanska rivijera, is the centre of Montenegro's tourism, and is well known for its sandy beaches and diverse nightlife. Budva is 3,500 years old, making it one of the oldest settlements on the Adriatic sea coast. Much of the architecture in the Old Town is of Venetian design.

Shkodra, Albania – After exploring Montenegro, we crossed the border over to Shkodra, a city located on the Lake of Shkoder in north western Albania. The only known Illyrian capital in the world, Shkoder was founded around the 4th century BC and is a significant cultural and economic centre today. Besides being one of the oldest and most historic towns in Albania, it is also the gateway to the Albanian Alps. Lunch was an exquisite affair, as we sampled traditional cuisine and downed it with Albanian Raki in a tastefully decorated restaurant.

Tirana, Albania – Tirana is the capital of Albania. It was founded in 1614 by Suleyman Pasha Bargjini, who built the first buildings that formed the nucleus of the new town: a mosque, a hammam, and a bakery, at the place where today stands the monument of the Unknown Partisan (Partizani i Panjohur). Important buildings in Tirana include the Palace of Congresses, the International Centre of Culture, the Palace of Culture, the Theatre of Opera and Ballet and the Sky Tower, etc. Our visit also included a tour of the famous Et'hem Beu mosque in Tirana and while in Tirana, we had the privilege of dining at the most prestigious restaurant.

Kruja, Albania – The significance of Kruja is related to the Albanian national hero, Gjergj Kastrioti (Skanderbeg), who fought against the invading Ottomans in the 15th century. Kruja was Skanderbeg’s capital and its castle turned into an invincible stronghold of resistance against the Ottoman threat, thus becoming famous in Europe. Kruja town lies on the side of the Kruja Mountain, about 600m above sea level, commanding a panoramic view of the Adriatic Sea. Visit the citadel of Kruja and the Museu Etnograflk, which is a preserved house. The interesting museum shows how the ancient Albanian lived.

Durres, Albania – Durres is home to Albania's main port, the Port of Durres. Founded in 7 BC, it has been inhabited for 27 centuries and is one of the oldest cities in Albania. Important buildings in Durres include the cultural center with the Aleksander Moisiu Theatre, Estrada Theater, the philharmonic orchestra, Durres Archaeological Museum, Royal Villa of Durres and the Museum of History (the house of Aleksander Moisiu). The ancient amphitheatre, which is the biggest of its type in the Balkan Peninsula and built between 117-78 BC, hosted gladiatorial games watched by up to 20,000 people.

Berat, Albania – Berat, located in central Albania, is a rare example of a well-preserved Ottoman town and is known as the "Town of a thousand windows", due to the many large windows of the old decorated houses overlooking the town. In July 2008, the old town (Mangalem district) was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. While the Mangalem riverfront has traditionally been a bazaar area, the residences of merchants and artisans are situated on the steep slope above. The quarter is shaped like an elegant pyramid, on top of which is the castle. The main visual characteristic of this quarter is the number of windows on top of one another. While in Berat, visit the Mangalem district (UNESCO), the castle and churches inside and the Icons museum Onufri, which has the best collection of Albanian icons from the 13th to 19th century.

Saranda, Albania – Enroute to Saranda, we made a brief stop at the “Castle of Ali Pasha”, built by Ali Pasha Tepelena in the gulf of Porto Palermo at the beginning of the 19th century. The castle is situated on a scenic peninsula and has a distinctive triangle shape.

After arriving in Saranda, we visited the Butrint Archaeological site, located 18 km away from the city. The Butrint archaeological site and museum is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and RAMSAR wetlands protected site. Once inside, one can enjoy the peaceful surroundings, see the plentiful rosemary plants, smell the fragrance of the eucalyptus trees and hear the crickets chirp amidst the ruins.

Gjirokastra, Albania – Gjirokastra was declared a “Museum City” in 1961 and a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2005. Initially, it was an Illyrian settlement linked to the Argjiro tribe. In 1417, the Turks conquered it and turned it into an important center of Ottoman power and administration for hundreds of years. Visitors will be impressed by the city’s architecture, the views from Drino Valley overlooking a historic landscape framed by snow-capped mountains, and the lime peaks of the Bureto and Lunxheri mountain chains. This city of a thousand steps comprises hundreds of Ottoman-style tower houses with distinctive stone roofs, wooden balconies and whitewashed stone walls. Situated very close to the Greek border, Gjirokastra has been the stage of many important events in the history of the country.

Ohrid, Macedonia – Leaving Albania, we now enter Macedonia. Our first stop is Ohrid, a city located on the eastern shore of Macedonia and is well known for its churches. With beautiful houses every step of the way, it is a natural tourist magnet. While there, we visited the Samoil Castle, Old Town, the Old Saint Clemente Church also known as Holy Mother of God Periblebtos, the Roman Theatre, the church of St John the Theologian-Kaneo and enjoyed a panoramic view from the Fortress of Czar Samuel. Due to the rain, we skipped the short boat trip in Ohrid lake. Fortunately, this was made up by a lovely lunch at a local restaurant by the shores of the lake.

