Freckled Faces + Favourite Places

RELOCATED...

2012-03-22T17:01:00.000-07:00

I know it is a pain to always remember the links to your favourite blogs...mine being one of them I am sure...but I had to do.

I have moved...

And here is where you can find me now..

http://freckledfacesandfavouriteplaces.wordpress.com/

xoxo

Cambodia's Angkor Wat...

2012-03-07T01:29:00.001-08:00

One of the UNESCO World Heritage sites, Angkor is a site to be seen. Located near Siem Reap I travelled to these amazing temples with G Adventures. The temples stretch over about a 400 square km area which contain several ruins of the Khmer Empire from the 9th to the 15th centuries. The most famous are the Temple of Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom, the Bayon temple.

The first two photos are of the sunrise at Angkor Wat. Yes, the sunrise, which meant we left the hotel at approximately 5 a.m. and were back at the hotel for breakfast by 9ish. Needless to say it was a long day but so worth it. The next day we went to the sunset (pictured above). The entire group, about 15 of us, were exhausted but we thought, how could we miss the sunset on Angkor Wat. So we begrudgingly boarded the bus, minus one groupie who stayed back and rested at the hotel, and made our way back to the temples. Not sure if I mentioned in previous posts but I also have a fear of heights, and by fear I mean it can somewhat paralyze me, making the trek down or up difficult. Just ask my mom who tried to get me up to a beautiful site in Florence, I made it three quarters of the way up and yeah couldn't go any further. So anyway we arrived at one of the temples in which we were to climb to get the best view of the sunset. Oh, yeah, and this was about 3 in the afternoon because we were told if we didn't get there early we wouldn't be able to climb the temple. They only allow about 300 people every night to get a chance to see the view. So we climbed and because members of my group knew of my fear I was surrounded by support. Up to the top we went and wait a minute Angkor Wat is to the east of us, and the sun is setting to the west of us. Uhm...yeah it was then that we were told we were watching the sunset, in which we responded, yes but we assumed that when we are told we are going to watch the sunset on Angkor Wat that we will see the sun set on Angkor Wat, not just the sun setting and then Angkor Wat well is just there. Oh well it was an amazing adventure, one that I won't forget and it was all worth it. Oh and if you are a fan of Lara Croft or Tomb Raider, yeah these are the ones from the film. I was going to try my best Lara Croft move but I figured the camera wouldn't capture it quite like it should.

Live and learn...

2012-02-29T04:41:00.001-08:00

Awe....here is a post that I had written on my iPad a few nights ago but thought it was gone into cyber space...however once I got to my computer and a reliable internet connection, voila, the lost has been found...enjoy...

It's my last night in Thailand and I've spent the day doing absolutely nothing. That's right. Nothing. I stayed in bed right before the buffet breakfast ended, after which I came back to my room, sat on the Internet, messaged a few friends and family, and watched one of the only three English channels on tv.

I hauled my butt downstairs mid-afternoon and went for a dip in the pool. And literally it was a dip. I laid by the pool for a whole 45 minutes. Those of you who know me well, know that I'm not a sit around the pool doing nothing kinda girl, so I packed up my stuff and went to the restaurant for a snack. I ordered the prawn cakes with cucumber dip, thought it sounded interesting. And it was, but it wasn't the food that was the interesting part, it was once again my communication skills with the servers or lack thereof. So when my prawn cakes arrived, which were lovely by the way, there was no cucumber dip only a sweet and sour, chili and ketchup. So I asked the server if I could have some cucumber dip. After giving me an unusual look he called to a fellow co-worker and two of them came to my table to figure out what I was asking for. Between the two of them they both nodded their heads and repeated back to me cucumber. Awe...they understand. So a few minutes later the server arrives with a plate of sliced cucumber. Sigh. I guess my wishful thinking that I had finally learned how to communicate was in fact just wishful thinking. But regardless the prawn cakes were just fine with the sweet and sour sauce with a hint of chili.

After all was said and done it reminded me of a situation in Ao Nang at a restaurant where I had pointed to iced tea on the menu, the server shook her head in agreement and saw where I was pointing to on the menu and the next thing I see is a can of diet coke sitting in front if me. And just so you know the iced tea and diet coke were no where near each other on the menu.

One of the things I have learned while travelling is that even if a server or anyone who speaks a different language than you nods their head in agreement doesn't mean they understand. Boy have I ever been naive. Live and learn has a whole new meaning to me now.

And the journey continues...

2012-02-23T22:54:00.000-08:00

I have been 'on the road' for 16 days now and soon it will be coming to an end. I am currently at Ao Nang beach in Thailand. Over the past 16 days I have been to Vietnam, Cambodia, and now at my final destination, Thailand, before I depart and head back to Malaysia. This trip has been a life changing experience...yes...kind of like eat, love, pray but different. I have met so many amazing people, seen such amazing scenery, landmarks, and learned a lot about the culture and history of these beautiful places, filled with beautiful people. Most of all I have learned a little more about me...who I am, who I want to be and what I want out of life. Travel has a funny way of opening our eyes not only to the unique destinations but into ourselves. I can't wait to re-experience my journey by the photos and memories I will hold dear to my heart.

Now, I am looking forward to the next destination...wherever that may be. Because the one thing I have learned throughout the last 4 months is that we all create our own experience, our own adventures no matter where in the world we are. We are the ones who get to choose how we want to live, how we accept life and how we look forward to the next chapter.

Good morning Vietnam...

2012-02-09T03:21:00.000-08:00

I have arrived at my next destination.

Hello Vietnam.

Thankfully I made it to the hotel unscathed and got into my room, had dinner, booked a day tour all in a few short hours. I've settled in a few days before I will be heading out with a tour group, G Adventures.

So far I have visited the war remnant museum, China town, Thien Hau market, Binh Tay Market, Handicraft workshop, reunification palace, Notre Dame Cathedral, the general post office and City Hall. Day 1 complete.

Next on the agenda is the Cu Chi tunnels located just outside the city. The Cu Chi was an underground village during the war which has over 200 kms of tunnels located at Ben Dinh.

And in these few short days I have already fallen in love with Pho soup...so far I have tried both chicken and beef. Both are delicious and a must try when in Vietnam.

