40K cycle (9:00 pm – 4:30 am) around beautifully lit up Singapore, Yummy Snack breaks and great company! GO TEAM D!!!
Cambodia (05.12.13-09.12.13)
End of Semester 1 trip!
Straight after my last exam me and Linda headed to Changi Airport.
We arrived in Cambodia to be reunited with Shoubey and Ilin and then we took the night bus to Siem Reap (~30 US $).
First day in Siem Reap
We were all disorientated and didn’t expect to be dropped off in what looked like to be in the middle of nowhere. We found a tuk tuk (they found us) and asked to go to The Wooden Angkor (Where we stayed, which was recommended by a friend and I definitely recommend it too!). The staff were so friendly and very helpful! We rented out bicycles to gather our bearings of the area. ($US 7). We cycled round to the parliament building first, but as the King was visiting there that day it was closed off. We had breakfast (the most msg-tasting eggs ever … blueerrr), nearly got ran over a few times (It is a right- hand side drive but considering it was my first time on a bicycle on the road it went well!) and ended with Lunch and shopping at the markets near Pub Street.
In the evening we went to the floating villages, which had such a serene sunset. We rented out a boat (It was quite touristy, I suggest finding a smaller boat so that you can visit the mangrove forest too!) and a guide took us round and we stopped to see the sunset.
At night, we headed to the bar Angkor What? Cheap, on tap beers, music, a lot of travellers, situated on the lively, vibrant Pub Street and lots of great tasting restaurants!
Day two
The Wooden Angkor organised a tuk tuk driver to take us to the Angkor Wat temple to see the sunrise. (But It is easy to organise a tuk tuk driver for the temple loop, as you walk around drivers will be asking you if you want a tuk tuk.) So we was with the same tuk tuk driver for the whole day, he took us to the sunrise (5am, we were picked up from our hotel), He waited for us at the entrance of the Angkor Wat temple and drove us to the other temples on the small loop (Bayon, Ta Prohm). The temples were magnificent, surreal, it felt like they were just situated in such random, secluded places. There were a lot of temples to explore and climb, get lost in, to find your way back at the beginning feeling unsure whether or not you circled round or even completed the whole temple. Some go up very high! (or at least for me). My advice is to get enough sleep! We were going off 4 hours sleep and Linda for sure was exhausted (falling asleep every time we stopped for a break). A guide is unnecessary in my opinion, however we did find a guy who was keen in telling us about the history of the Angkor Wat, for which we paid him I think about $US 5 each. It was very interesting, he told us stories at key points of the Angkor Wat, about Cambodian religion, and their history. But for what it was worth, there were people selling history books for less than $US 5 or even less than that.
By the end we were exhausted, having little naps on our tuk tuk to each temple. However we got our tuk tuk driver to head to the temple on a mountain to see the sunset. It was very crowded and cloudy. So no sunset. I wouldn’t recommend this.
Day 3
This was our last day together :(, we had breakfast at the hotel, which I recommend the pancakes!! Then we decided to go to the waterfall which was about an hour drive. We went by taxi as the drive was very long and quite steep.
After a refreshing dip and enjoying the sun, the taxi driver asked us if we wanted to see the Thousands Lingas, from our memory of our tour around the Angkor Wat half asleep, we recalled that the Lingas was a penis, so we were a bit confused when a group of children were pulling us over to see the Thousand Lingas…
Turns out it is a symbol representing male and female. ^
We then got back in time to do the sunset paddy field tour on quad bikes. It was so much FUUNN!! The tour guides were really chilled. We sat, chatted, one of the tour guides sung us a song, watched the sun set, then sped off in to the dark back to their base.
Day 4
Linda and I arrived back in Phnom Penh, we visited the killing fields before our flight. It was a very saddening experience to know that something like that happened to people, people that were unaware and trusted the man in power, it crept beneath them and millions died. It wasn’t just story or a tale. It really happened, on the grounds that we were walking on, the tree that we stood by, the lake that we sat at. When the tour ended it posed the question whether something like that could happen again…
Travelling Around Asia In Semester 1
Since exploring Melbourne I’ve been on other fun adventures:
Beijing(05.11.13-09.11.13)
Kuala Lumpur (15.11.13)
Laos (16.11.13-19.11.13)
Cambodia (05.12.13-09.12.13)
Thailand- Bangkok, Krabi (30.12.13-07.01.14)
My favourite places that I had visited in semester 1 were Laos and Cambodia. The people were so friendly, both street food and restaurant food were amazingly delicious, the atmosphere on the streets, bars, markets were so vibrant, friendly and so much fun! It was so easy to get round, locals were so helpful. Stunning scenery, romantic sunset tours, wake-up at Angkor Wat, unforgettable tours, lively night markets, easy to get round transport (tuk tuks), cheap massages, perfect pancakes and crunchy crepes. There is so much to explore!!!