Skopje, Macedonia – Our last stop on the trip was Skopje and dinner was the order of the day when we arrived, where we had a sumptuous meal at a local restaurant. The restaurant, Old City House, is a rare example of folk architecture of Skopje of the 19th century. Early next morning, we set out to explore the sights of Skopje, with the help of our English speaking guide. We visited the Alexander Fortress in Skopje known also as Kale, the Church of Saint Savior known as Sveti Spas, the Old Town, the Memorial House of Mother Theresa and the Old Skopje Train Station which was almost completely destroyed by the earthquake. We also drove out to Vodno Mountain located 25 minutes from Skopje. Once on the mountain, we made our way to visit the Church of Saint Panteljemon and had lunch there as well. After a hearty lunch, it was time to say our farewells to the Balkans as we drove back to Skopje to board our flight home.

*The views and opinions expressed in this article are that of the writer and do not represent the views of New Shan Travel.

Contributed by Andy Wong, New Shan Travel

Otaru Canal on an autumn day

I have been dreaming of going to Hokkaido for ages. I remember watching Japan Hour that featured Hokkaido’s beautiful natural sceneries, world-class and family-friendly winter skiing facilities and activities, and mouth-watering fresh seafood caught from the cold deep waters off Hokkaido. My lust for Hokkaido was fuelled by friends regaling me with stories of their wonderful trips to Hokkaido, and never once did I hear anything negative about that place.

An opportunity surfaced to visit Hokkaido on a familiarization trip, and I smilingly ticked off one of the major items on my to-do list.

As the plane descended on New Chitose Airport on a cool autumn afternoon, I began to feel a sense of achievement, like realizing one’s dream. The drive from the airport to my hotel in Niseko took about 2 hours. What struck me on the coach journey was the wide roads in Hokkaido (in contrast to the typical narrower roads on mainland Japan) and the smaller number of cars on the roads. Without the Japanese signs, I would have thought that I was in Australia. We reached Niseko Northern Resort, An’nupuri at 7pm, just in time for a sumptuous Japanese buffet dinner consisting of sashimi and sushi.

The next day, we proceeded to take a gondola ride up to Mt. Niseko Annupuri where we enjoyed sweeping views of Niseko, Mt. Yotei and Hirafu. By the time we got down, it was time for lunch. As you know, every meal in Japan can be an exhilarating experience.

After inspecting the ski facilities at Hirafu, we checked into Hotel Piano at Kiroro. Behind the hotel, there was a Hokkaido-style BBQ restaurant that serves the best BBQ seafood I have had.

Next stop – Otaru Canal. In the early 20th century, this canal was part of the port area where larger vessels unloaded their goods onto smaller boats, which then flowed along the canal to unload the goods at warehouses located along the canal. When the unloading process became mechanized, this area was redeveloped into a beautiful canal and the warehouses were transformed into museums, restaurants and specialty shops. With traditional gas lamps lighting up the area, coupled with drizzling snow in the winter nights, it is a very romantic place for couples.

The Otaru Music Box Museum features the development of music boxes or “orgel”, as it is known in Japan. The main building can be recognized by its brownish-red brick walls and renaissance-style arch-top windows. You definitely will not miss the Steam Clock just outside the museum. Made in Vancouver, the Steam Clock is powered entirely by steam, chimes every 15 minutes and blows the main-steam whistles on the hour. In the museum, you will see one of the largest collection of music boxes or orgel in all shapes and sizes. You can even customize your own music box for a small fee.

Just three minutes walk away from Otaru Music Box Museum is Kitaichi Glass Museum. Founded in 1901, it was then known as Asahara Glass. The first president, Hisakichi Asahara, began to produce kerosene lamps in Otaru. Kerosene lamps were part of life's necessities because electricity supply was unknown at that time. In 1910, he began to produce floating glass balls for fishing and the rest is history. Their exquisite handmade glassware in many shapes and forms can only be made by skilled craftsmen. It also has a workshop where the manufacturing process can be observed.

Kitaichi Glass Museum – Be careful not to swing your bag around. Once broken, considered sold!

Maneki Neko or “Fortune Cat” music boxes

Sushi music boxes! So real, you will want to eat them!

Otaru Music Box Museum

Along the same street as Kitaichi Glass Museum, you will find many shops selling ice cream, confectionery and seafood. One shop that caught my eye was the one that was selling gigantic Hokkaido Crabs! The pictures below tell a thousand words.

These Hokkaido crabs are actually

bigger than what the pictures suggest.

There was no time to check out Ishiya Chocolate Factory so we headed to Odori Park where the landmark is the Sapporo TV Tower. Odori Park is situated in the centre of Sapporo City and is a green-belt area that provides a breather to the city dwellers. There are many shops around the area. Dinner time beckons! We were going to have Shabu-shabu, which is a Japanese variant of the hot pot.

The dish is related to sukiyaki in style, in that both use thinly sliced meat and vegetables
and are usually served with dipping sauces. As you can see, we had many servings of the freshest beef slices and generous refills of the soup base and ingredients. Service was top-notch as the waitresses replied “Hai!” to every request and fulfilled our whims and fancies within 2 minutes. Such shabu-shabu restaurants can be found in many places, and they are consistently good.

Odori Park with Sapporo Tower in the background

Aurora Town is an underground shopping mall

with plenty of shops and eateries.

Next on the stop is shopping! We were brought to Mitsui Outlet Park in Sapporo. It is really huge and many international brands can be found there. For foodies, I particularly recommend the supermarket there where local farm produce can be freshly bought. It is called “Farm Village”. With an excellent shopping harvest, we checked into the airport hotel in order to catch the early morning flight home via Tokyo. With a heavy heart, I bid farewell silently to Hokkaido, but not before I ended my trip with a sumptuous sashimi dinner.