Looking forward to joining the group tomorrow night and meeting a few people. Maybe I'll even find a few friends who I can drag around after the sun sets. These evenings in could get old.

R n' R in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia

2012-02-07T17:18:00.000-08:00

Kota Kinabalu, or as many locals call it KK, is a magical destination and is known around the world for being one of the best diving locations. Wish I liked diving.

I love going to KK just to get away for a few days to lay on the beach for some rest and relaxation, do a bit of shopping and visit some of the local eateries. Just before Christmas I paid this tourist destination town a visit alone, but this time I had my trusty side-kick, Ridley, with me.

We arrived late on Friday night and stayed at Ming Gardens, a new four-star hotel complete with a large restaurant, a gym, spa, pool, lounge and bar. Saturday morning we enjoyed a buffet breakfast that had everything from sushi to scrambled eggs, followed by which we headed to the new shopping centre where we spent a majority of the day.

We had decided prior to the trip that we wanted to have a spa day. We checked out the hotel spa to which we thought was a bit over priced. So, following our shopping excursion we started to check out the local spas. Ridley's aunt and uncle had recently visited one in KK but couldn't remember the name, however they did know the location, beside Starbucks. The hunt was on. We visited few different spas before we settled on one, which was not near a Starbucks. Actually we didn't even find the Starbucks until the night before we left. But we were determined to have our feet pampered. Ridley has never had a foot scrub, pedicure, manicure or well any spa treatment, ever. I on the other hand have and know what to expect. Both of us were taken to the back room and were instructed to sit in what were very comfy chairs, ok I thought to myself this isn't too bad. Then the young lady and her mother came into the room each carrying a large plastic bowl filled with water. Ridley and I stuck our feet in the water and that's about when we should have said thank you and left. The tool kit came out next and to be honest it looked like these tools had not been sanitized. I started taking deep breaths and telling myself, it's ok it will all be ok. And then they started scrubbing, and scrubbing and scrubbing. Poor Ridley's feet took a beating and at one point the mother, daughter teamed shared tools, and that's when I pulled my foot out of her hand and shook my head no. So there we sat not sure what to do but texting back and forth telling each other that we were doing it for the little girl who's mother was scrubbing my feet and grandmother was scrubbing Ridley's feet and hoping that our money was going into her college fund. What an adventure and so far nothing unusual has sprouted on either of our feet, I think we will be safe, or here's hoping anyway.

You would think after the foot experience we would learn. But for some reason we didn't, because before even leaving the building after our infamous foot scrub, we are stopped by a different spa and in we went. I, however, went for the full one hour body massage and foot reflexology rather than any pedicure or manicure. I figured it was safer having someone rub my back and feet than dig or scrub with some unsanitized tools. Yeah, wrong again. At one point during this said massage I was once again thinking to myself it will be ok, I will survive but I wasn't sure if I would get out of there without any bruises. Ridley on the other had decided to do the pedicure, manicure and full body massage because it was cheap. Yeah and basically they trimmed his toe nails and finger nails and called it good. I had to explain to him that it was not a pedicure or manicure by any standard. Together we have quite the misadventures. We are starting to believe that it is just the way its supposed to be, but hey it makes for great stories to tell.

Since we had such a large breakfast we skipped lunch but once supper time hit we were starved. We went on the hunt for the new Welcome Seafood restaurant in Asia City. Ridley's sister recommended we visit this restaurant which opened last December. And, yeah, despite our best efforts we couldn't find Welcome Seafood. Even after we were stopped by a salesman trying to sell us some rings which we declined, he then went on to ask us, "You look like you are lost, can I help you?" We explained we were looking for Welcome Seafood, he then pointed in the direction where we were to go, and we still couldn't find Welcome Seafood. Sigh. This is Ridley hijacking Shelley's blog to tell you all how much I love this girl and how awesome she is...now back to your regularly scheduled program.By this time one out of the two of us was getting a wee bit cranky and we ended up stopping at the first decent looking restaurant for a bite to eat. With our bellies full we headed back to the hotel to retire for the evening.

The next day was pool day. We headed downstairs after another buffet breakfast where we layed by the pool for the morning and early afternoon. By 2 p.m. we were checked out and headed to our next destination, the Pacific Sutera Harbour Resort. We stayed at this particular resort last year and we knew it had its own private beach so off we went for our last night of misadventures. The rest of the day we relaxed by the pool and near the beach at the resort and later went for supper at Grazie, an Italian restaurant. To our surprise this was the second Italian restaurant in Malaysia that we would visit again. We shared a pizza and pasta dish, both of which were amazing ending out trip in KK well worth it despite our sore feet and muscles.

Weekend get-away...

2012-02-03T18:27:00.000-08:00

And...I am back...again to Kota Kinabalu. But this time with Ridley, which means it will be much more entertaining than it was before Christmas when I came by myself. It was about one year ago that we were here last and stayed at the Pacific Sutra Harbour, complete with its own private beach, pool, swim up bar, golf course, and marina. This time we are staying at Ming Garden Hotel which is a wee bit closer to the downtown core, which also mean closer to the mall for me.

View of the hotel, Pacific Sutra Harbour we stayed last year.

Last years attempt at taking an action shot...
apparently we need to practice our jump shots.

Sutra's pool with view of the sea.

What's on the menu...

2012-02-02T18:33:00.000-08:00

I celebrated my third wedding a few days ago. Well, not MY third wedding, just the third Chinese wedding I have attended in the last three and a half months.

The one thing about the Chinese weddings I have attended, is that the food keeps coming. Dish after dish is served and typically it takes a few hours to finish the meal.

Here is the menu from the last wedding I attended...

Mandarin Oranges
Hot and Cold Dish Combination (exactly what it sounds like...a combination of appetizer type food)
Shark Fin with Dried Scallop and Crabmeat Soup
Streamed Fresh Water Fish with Oyster Sauce
Braised Chicken with Lotus Seeds and Assorted Mushrooms
Roasted Crispy Duckling
Stew Three Variety Dry Seafood with Oyster Sauce
Braise Shell Prawn in Butter Milk
Honeydew with Yam and Pumpkin in Coconut Milk

I can honestly say that I enjoy the Shark Fin soup, although I won't eat any of the meat only the broth, and with vinegar. I actually hope that there aren't any real fin's in the soup, however in reality I suppose if it says Shark Fin soup, you are guaranteed there will be Shark Fin's in the soup. Sigh. Maybe next time I will pass. Also, who knew I would enjoy eating duck, but I do, and with a bit of soya sauce, chili and garlic, it is delicious. Oh, but my ultimate favourite is the butter milk prawns. I could honestly eat a whole plate of these, well as long as they are peeled. I am such a girl, or I should say an Alberta girl where I eat a lot more medium rare sirloin steak and a side of mashed potato than peeling prawns.