Pool Day …
The day at the pool with Elli was the plan.
NTU’s pool was closed for an event, so we went to the pool near pioneer (used EZ link card to get in, it so useful how EZ link cards can be used everywhere!).
It started off a beautiful day, swam a few laps and then a light shower passed; but it was soon sunny again. When joining Elli on the sunbathing area, another shower passed. Shortly after an alarm went off. Fire alarm?? Nope! Lightening warning, so the pools were vacated and temporarily closed; we were told to take shelter. Swimming classes were in hope that the pool would re-open at 4pm, children were practising their swimming techniques and warming up. After waiting for over an hour the pools didn’t reopen. A strange experience. Pool Day- Failed. (no lightning either)
Exploring Orchard
I didn’t get to explore much of Singapore last semester, so I decided to read the Singapore’s Lonely Planet.
Orchard is the place to be if you want to spend lots of money and hours of shopping shopping shopping! Housing expensive brands, few affordable boutiques, quirky gift shops, and lots of places to eat.
I first got off the Somerset MRT stop, wandered around 313 Somerset shopping mall which is a mix of the usual high street shops. (New look, Forever 21, Mango, Uniqlo, Zara). Since it is January there were A LOT of sales on!
The Lonely Planet suggested a visit to Emerald Hill, there were a row of pretty buildings and nice looking bars toward one end, but on an empty stomach just didn’t fancy it.
So, in search for a Mrs. Fields, hunger took me to Cathay Cineleisure Orchard. To my disappointment Mrs. Fields was replaced by Famous Amos!!!! 😦 Though I did stumble across some vintage/urban shops here, which were much more affordable!
Still hungry! I decided to go to the recommended Din Tai Fung in the Paragon Shopping Centre. It is ranked in the top ten world’s best restaurants!! Famous for it’s Xiao Long Bao which is a must try! It is a steamed little bun/dumpling usually filled with pork (but has many variations) with a tasty soup trapped inside. My honest opinion, these were the best Xiao Long Bao’s I have eaten!
Sliced duck in crispy spring onion pastry was a good choice too!
The Lonely Planet also recommended PS Cafe in Paragon Shopping Centre:
They looked super yummy but also pricey so maybe for another time!
Crossing the road over to Takashimaya Department store for Dessert in the food village on the basement floor! Most Intelligent, delectable macaroons at TWG! My love for tea and macaroons fused together! Try Matcha and Bain de Roses (green and pink ones).
Final destination was ION Orchard Mall; stylish and classy. I ventured up to a higher level where there was an art exhibition on; the Fringe is currently on, 8-19th Jan 2014. The exhibition featured Alecia Neo (Singapore) art, which focused on the visually-impaired. It was a dark room filled with projections that were very bright and blurred; a visual insight?
Lots of money spent, ate a lot of food, exhausted, Orchard complete!
Infinite happiness at the Infinity Pool
Marina Bay Sands is this stunning boat topped building:
Up on that boat has the infinity pool. Absolutely stunning view! A bunch of us got up there for 2 pm and it was like being in a separate world, an escape from the busy exchange student life. We lounged with hot towels, had a swim and paddle in the pool, warmed up in the jacuzzi, took lots of pictures, had a nap, watched the sun set over Singapore, waited until nightfall and watched the daily 8 pm show at Marina Bay.
Was an amazing experience!
MISSING FOOD FROM MELBOURNE!
Melbourne fed me and Ida like QUEEENSS! The food was just amazing! It could of been a combination of missing real western food and the the freshly home cooked meals that Ben and Olly prepared; nonetheless the food was delicious! The hype of CHEAP Asian died down and me and Ida INDULGED! So I thought, I would dedicate a blog post of its own!
Friday: Day of arrival, we was so hungry and tired= Quick and easy… KEBAB!
Saturday:
Popular choice at the Market: Boreks for breakfast
Crepes for snack time; green tea crepe with strawberries and ice cream!
Sunday: Day at the Zoo
On the drive back we stopped at a cafe; tried an ‘aussie favourite’ Creamie Lamington.
Real sausages, kangaroo, fresh avocado, tomatoes, cucumber and spinach leaves, Cheese, sour dough bread, just yum! And I am not usually a fan of salads!
Monday: Melbourne central
Sushi in longer sized rolls, then eating in a paper bag… for convenience?
Tuesday: The Aquarium smelt of fish and chips the whole way through! So was very tempted but I miss breakfast! So for lunch it was Eggs Florentine .
Wednesday: Breakfast at this cute little cafe onBrunswick Street, Argos Loves Company; French Toast!!
