June 2010
1 post
May 2010
1 post
March 2010
11 posts
siem reap / angkor temples, cambodia
I knew that the temple complex at Angkor was big, but wasn’t prepared for the scale of it. On a weekend in Siem Reap we went to ten temple sites, including gigantic Angkor Wat itself - a highlight, along with Bayon and Ta Som. It would have been nice to have more days so that we could pick and choose when to visit the temples: the sun was hot and, worse, the place was packed (apparently...
phuket & phi phi, thailand
Earlier this month I went to Thailand for a beach vacation with a friend who was visiting from the US. We spent some time in Kata Beach, Phuket (a little quieter than the main drag at Patong Beach, but still a good base for day trips) and on Ko Phi Phi (some really-quite-OK snorkelling). Phuket/Phi Phi are popular tourist destinations, with everything good and bad that this implies; in particular,...
February 2010
1 post
December 2009
9 posts
National Geographic: 'The Singapore Solution' →
'tis the season ...
… for expats to stand helplessly in the baking needs aisle and ask: Where are the maraschino cherries? Where is the confectioner’s sugar? Where is the marshmallow fluff? (I have to admit, the latter was for me; since we don’t have an over I’m making rice krispies squares in lieu of proper holiday cookies).
Singapore: The great taste of a cultural melting... →
Singapore Journal - In a Scramble for Space, the... →
At Singapore's Changi Airport, a layover is also a... →
BBC News - Singapore birds sent to market party →
I’ve seen residents of our HDB block taking covered bird cages out for a weekend junket …
November 2009
3 posts
September 2009
2 posts
“Minister Mentor Lee was also asked whether he played a role in helping his son...”
– channelnewsasia.com - MM Lee shares Singapore’s success story with Russian students
August 2009
14 posts
“You choose your one-meat-two-vegetables or two-meat-two-vegetables or...”
– mrbrown and the economy rice - inSing.com
Pulau Redang, Malaysia
As tropical paradises go, Pulau Redang is perhaps a little worn, but it’s got white beaches and turquoise waters and stunning anemones and more fish per gallon than I’ve ever seen. Works for me.
- sarah.
Melaka, Malaysia
A few weeks ago we spent a couple of days in Melaka, on our way to Pulau Redang for some tropical beach time. A Malaysian city with a Portuguese colonial past, and a seat of Peranakan Chinese culture, Melaka was named a World Heritage site by UNESCO last year. More photos here.
- sarah.
July 2009
3 posts
WatchSingapore Lights Timelapse on Vimeo by Weehan Yeo (via Vimeo)
The haze
“The haze is back in Singapore as Indonesia’s bushfire season is in full swing.”
Although still within “acceptable range” (under 50 on the Pollution Standard Index; yesterday’s PSI was 45), the pollution was visible from our window over the weekend, and we could smell it on the air. I suppose it explains the sore throat I’ve had for a few days.
-sarah.
June 2009
7 posts
Yogyakarta
Last week Carl and I spent a few days in and around Yogyakarta (a city in Indonesia, on the island of Java), inspired by S$25 tickets on TigerAir. The big draw was Borobudur, a massive and impressively ornate nine-tiered Buddhist temple that was built around the ninth century (and restored in the twentieth). It was quite a sight to see, and we were lucky to stay at a hotel that could arrange for...