Big goofy grins after my third Chinese wedding dinner.

Homemade treats...

2012-02-01T16:38:00.000-08:00

Steamed coffee cake and curry puffs.

I grew up on a farm and all of my teenage years we lived just outside of a town with a population of about 1,100. I loved my small town, but it also meant that I didn't get to experience a lot of different foods or cultures.

So now I am embracing it all. A few years ago I had never tried curry, or rambutan, or lasksa, or nasi lemak, or rojack...or...ok you get the picture.

There is one thing that I do love and honestly hope that I can recreate when I travel back to Canada, and that's Momma Chen's homemade curry puffs. I know for a fact that I will not be able to recreate them quite like her, but I may have to recruit my sister to try, even if its just once.

Before Chinese New Years we spent part of a day making curry puffs, rolling the dough, letting the dough sit, making two different kinds of dough so the pastry was nice and fluffy, oh and the day before was spent making the potato curry filling for the inside. So, as you can see by this very brief description that making curry puffs is quite the process and quite frankly should require a team to complete. But oh they are well worth it.

Then there is the steamed nescafe layer cake. I had never tried steamed cake before but it is so moist and keeps much longer than traditionally baked cakes but also take much longer to complete. Some cakes can can take hours before they are ready.

One thing is for sure, I will be coming home with a few new recipes ...

Chinese New Years celebrations...

2012-01-31T23:27:00.000-08:00

New dress, check.

New haircut, check.

Pedicure, check.

Awe...Chinese New Years.

So, even though I am not Chinese, ok maybe that is stating the obvious, but I do love celebrating Chinese New Years, minus the firecrackers at 8:30 a.m.

It has taken me some time to finally sit down and write out my experiences during my second Chinese New Years because you see it is a busy time. Think of a typical North American Christmas and times it by 10. Yes, it's that busy. First its the work prior, such as cleaning the house, shopping for new clothes, baking cakes, preparing dishes, organizing open houses between relatives, oh yeah and getting pedicures and or manicures done. As you can see it's a lot of work.

The reality is Chinese New Years is a special and important time for the Chinese culture. It is a time where families and friends reunite, a time where the we would somewhat consider 'spring cleaning', and technically the New Year's is about the beginning of spring. There are so many traditions that are said to evoke good luck, or to bring wealth to a family. For example, most houses always have tikoy which is a type of sticky cake. This sticky cake is left out for the Kitchen Gods to receive on Chinese New Years Eve. It is believed that the sticky cake will cause the Kitchen Gods mouth to be stuck so that he can't 'badmouth' the family to the God of all Gods, this is also why everyone cleans their homes top to bottom right before the New Year begins.

I can't forget about the firecrackers, which are set up just before midnight on the eve of Chinese New Years. The firecrackers, and fireworks, are set off to celebrate the beginning of the New Year, but also to ward off bad spirits. Many families tend to enjoy the firecrackers a bit much and set them off nightly and some mornings as well throughout the celebrations. Oh and by celebrations I forgot to mention that Chinese New Years spans 15 days, although to be honest generally only first 5 or so are the major days...yes only 5.

This Chinese New Years is the Year of the Dragon, which is the fifth sign of the Chinese Zodiac. Since it is the year of the Dragon many traditional dances incorporate a dragon into the dance. Also in Miri each year a large market is held for a week prior to the New Year where a traditional Lion Dance is held each night. The market is always interesting with loads of food, and New Years items for sale.

The first day of Chinese New Years is always a flurry of activity. Everyone dons a new outfit and visits the elders in the family, or at least we do here. The rest of the days are generally spent visiting family or friends during the their open houses. We held an open house here on the fourth day in which friends and family came to visit. We also had traditional Lion Dancers visit the house. Lion Dances travel from house to house and business to business performing throughout the New Year celebrations. In return the family or business owners give them angpo (money in a red envelope). By having this dance performed at a home or business it is believed to bring luck and wealth to the family or business owner. I wonder if just being here will bring me luck. I can only hope.

Lion Dancers travelling door to door.

Dancers at the Miri, Sarawak market.

More dancers at the market.

Escaping the crowds from the New Years market.

Adventures and misadventures in Johor Bahru, Malaysia

2012-01-19T18:04:00.000-08:00

With a population of about 900,000 it is also just north of Singapore, and by just north I mean, you can literally see Singapore from some parts of Johor Bahru.

While we only had a few days in Singapore we decided that we would spend some time back in Malaysia at Johor Bahru. Since I heard they had just opened up the Premier Shopping Outlet I was enticed to check it out. So, while we were eating our breakfast at the beautiful Sentosa Resort, an island off of Singapore, and before our full day at Universal Studios, we booked a five-star hotel on Agoda in Johor Bahru.

Tip: When in Asia, www.agoda.com, is a great website to get deals on booking hotel rooms.

It wasn't till about 6 p.m. that we left Universal Studios to pick up our bags and head to the bus to take us to Johor Bahru. The day before we had learnt that conveniently enough there was a bus stop to and from Johor Bahru that left from the resort. It was like it was almost meant to be.

We went and got our tickets from the ticket office, a booth in the parkade where the buses come and go, and were told that tickets were to be purchased from the bus driver, unfortunately we didn't have any small change. So, of course I asked if we could change some of our Singaporian dollars into smaller bills. There were three of them in the ticket booth that was about the size of a ticket booth at the fair, only one spoke very good English, and they all said no they didn't have change. The attendant told me that the bus driver will have change when we can pay for our tickets. Phew.

