Phuket Thailand

We wanted to do something really special for Chris's birthday this year.

And what can be more special than going to one of the most beautiful places on Earth?

Phuket, Thailand was that beautiful place. 

We landed Friday evening and the absolute first thing I wanted to do was see crystal clear water.

I didn't care that everyone was already leaving the beach.

Or that the sun setting.

Or that my bathing suit wouldn't dry before dinner.

I just wanted to be in that water.

So I tied up my hair, kissed Chris "see you soon" and ran off into the sea.

The water was perfect.

Not too warm, but not too cold.

The waves were plenty, but not too high.

I had a smile ear-to-ear on my face.

I wrapped myself up in my beach cover up/blanket/dress and we went to scout a dinner place.

We found one that had everything.

And all I wanted was Thai.

Chris got a burger.

I got proper pad thai and green chicken curry.

A perfect first day is paradise. 

Changi Gardens

So many people come through Changi Airport  every day.
And unfortunately most don't know that there are some really cool things to do at the airport while you wait for your flight.
My favorite are the gardens.
You have probably guessed I love flowers.
Which means that with some time to spare before our mystery trip for Chris's birthday we were going to sniff some flowers.

Each Terminal has it's own little treasure trove of things to discover.
Next time you have to catch a flight make sure you pick up a brochure and head to one of these spots preflight.

On the way are posts from a place that is literally heaven on Earth so keep a close watch on the blog, subscribe by email, Facebook, or all three!

Chinese New Year

We got back into Singapore in the beginning of January.
The first few weeks were spent house hunting.
And before we knew it a holiday was upon us.

Chinese New Year is huge in Singapore.
It's a holiday celebrated in late January, early February.
People really get into the spirit of New Years here.
They spend weeks preparing and shopping for food, decorating their homes and cleaning.
One of the places they do a lot of that shopping is in Chinatown.
Naturally, Chris and I had to go and see what all the fuss was about!

  

CNY is more about family than anything else.
People spend the days and evenings eating traditional Chinese meals, visiting family, and eating some more.
To them it's a time to purge everything from the old year, to ask for forgiveness and to renew connections with everyone dear to them.

This year also happens to be the year of the horse (my lucky year!!!).
Chinatown had a huge horse lantern display down the main road.

I also got to participate in lo hei at a function at work.
A bunch of us stood around a bowl of mixed shredded veggies, fish, and cinnamon powder, and on the count of 3 shoved our chopsticks into the mixture and tried to throw it up as high as possible to bring us good fortune.
I love when I can learn something that opens my mind up to a whole new way of looking at the world!