Saturday 30 November 2013

Singapore Sevens

One thing I miss a lot about New Zealand are the rugby matches I went to.
Lucky for me there was a 7's tournament here recently.
Even luckier was that there were New Zealand teams here so it was almost like I was back in my happy place.



Friday 29 November 2013

Pasarbella

There's a great little market in Singapore known as Pasarbella.
It's completely unexpected in Singapore, but very welcome amid the hawker shops that define the Singaporean lifestyle.
It's a little out of the way as it's all the way up in Turf City but well worth a visit on a weekend morning.

Little wine shops, craft beer stands, pies, cakes, and food everywhere you turn.
Arts and crafts stands scattered in between to add pops of quirkiness.
There's even a delicious cheese shop (free samples included).
And if nothing here takes your fancy there are plenty of other choices of restaurants at the Grandstand.

I'm not even sure what to compare it to back in the US, but see for yourself.


















Perfect place for weekend brunch or finding that special little something.
Anyone else been here? What food stalls do you recommend?

Friday 8 November 2013

Cambodia: The Final Frontier

Going through my photos I realized I completely skipped over the photos we took when we went to Phnom Penh!!!

We didn't stay long, only a day.
We really wanted to go shooting bazookas but didn't have enough time.
Our bus trip from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh took about 8-10 hours (as opposed to the 5 hours we were expecting) so we lost a whole day.

[TRAVEL TIP: If you're pressed for time in a new country spend a few extra dollars and take a taxi or fly instead, this massively long bus ride cut our already short holiday even shorter.]

On our last day we woke up really early and headed to the Royal Palace so we could at least see something here.

The day we were there huge protests were going on so I'm not sure if we got to see the whole palace.
Some bits were off limits, though I wouldn't know if they're always off limits or not.

The Palace is a beautiful example of Khmer architecture.
A nice relaxing, cultural thing to do before an early afternoon flight.
[Though the temples of Siem Reap take the cake over this 10 to 1.]





























TRAVEL TIP #2: Ladies (and men), make sure your shoulders and knees are covered when you go to this place.

This is really important when packing clothes for Cambodia!
You can buy some really funky, comfy (cheap) pants at the markets here that can keep you cool in the warm weather (as opposed to jeans which are thick and tight).

I had trouble finding any information on the dress code for this country so here it is:
Keep yourself covered up. (Both men and women)
No bare shoulders and no bare legs; people here are quite conservative and when you're on their turf you will do well to play by their rules.
Unless you plan on staying at your hotel the whole time you're here don't bother packing more than 1 pair of shorts and definitely no tank tops.
You're welcome.

I'm itching to fly off someplace again.
We have a huge trip planned next month... but I might sneak a shorter one off someplace before that!