So the bus finally arrives, we wait until all passenger board to ensure there is change for us to purchase our tickets. I enter the bus, hand the driver a bill and he shakes his head and tells me he has no change. Now, just to note our bus driver is one of the same individuals who was in the ticket booth to begin with. Sigh. I go back outside the bus and discuss with Ridley. We ask if he'll take Malaysian Ringgets. He shakes his head "No." Sigh. I look at Ridley with a confused look, irritated and annoyed and say, "now what." Then Ridley gets on the bus and with his best Manglish asks if we can pay in Ringgets. By the way Manglish is slang Malay English and generally locals are well versed but unfortunately this particular driver was not so versed. We weren't sure what he was versed in to be honest. So, Ridley steps out of the bus and as he's looking at me a stranger from the bus speaks with the driver, following which looks at us and says in plain English, "You guys can pay in Ringgets." At that point Ridley and I were so thankful, that we finally were able to get on the bus and make our journey we hopped on board and paid the driver. But for the record I was still annoyed that he didn't understand me and I am sure he was doubly annoyed that he couldn't understand either of us.

After we made several stops within the city we finally reached the border in about an hour and a half. This is where it gets a wee bit tricky. We all disembark from the bus and head through customs and security checks following which we weren't sure what to do. So we followed the crowd and low and behold the bus meets us on the other side. We see fellow passengers who were traveling on the same bus waiting and we join the crowd. We had no idea what we were doing but it all worked out. So we head into Johor Bahru and are dropped off at JB Sentral, the main transport hub for the city. We grab a taxi and are on our way to our five-star hotel. Finally.

Our bus to Johor Bahru.

Awe...The Zon Regency by the Sea, it sounds so, well not sure what it sounds like but hey it was $80 Canadian and came with two buffet breakfast, it had a pool and was located next to a major shopping district, we hit big. We walk into the main foyer and go to the front desk, where there are no staff. Ridley says to me under his breath, "I don't have a good feeling about this." I thought he was being silly, so what if the staff were in the back playing on-line poker, okay I don't know if they were playing on-line poker but you get the idea. Only a few minutes later a sweet young man checks us into our room on the 14th floor. We get into the elevator and head to our room, it was then the first of my gut instincts kicked in and I realized that we may have been buffaloed about the Zon being five-star. The carpet was stained it smelt like stale smoke and we could hear the band. It was then we realized that all the rooms at the Zon overlooked an atrium area where a band played until 1 a.m. Yes. 1 a.m. Oh well, we knew we would be so tired that it wouldn't matter. We open the door to our room and we see that it is large, bonus. And that's where the positives start and end. Here is a short list of what I could see, the carpet was stained, there was marks on all the walls (from what I am not sure), the toilet or shower leaked (we weren't sure which one so flip flops were worn at all times, even in the shower), there was a dark substance (which I think is blood but I probably watch too many television shows and let my imagination run wild) on the door of the bathroom (so I used a cloth every time I would open and close the door), and the window looked like it could fall out of the frame at any moment. I even slept with my socks on which I am not sure why because lets be honest I had access to wash my feet but not my socks. Sigh. So after looking at two other rooms, thanks to the helpful front desk staff, we finally just settle for the one we were in, it was late and we were hungry. So, we left the room in search of the food and decided not to go back until it was bed time. The less amount of time spent at the Zon, the less amount of time I would spend searching for more marks on the walls.

These are a few photos we have of either of us anywhere near the hotel, and we weren't even at the hotel. It was a place we would rather not look back on rather than have evidence of the filth in photos. Here we are at an outdoor restaurant having Otak Otak, fish paste wrapped up in pandan leaf.

The next day we went to the closest Starbucks which happened to be attached to the hotel, ok one more positive but that's it, and looked up hotel accomodations. This time we choose Blue Wave for $55 Canadian and it included a buffet breakfast, perfect. Cheaper and looked nicer. It was actually one of our choices when we first booked the Zon but it was only four-star, never again will I be fooled by stars. We then had breakfast checked out some of the stores at the Zon and said our good-byes.

When we arrived at Blue Wave we were immediately relieved to see staff at the front counter, good sign. We were able to check into our room a bit early and yes it was worth the move. We then headed out to the Premier Shopping Outlet where I was in heaven. It could be compared to the shopping outlets you see in Vegas on a bit smaller scale, all the name brands were there including Burberry, Armani, Lacoste and of course my favourite the good ol' Gap.

Tip: When the front desk staff at a hotel, you aren't comfortable at, tell you that a cab ride is $70 Ringget to a location you have never been, don't fall for it. The cab ride only cost us $30 from the city to outlet.

The outlet, although located about 30 minutes outside of Johor Bahru, had a great mix of high-end and Shelley friendly prices, was well worth the trip. I was able to get a pair of pants and three tops all for $20 Canadian, a steal of a deal if you ask me. However, even though I love my purchases, Ridley said that the zebra at the zoo want's her pants back. Pfft.

That night I was treating Ridley to dinner so I quickly looked up a few restaurants on-line and came up with two Italian eateries that had excellent reviews. Off we went in our cab and told the driver we were headed to Rosemarino's. He didn't know where that was, sigh. We gave him the address, he still didn't know where it was. He took us through what appeared to be a residential area, stopped at an outdoor cafe asked a few people and we finally found it. It was closed. Sigh. Ok, restaurant number two, Gianni's Trattoria. This one he found, right away, it was in the restaurant district a must if you want to just wander around and figure out what to eat by the amount of people clustered at one place.

And, Gianni's was a hit, although a bit on the expensive side for Malaysia it was well worth it. So, our trip to Johor Bahru was saved. Even though it may have cost us a small fortune just to have a nice meal out it was the experience that will be remembered forever.

I heart misadventures, especially when they are shared.

After our favourite meal at our favourite little Italian restaurant.

Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, oh my...

2012-01-18T19:04:00.000-08:00

Filled with history, culture and exotic foods Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand are next on my list. I am really looking forward to the next adventure and will be headed out in just a few weeks.

This time I am, and for the first time, taking a tour with G Adventures, a Canadian travel company that provides small group tours across the globe. I will be landing in Ho Chi Minh (Siagon), Vietnam to start the first leg of my journey. I will be arriving a few days before the tour departs to try and get in a few sights of the massive city including checking out some of the war tunnels. It is in here where I will meet up with about 15 other like-minded travelers before we head out on our travels. This is what the nine days will look like:

Day 1 Ho Chi Minh City

Day 2 Mekong Delta Day Trip

Guided Mekong Delta day trip with boat cruise and visit to candy factories.