After a long day at the museum we had to perk up with a sugar boost! COOKIES, though we didn’t eat the minion cookie because…
… we were saving ourselves for the roast Ben prepared
Thursday: Tea and scones!
ROAST BELLY PORK!!!
Friday: Ice-cream and the last supper!
Saturday: Breakfast before we go!
Down in “Straahhhlya”
Melbourne was very good to me and Ida. We were luckily enough to stay with Ben (Ida’s friend) and Olly (Ben’s flat mate) who took very good care of us and showed us round Melbourne!! As much as I love Asia, Melbourne was a nice break from it all. The luxury of REAL bacon egg and sausages, breakfast that doesn’t consists of kaya, uncooked watery eggs, noodles or curry chicken!?!
Friday:
Landed and Hungry= My first kebab
Saturday:
Queen Victoria Market. This market had everything; from breakfast, hot drinks, cooked meat, fresh meat and kangaroo, huge bones, fruit, veg, wine, souvenirs, clothes, UGG boots, foot massages, didgeridoo, flowers, leather bags that came with a ‘fountain pen and a free leather coin purse’; this market had such a great vibe that we revisited on the Thursday! This day, was the Day of the Australian football finals; (Hawthorn Vs. Fremantle) so we watched a bit of football then headed out to Flinders Street.
Sunday: Day at the Zoo and the PENGUIN PARADE
At the zoo, the main highlights were seeing the kangaroos, a platypus, and Koalas.
The Penguin Parade was worth the wait in the FREEEZING cold! No pictures allowed, but I will never forget the cute little penguins bobbing out the sea and waddling off home!
Monday: Shop Shop Shop until ALL THE MONIES ARE GONE!
Me and Ida headed out to Melbourne Central to have a look at the shops. Most shops were very expensive but after not giving up and a short break of sugary treats we found exactly what we were looking for!
Here is a snap that reminded me of home:
Melbourne’s ‘Market Street’ (Manchester)
Tuesday: Aquarium, Bridge street, Eureka Sky Deck.
We finished the aquarium earlier than expected so we decided to check out the outlet malls on Bridge street.
Later we met Ben and Olly to go up to the Eureka Sky Deck.
Wednesday: Brunswick Street, Museum
We had breakfast at Argos loves Company on Brunswick Street. Melbourne Museum was really good! It was strangely an emotional journey going through the Aborigines exhibition; we spent most of our time here. Other exhibitions were Psychology, Biology, Dinosaurs, how the Earth formed and Melbourne’s history.
Thursday: Market, Melbourne Library to see Ned Kelly’s (Notorious Bush Ranger) armour, Remembrance Shrine, Botanical gardens, walk back to the apartment along the Yarra River.
Friday: Anglesea, The Great Ocean Road, Torquay
ROAD TRIP on the Great Ocean Road, Ben drove us round through many towns along the coast! We were so LUCKY to have nice weather and enjoy the day trip out!
Saturday: 😦 last morning in Melbourne. 24 hours of flying ahead of us!
Half-way point!
It is just unreal how much has happened in over two months! There is so much to take in, all these experiences; I CANNOT STRESS ENOUGH HOW EXCHANGES ARE A MUST-DO, NON REGRETTABLE EXPERIENCE!! It has been a eye opening, free-ing , learning, immersing, bucket list ticking; just so much FUN, and it is only the half-way point in this semester!
Don’t get me wrong I am also here to study and with a different school system it was and still is stressful; but when your in another country seeing beautiful places, meeting amazing people, exploring Asia; well you see the bigger picture and make the most of your time here too.
Two months in and I am finally getting the hang of the long lectures (2-3 hours), midterms (continuous assessments) and most importantly FINALLY KEEPING UP WITH THE PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY LECTURES! It is difficult to concentrate for a long period of time, with COLD air con, and then the Singlish; at first I struggled but I have mastered Singlish in Chemistry!
One midterm, an essay out of the way! Two midterms left. Finally keeping on track.
Ida immerses herself in Aussie culture
So now I am in Melbourne with Ida; her lovely friend Ben has kindly took us in and is showing us around!!
Today we went to the Zoo and the PENGUIN PARADE!!!!! The Penguin parade was amazing! We waited in the cold overlooking the beach, the crashing waves and watching dusk fall. A little while after we see the tiny penguins bobbing up and out the sea and then their teeny selves pop out of the water and huddle together. We even got to see them waddle off to their homes! It was the cutest thing!
So Ida is really enjoying being in Australia, she is doing as the locals do; trying the local cuisine, petting the wildlife, enjoying the wineries!
Oh and we both tried ….. Kangaroo…. I cant really describe the taste but it was admittedly good!
rosannegoh 