10 Sep 13
In Siem Reap, we stayed at a pretty cool hotel, so I took some photos to share with you guys here. It’s called Pippeli Pensione. There are only nine rooms which is great if you generally don’t like to see people-people-people first thing in the morning. And because it’s very reasonably priced, we booked the biggest nicest room! (Yet it still worked out to be cheaper than a regular room in a hotel-with-a-brand-name.)
Our room was on the top floor, on the right
We ate breakfast out here every morning
Easily the longest bath tub I’ve ever been in
Siem Reap is pretty touristy in my opinion. There isn’t much off-the-beaten-path paths to take, unless you know a local or something. So we pretty much ate all our lunches and dinners in Pub Street.
Riding in a tuk tuk
We played a round of mini golf
I won 😉
Meeting cats all over the world
Had lunch at FCC Angkor, fancy place, not so fancy food
Found a cute cafe where we played a game of Scrabble and ate too many cakes and drank too many lattes
Might I also add that Sugar Palm restaurant (famed for being on an episode of Gordon Ramsey’s Great Escape) serves some seriously tasty Khmer food (Cambodian food). If you love to eat good food, it’s a must-go!
In real-life news – I’ve started taking driving lessons. I had my first practical lesson today! Only 36 modules more to go. Go me!
| Tags: 50mm/F1.8, Cambodia, nikon FM10, Siem Reap, what to do in siem reap, what to eat in siem reap
2 Sep 13
Bayon Temple is my favourite ruin of all. It’s got faces everywhere! I went a little frantic trying to capture all of them.
I spent the whole of today finalizing our trip to Istanbul/Selcuk/Pamukkale. We’re going in October. The airbnb place we booked looks amazing. I’m in love! I can’t wait. It’s gonna be the first time I step on European soil too 😉
| Tags: 50mm/F1.8, angkor thom, Cambodia, nikon FM10, Siem Reap
24 Aug 13
Me, I had some trouble understanding what Angkor Wat consisted of. Once you start doing your research, you quickly realize how many ruins/temples there are THERE! There’s Angkor Wat but there’s also a hundred others. Angkor Wat is the largest temple of all so it immediately gets main-attraction-status. I had no idea before this so I hope this gives anyone who’s planning to visit, a clearer picture.
First, this map is useful, save it. I wish I had it earlier than halfway through our day at the ruins. With the map, you clearly see where what is. The green ‘line’ is referred to as the Big Circuit. The red ‘line’ is the Small Circuit. And Angkor Wat plus Angkor Thom makes up the Grand Circuit. (For the record, we only did the Grand & Small Circuits.)
In my opinion, you can do all three circuits if you start your day really early at 4.30am. Catch the sunrise at Angkor Wat and proceed onto the other circuits. If you’re a regular guy or girl like me, hire a tuk tuk for the entire day. Some people rent bicycles and cycle. Gotta say the grounds are v–a–s–t though. It’s a lot to cover unless you have super quads/super lungs/super health/fitness… you get it.
We were one of the many early birds that arrived at 5ish a.m.. The skies were gloomy so we didn’t get much of a sunrise. In fact, we got drizzles! But dampen our spirits it did not, we welcomed daylight and forged on.
In this photo, I’m standing on the steps of Angkor Wat, looking toward the entrance
Now we are inside!
Apsaras on the walls
Inside looking up; inside looking out
Walking out of Angkor Wat
This one might have been used as a library
Looking back at Angkor Wat
Getting one last photo of it before heading for Angkor Thom
An Instagram friend recommended dusk at Angkor Wat too. I totally would have considered that if I had known!
| Tags: 50mm/F1.8, Angkor Wat, Cambodia, nikon FM10, Siem Reap
19 Aug 13
Today’s my birthday and I am now 28. Definitely feeling older this time. Over the weekend, my friends threw me a nice nighttime-picnic by the beach and ended the night with sparklers and a MINION BIRTHDAY CAKE! And earlier today, Ben & I went to River Safari to check out PANDAS! Overall, a happy dumpling right now.
I shall leave you with some photos that have nothing to do with birthdays but! they look nice to me so here’s hoping you like them too. The first half are of someone’s bonsai plants and the second half are of shopfronts I took while walking through Haji Lane and Kandahar Street.
Now to get ready for dinner.
| Tags: 50mm/F1.8, Dong Po Colonial Cafe, nikon FM10, Shop Wonderland Haji Lane, Soon Lee Haji Lane, Standard of Living
11 Aug 13
Some time ago, I came across Katie’s visit to Kampong Buangkok. It is Singapore’s remaining kampong (or village) and one of those things I’d wanted to do since forever. Initially, I thought it was gonna be a bit of a trek to get there (think Pulau Ubin) but who knew, it’s just across the road from a petrol kiosk! I included directions on how to get there at the end of the post too.
As with most things associated with the olden days, once you step into the kampong, time really stands still.
Can’t help but adore the colours these homeowners picked out
This is the original road sign from the heydays!
See how there are modern apartment buildings in the background? This was like a vortex to the future and I’m standing in the past. Imagination much?
TV trivia: The new show “Mata Mata” on Ch5 filmed some of their scenes here. I recognized this blue door!
Imagination still rolling… mmm rainbow, gay pride? That ode would be really cool if it were true.
This lone chair-swing is right outside the entrance to the kampong. It looked morbid and gave off suicidal vibes, at first. Partly induced because we didn’t see a single soul inside the kampong. But we could hear the tv on in some houses, so people were probably indoors because it was afternoon and hot.
The kampong is also pretty near our future home (in Sengkang) so hopefully it will still be around then. I’d love to re-visit again and see if anything changes or if time really stands still there. If you’re thinking of going and you’re driving, get to Gerald Drive off Yio Chu Kang Rd. Turn left and you’ll see the first house with the address 8 Lorong Buangkok on your right. Go forth another 100m and on your left, you’ll see a makeshift sign that says Surau Kampong Lorong Buangkok. Park and begin!!
| Tags: 50mm/F1.8, kampong buangkok, last kampong in singapore, nikon FM10