Days 3-4 Phnom Penh

Guided tour of Tuol Sleng Prison and Killing Fields. Cyclo ride through Phnom Penh. Option to visit Royal Palace, National Museum, Central Market. Travel day with border crossing Vietnam–Cambodia on Day 3.

Days 5-7 Siem Reap/Angkor Wat

Guided tour of Angkor Wat temple complex. Optional visit to Tonle Sap floating village, Angkor National Museum.

Day 8 Bangkok

Travel Day. Border crossing into Thailand.

Day 9 Bangkok

Depart at any time.

Now, the next step is to decide when to return to Malaysia, currently home base, from Bangkok. I want to see a few sights of Thailand so I am now doing a bit of research into what a couple extra days will look like.

If you could travel to Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand what would top your list?

Singapore, so much to do, so little time...

2012-01-17T20:50:00.000-08:00

Awe Singapore.

I heard Singapore was a clean, friendly, and safe city. But, what I didn't expect was how clean, friendly, and safe it truly is.

From the moment we disembarked from the plane and entered the arrival hall of the Changi Airport it was like I entered a whole new world. Because we are budget travellers we decided to take the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) rather than a taxi to the hotel. So off we went to the train following the ever so helpful way signage. After a few stops to ask for directions on which MRT line to take to our hotel, we headed to the electronic ticket dispenser where we weren't the only tourists. It was here where we experienced our first dose of helpfulness. Here stood an elderly gentleman giving all, and I mean all, the tourists in line directions on how to use the ticket dispensers. He literally went from one person to the next, kindly asking where they were going and then proceeded to show them exactly how to obtain a ticket and map out their route.

Here's the deal, Singapore has a population of over 5 million people but one would never know it. Transportation using the MRT, LRT or bus systems was a breeze. The trains arrived on time, the passengers were courteous and the maps were well, Shelley friendly, and trust me if I could figure out how to get around, anyone could figure out how to get around. Sometime I can be a wee bit directionally challenged.

Best travel advice before you head there...check how close your hotel is from the MRT line. We ended up staying at Oasia Hotel which unbeknownst to us was literally steps from one of the main MRT lines. The convenience of being right next to a major shopping centre and transportation was well worth it. After arriving at our hotel we quickly dropped our bags and headed out for our first misadventure, er I mean adventure. First stop, China Town. We had a list of places we wanted to hit up in the few days we were in Singapore and China Town was top.

Even though we went to Singapore January 2 Chinese New Years
decor was everywhere.

It was just after lunch when we arrived in the city and we were starving. So of course any place that had anything that resembled food I was ready to pounce. Lucky for me we happen to come across Bee Cheng Hiang which sells some of the best jerky in Singapore. We bought chili beef jerky. Not sure if that was such a wise choice since it was middle of the afternoon, and scorching hot and we add in some spicy meat to top it off...like we didn't need to drink enough water already. But, all in all it was delicious and I'd have it again every day, I mean, any day.

Shortly after purchasing our spicy beef jerky we came across a local chinese restaurant, and it was packed, so we decided that it must be a good place to eat and plunked our bags down for a rest and some lunch.

Enjoying my rice and dumplings.

Dumplings...at a Chinese restaurant in Singaopore. I'd tell you what the
name was but I couldn't read the sign, see below.

All I could read was $4 BBQ Stick...good enough for me when the place
is full you know the food is good.

After our quick bite to eat we were anxious to do some exploring. So we managed to hit up the market, wander the streets and visited the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and Museum, a must if you are China Town. Following our tour of China Town we then went to the harbour where all the cruise ships come in and of course more shopping. Then that evening we headed to Clarke Quay, a place that is, the place to be in the evening hours. We hadn't planned on going to Clarke Quay until I read about it during the flight. Thanks to Malaysia Airlines in-house magazine and an article on the Singapore sights we made another checklist of stops. We wandered around and decided that we would have a supper at, you guessed it, the only 'mexican' restaurant along the riverfront, which is where Clarke Quay is located. So, here we sat in what we thought was an authentic mexican outdoor restaurant only to find out the owner was from the Philippines. But, in all honesty I am positive his is of Mexican descent, he really knew how to cook up a mean taco and home-made guacamole.

And that was Day 1.

The next few days we spent explore Little India, Marina Bay Sands Resort (another must see when in Singapore), and Orchard Way.

Our tour of Little India in Singapore.

At the Tekka Market in Little India.

A huge contrast from Little India to Orchard Street.

And of course when in Singapore it is also a must to hit up Universal Studios and the Zoo.

And...after it all we didn't want to leave...

A sneak peek into Singapore...

2012-01-11T19:52:00.000-08:00

So, I went to Singapore.

And I loved it.

Now, I am not sure about most of you but when I visit a place I generally find myself thinking, "yeah, I could live here." But, seriously I could live in Singapore. It was and is a country that is impeccably clean, has an amazing history and culture and yet is modern and unique all at the same time.

Here is just a few highlights of what turned out to be an amazing vacation. More to come soon...

So much to do so little time, but loved our time at Universal
Studios and all that Singapore has to offer.

China Town in Singapore is amazing and filled with decor
getting ready for the Chinese New Year.

The Marina Bay resort is definetely a must see, especially
in the evening hours.

The view from Sentosa Island.

At a Buddhist Temple in China Town.

Facebook launch...

2012-01-11T03:53:00.000-08:00

Yes, it's official Freckled Faces + Favourite Places has launched a Facebook page.

Now, don't go on thinking that this means an end to my blog...that is far from it. I will continue to ramble along here but will also be showcasing a few highlights on Facebook as well.

Stay tuned there may be more to come, and make sure you check us out and 'like' us on Facebook.

Remember this is a two-way street. I want to hear all about your adventures, misadventures or future travel dreams too!

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Freckled-Faces-Favourite-Places/290246634326818

Embracing traditions...

2012-01-09T19:51:00.000-08:00

Something old.

Something new.

Something borrowed.

And.

Something blue.

