Tuesday 30 July 2013

One Year Anniversary

Chris and I celebrated our official 1 year a few weeks ago and it couldn't have been more perfect.
A few days before our anniversary we went shopping for outfits, as one does for a special day.


Chris picked the white jeans out himself, and we matched the pink oxford top to them. I sneakily went out and found a bow tie for him that matched his shoes, as well as some alligator socks!


We went for a LBD for me  (I don't actually remember the name of the shop I got it in so this one is little bit similar, and this one, and this one), a sweet new necklace to match the cutout dress, strappy Diesel sandals and a clutch from I bought in New Zealand.




For the first part of the date Chris planned a ride for us on the Singapore Flyer.


But before we went up into our carriage we went out onto the private deck area to see Singapore from a whole new angle.







Then we were walked to the front of the line and awaited boarding...



...onto our own private capsule, with absolutely no one else but us, 2 glasses of champagne and chocolates.


What follows is the 360 degree view of the sunset over Singapore on our 1 year anniversary.



















And after came one of the best (biggest, most amazing, insert any massively delicious adjective here) meals we have ever had...
But I'll post that tomorrow as this post has already gotten quite lengthy!

Tuesday 23 July 2013

Exploring Hong Kong

And the story continues...

The next day I got up bright and early all ready to start exploring this new city.
First thing any good explorer does is get a data plan so they can look at maps on their phones.
If that fails, asking for a map at the concierge is the next logical thing to do.
This is what I did (I actually prefer real maps more than data maps).
I had a bounce in my step (perhaps because of my new trainers) and the wind at my back (usually mixed with a lot of sun) and off I went.

From the map I learned there was a botanical garden in my vicinity so following along I made my way there.











While in the park I found a sign for the Aviary, so I had to head there as well.







This place is amazing, and free. There is something like over 200 species of birds here, and if you sit near a feeder long enough you'll see a very large variety of them.

I decided that The Peak was my next destination as it was recommended by everyone that I go up there.
My preferred mode of transportation? Taking one of the steepest trains in the world, naturally.







Once at the top you can get tickets to the Sky Terrace, a viewing deck that gives you 360 degree views of Hong Kong.
However, only get this when it's not raining/hazy or else it might not be worth it.












Not too bad a view from up here. Seeing HK from down below deep within the city I had no idea half of the island was so green!

I had a quick lunch while the heavens opened up out of absolutely nowhere. And just as I was finishing my meal, the rain stopped as well so I wanted to walk all the way back down to the mid-levels where the worlds longest escalator is.
It didn't do me much good though because it was only going up, not down (they change the direction based on the time of day to regulate traffic/congestion better).










I met up with a new friend from the night before and she very graciously showed me to around a bit.
I got a real Hong Kong egg tart (delicious!) and explored the streets I would have been too confused to find my way out of without her.



Another item on the to-do while in Hong Kong was going to Kowloon, walking down Avenue of the Stars and seeing HK from the other side. And that's exactly what we did.







But seeing the skyline like this wasn't enough.
I needed a better view.
And what better way to get one than from the highest bar in world?







Have any of you been to Hong Kong before? Anything you'd recommend I do next time I'm in town?