Traditions are something that are passed down from generation to generation and most are founded by a persons culture and or family. On this particular day Ridley's Mom took me to his cousin's dowry celebration. I wasn't sure what to expect but all I knew was that according to tradition the groom's family presents gifts to the future wife's family in form of a dowry. These gifts include but are not limited to sweets, money, fruit and even a pigs leg. But the most interesting thing to me is that each gift has a meaning. For example sweets are often included in the dowry to symbolize a sweet marriage. Each family differs in what they give and what they accept. Because here's the thing, each family has their own customs and either accept all the dowry, or just some of it and return part of it back to the grooms family. Ridley's family believes in sharing the dowry, in other words they only keep a portion and return much of it back to the grooms family.

I love the fact that we all have our own customs and traditions. And I love the fact that I get to learn about Ridley's family and his Chinese traditions and customs.

The world would be a boring place if we all were the same.

"People without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots."

Looking back...

2011-12-29T22:17:00.000-08:00

2011 was quite the year. As I look back there are so many fond memories from celebrating with friends, travel, moving and the list goes on.

Here is a quick snap shot as I look back through the last year in photos...enjoy!

In January 2011 I visited Malaysia for the first time! Here Ridley and I are
at Perhentian Island.

In April I celebrated Ladies Night Out and birthday's of two of my
very best friends!

And of course in order to take a one year leave, I left my
belongings and home behind to travel.

Visiting Kuala Lumpur for the second time.

Taking in the sights of Rome, Italy.

Visiting Kota Kinabalu, twice.

Celebrating a Chinese wedding.

Going to out on the town in Miri, Sarawak, Malaysia.

Trying steamboat for the first time.

Learning how shrimp crackers are made.

Trying Mango Sago for the first time and falling in love.

Eating rambutan and again falling in love.

Learning how to open and eat Durian.

Golfing with the family.

Watching hockey of course.

Receiving flowers all the way from Malaysia.

Celebrating at Westerner Days in Red Deer

Watching Smurfs 3D with one of my
adorable nephews.

Spending time my Nattikins,

Thanksgiving with my two handsome nephews.

Now I look forward to what 2012 will bring...

Mexico meets Italy during Christmas in Asia...

2011-12-28T22:25:00.000-08:00

Mexican Christmas meets Italy in Asia was a roaring success. Even though there were only three of us for dinner we probably could have fed half of the Malaysian army which has a base in Miri. Okay maybe not half but probably about half a dozen of them. We had so much food!

I wanted to make home-made tortilla shells, just like my Momma used to make, especially when my dad was out of town since he was more of a meat and potato kinda guy. These specific tortilla shells are made from corn meal. However, who knew corn meal was going to be so hard to find in Miri. I started my search about the week before Christmas randomly looking in stores hoping that I would happen upon the main ingredient. I was beginning to lose hope and even recruited Ridley's sister Rezebel to assist. One afternoon a few days before the big festivities she went on a corn meal hunt and to no avail came up empty handed. One day I was picking up a few groceries and searched and searched the section with all the flour and rice flour, sugar and powdery substances when I saw it. I saw corn flour. Yes, that's right corn flour. So, I texted my Momma and asked her... "do you think I could use corn flour instead of corn meal." Her response, "Yes it won't have the same texture but should work."

Fast forward to Christmas Day and again we were on a last ditch effort to find corn meal. I wasn't quite convinced yet that this corn flour was going to work. I will also never listen to anyone ever again when they say to just do Christmas shopping on Christmas Day. Neither Ridley or I were sure if the stores would be open or not and thank goodness most were open. So we searched for corn meal again and searched for tortilla shells and once again came up empty handed. The one store we wanted to go to called the GK Market, which always has quite a stock of international foods, surprise, they were closed for Christmas. Shocking I know.

So we headed home with most of the ingredients for a Mexican Christmas minus taco shells or anything resembling a tortilla. But, we had decided the day before that if we were not successful in our hunt that we would make nachos and some pasta and have somewhat of a Mexico meets Italy Christmas affair.

I did not want to give up. We decided on tacos damn-it, we were going to have tacos. I figured I've got to be able to make these darn tacos shells with this corn flour stuff. Hello Google you are my best friend. Thank god for internet. I researched corn flour and oops it is actually corn starch. Who knew. Apparently there is a corn flour called Masa which what I could have used but of course didn't have. And in Asian countries a lot of the packaged cornstarch is labeled as corn flour. Oh so interesting trying to make something you have no clue how to make and combine that with attempting to buy ingredients in a country where you can't read the packaging. Oh well, lesson learned. So, I found a recipe to make tortilla shells with you guessed it, flour. Just plain old white flour. I know most of you are probably rolling your eyes right about know thinking boy this girl has no clue about cooking, and you are probably right. I don't have a clue, well a clue how to improvise my corn meal tortillas. But, now I do. And they turned out great!

Mexico meet Italy in Asia!

With Christmas Day behind us and our Mexican meets Italy meal over and done with we were, excited to have been invited to an expatriate's house for Boxing Day. Cam and Ioana, a lovely couple from Canada and Romana, invited Ridley and I to their open house. Ioana made a remarkable Romanian potato salad, along with a lamb roast and for dessert Cam made us banana flambé. I made Ridley watch very closely as Cam made our dessert hoping that he could recreate it for us sometime. Until I saw that Cam actually lit the pan on fire by letting a few drops of the Rum he had just poured into pan onto the open flames of their gas stove. It was at that moment I thought that neither Ridley nor I should attempt this flambé thing until we have visited Cam and Ioana's house at least half a dozen more times.

It was a great night as we sat and visited with Cam and Ioana and a few other friends who also dropped in to enjoy the open house. We heard some interesting stories about their travels around the world. We chatted about life in Miri versus life in Canada, and New Zealand and a few other places in between. We also told them about our eventful Christmas dinner and of course I told them about my struggle to find corn meal at which Ioana ran to the cupboard and pulled out a bag of the ingredient I had looked all over Miri for. When I asked her where she purchase this said ingredient, her response, "Oh I got this at the GK Market." Of course she did, the one store that was closed Christmas Day, but then again we wouldn't have such great stories to tell now would we...

Getting ready for the next adventure...

2011-12-23T20:15:00.000-08:00

Christmas is upon us and while I am excited to celebrate the festive season in a new country with new traditions I am really looking forward to the New Year. I know 2012 will be a spectacular year and it will mean a continuation of my adventures which we will be starting early! On January 2, Ridley and I will be taking a little vacation to Singapore, as well as Johor Bahru and possibly Malacca, which are both in Malaysia. We have five days so we are going to pack in as much as humanly possible.

Since Ridley is busy at work, and well I am not so busy, I was in charge of booking this said mini-vacation. Being close to Christmas, New Years, and Chinese New Years the only flight 'deal' I could find was to Singapore, but we had always talked about visiting this unique country situated near West Malaysia. So, we arrive on January 2 and will be staying two nights in Singapore, before we jet north to Johor Bahru and Malacca. We plan to spend a day sightseeing in Singapore as well as a day at the renowned Universal Studios. We will then take the hour bus ride north to Johor Barhu, which is the second largest city in Malaysia. From that point on we are flying by the seat of our pants. That is as long as I don't freak out at the last minute and book our bus tickets, hotels and make reservations for dinner...since I have a tendency to plan everything...and I mean everything, ok maybe I am not that bad. We will spend a day or two in Johor Bahru and maybe a day in Malacca before we head back to Singapore to fly home on January 7. That's right we will be vacationing from January 2-7 and will enjoy every minute of it.

For more information on our destinations check our Wiki-Travel:
Visit Singapore
Visit Johor Bahru
Visit Malacca

In the moment...

2011-12-22T20:22:00.000-08:00

"For most people, we often marvel at the beauty of a sunrise or the magnificence of a full moon, but it is impossible to fathom the magnitude of the universe that surrounds us."

The moon right before the lunar eclipse.

A few days ago I watched a lunar eclipse. I stood there in the backyard and watched as the shadow of the earth covered the moon. I watched as the moon turned a vibrant orange and thought how amazing it was to be standing there outside watching, watching the lunar eclipse so clearly. It also made me realize that I was in the moment, just standing there soaking it all in.

See, if you know me, you will know that I am not one to sit still. I sometimes find it hard to concentrate on one task at a time. I tend to multi-task, a lot. I also tend to jump around from task to task, wait a minute that would be considered multi-tasking, correct? But, anyway back to my moment. I stood there amazed at how clear it all seemed. How clear the moon looked in the dark sky, how you could see the details of it with the naked eye. But what I also realized was how in that moment in time everything seemed to stand still. For that very moment I just stood in awe staring at the moon thinking how we are so small in comparison to the entire universe around us, and that I tend not to enjoy each and every moment. It was like I had an 'eat, love, pray' moment, oops I already said I wouldn't turn this blog into my self-discovering journal.

It all reminded me that the most important thing to remember is to live in the moment whenever possible.

These are just a few moments I will never forget.

Gram's 87 birthday and her joking with my nephews. She was always
having fun.

At the farm with my dad.

In Italy with my Mom.

Having fun with my best girlfriends who I grew up with.

Road trips with my sister.

Coffee...how can you go on a road trip without it.

How much we love our family and
how much we know our Dad loves us, can't beat it.

Being goofy, having fun and just being us!

My nephews...any moments with them are memories to treasure.

A man's, er woman's, best friend...

2011-12-21T21:18:00.000-08:00

At the dog park where we loved to go with one my
my best buds Charity and her best bud Sunny.

So when you are away from 'home' you tend to miss a lot of the little things. Sometimes I miss being able to hop in my car and just drive. Here, driving is a wee bit different and I don't have a vehicle so that makes it extra difficult. I miss being able to call up a friend on a whim and go shopping, or grab a bite to eat, but, one of the things I miss the most is my loyal side-kick, Natty. Even though she has an addiction to shoes, scarves, Starbucks cups, well anything that is left laying around that she can sink her teeth into really, she is the best companion, ever.

Just a few months old and she was as cute as a button,

Now just over 2 years old she loves car rides.

Did I mention she may or may not be a wee bit spoiled.

Love birds...

2011-12-20T20:12:00.000-08:00

On the weekend I went to my first Asian wedding in Malaysia between Helen and Volker. Yes, Helen and Volker. It was Ridley's auntie and her husband from Germany, so this Asian wedding was complete with an eastern European flare. Well not a lot of European flare to be honest mostly just due to the groom.

The wedding favours, salt and pepper shakers!

And what I experienced during my first Asian wedding was food, food and more food., ok I need to clarify it was actually an Asian wedding reception I didn't go to the ceremony, The banquet hall was decorated with balloons and flowers as well as a traditional sign with the names of the bride and groom. A slideshow of photographs played for all the guests to watch while waiting for the wedding parties entrance. To be honest, it was similar to wedding receptions in Canada, minus the drunk guest who dances on the tables and then passes out in the corner...ok...that doesn't happen at all weddings but can happen.

So we ate, we talked, we listened to the emcee talk about the bride and groom, we listened to each of their respective children give their welcome speeches and we listened to Helen and Volker thank everyone for coming and being part of their special day. I think that was my favourite part of the night. Even though I had only meet Helen a few times and never met her children or Volker, or his children for that matter, the speeches were the best. The. Best. They were touching and humourous and from the heart.

It made me realize that love truly speaks all languages, love doesn't discriminate between cultures or races and that we all need to cherish it when we find it. Someone once said to me that you don't choose love, that love chooses you.

Ridley and I at my first Asian wedding.

Next on the agenda...Christmas in Asia...

2011-12-19T19:21:00.000-08:00

First solo adventure. Check.

I returned to Miri from Kota Kinabalu (referred to as KK by the locals) unscathed. Well, nearly expect for a wee bit of a sunburn. Who knew that I could still get some colour sitting on the shaded side of the pool. But at least this time I wasn't nearly as bad as my last visit. Thank God.

My last day in KK was great. I lounged by the pool for the morning, had some lunch then went shopping to the near by mall. All-in-all it was a great three days to myself minus or plus, depending on how you look at it, my misadventures.

So now that I am back in Miri life is returning to 'normal.' You know, sleeping-in, doing laundry, blogging, oh dear is this what my life has come to since I have started my one-year leave from work. Sigh. I think I better get some more hobbies aside from randomly searching on the internet researching blogs.

Well for the record I am now planning our Christmas. Since it is this Saturday I figured I should think about what we are going to eat and do for the big day. Since Malaysia is mostly a Muslim country Christmas isn't celebrated nearly as much as it is in Canada. However, this year we put up the tree and I plan to have a special meal. Well, special as in we have decided that we are having a Mexican Christmas! Yes, that's right...Feliz Navidad! I asked Ridley what he missed about being in Canada, since he has been back here for a year and a half and he said tacos, and nachos of course. So, I am going to attempt to make my Mom's home-made corn tortillas, guacamole, corn salad, nachos, and Spanish rice.

As I have said many times before, wish me luck.

The beginning of my solo misadventures...

2011-12-15T06:42:00.000-08:00

View from Horizon Hotel 12th Floor.

It was about 11 p.m. when I decided that I was hungry during my first night in Kota Kinabalu. I thought it would be fitting to order room service. After being on hold three different times, for approximately 15 minutes, and one call back from the front desk staff, I discovered that 24 hour room service didn't exist, or at least in Horizon Hotel standards 24 hour room service means you can call the front desk 24 hours a day, but food is only served until 11 p.m. Drat, I had missed it. So, I thought there has to be some place close to the hotel that I could grab something to drink...maybe a 7-11 perhaps, which I was told earlier was close to the hotel. I headed downstairs determined to be brave. As I went outside the hotel there I stood, in a trance. I stared up the street. I stared down the street. I couldn't see a supposed 7-11 as the front desk staff had earlier relayed to me. Sigh. Back inside the hotel I go to burden the staff, again. This time a kind doorman says, "Come with me Ma'am I will show you." Uhm...show me? I walk again out the front doors of the hotel and this kind doorman says, "The 7-11 is just down the street Ma'am," as he points down the street from the hotel. I say, "down the street, how far down the street?" As there was no bright red, white and green sign that I was so familiar with. He went on to give me directions, "Ma'am just walk down this street, see that hotel (which was about a couple blocks away) it is just past that hotel on the other side." I reply, "on the OTHER side of the hotel?" "Yes, Ma'am, just on the other side." Uhm...I wasn't that brave. So, I decided that my thirst and hunger wasn't that bad and retreated back to my cozy room. I did not want to walk down a street which appeared to be lacking sidewalks past a hotel around the corner, which knowing my luck would be some dark alley, only to find the 7-11 closed. Ok, well we know the 7-11 probably wouldn't be closed but I wasn't willing to risk it.

Onto day 2 and the misadventures started early, well at least it wasn't till after breakfast. I awoke to blue sky with a bit of cloud, phew. It had been raining almost every day prior to my arrival so I thought I better take advantage of the sun and headed downstairs for my 'free' breakfast. I should not stay at hotels that have 'free' buffet breakfast unless I want to gain another 10 lbs. But, this was my vacation and damnit I was going to eat and be merry. There I sat eating my breakfast in my own little world and I look up to see what was on the television screen. Skating. An ice skating competition that was being held in Quebec of all places. I suddenly felt at home, even though I have never been to Quebec. I have been to the Toronto airport and Ottawa if that counts for anything.

After breakfast I decided that it would be appropriate for me to walk the few blocks to the shopping centre. A very kind staff member directed me out of the hotel and gave me the best instructions on how to get to the two different shopping centres. He also told me about the Filipino market which was also just a few blocks from the hotel. I went to two different shopping centres and wandered around checking out the bargains. I found one store that was selling flip-flops which I desperately needed since I brought two pairs with me to Malaysia and both have succumb to their demise. The sign said 15 RM, which is about 5 CDN, with any purchase, or 29 RM without a purchase. When I got to the till, the clerk said "these are 15 RM with any purchase." I handed him the 2.50 RM bracelet I found next to the till. He just smiled at me and rang through my purchase. I didn't think I needed to tell him I was cheap, or am for that matter, I think he figured it out all on his own.

I try to pride myself in the fact that I may be a big scaredy cat I try my best to be safe. So when I am in the elevator and there are others with me, I wait till everyone is off to push my floor number. Well...this did not work in my favour on this particular day. As I stood in the elevator with two other visitors and a cleaning staff I waited till everyone got off to press my floor. A creepy hotel cleaning staff however didn't press a floor number. I was forced to reveal my floor number unless I want to ride the elevator with him all day.

After everyone got off the lift he said: "Where you from?"
me: "Canada"
him: "You here alone?"
me: "Uhm...NO...I am just waiting for someone to arrive."

Maybe I was just paranoid. Yeah, that's it. I talked to my Momma after all my misadventures and told her about the elevator incident. She told me, "Shelley, I am sure he was just trying to be nice." I think she was just trying to make me feel better. At any rate, I am positive she is right and I am just being a wee, ok maybe a lot, bit paranoid.

So my first day of solo misadventures were tolerable and entertaining, even if it did result in me staying in my room for most of the night once the sunset. However, I did manage to venture out to the Christmas market again, but this time was able to actually watch the concert. The one thing that amazes me about Malaysia is its diversity. During the live concert they had not one but three different emcee's speaking English, Malay and Chinese. Not sure how much more diverse you can get.

Oh, and it was my intention to lay by the pool in the afternoon, maybe get a little sun. But it rained. Thank goodness it was after I was done my big shopping excursion. Besides I probably would have just turned into a lobster anyway. Sun and a pool...pfft.

The pool I wanted to lay by but then the rain came.

View from the 6th Floor pool.

Feels a lot like Christmas...

2011-12-14T08:08:00.000-08:00

I arrived in Kota Kinabalu and was greeted by Ruben, who drove Ridley and I around last time we made the trek to the city in Sabah. We chatted about the weather and the upcoming busy tourist season in KK as he drove me to Horizon Hotel. It was reassuring to know someone who is familiar with the city and can tell me where...and well where not to go. As we drove by one particular street Ruben clearly pointed out that it wouldn't be an area that I would want to travel down, alone, at night. After that, I knew I was in good hands.

We pulled up to the hotel and was greeted by the door staff who helped me with my luggage. As I checked into the hotel I noticed the decor which reminded me of a home. A big horse lamp. Yes, that's right, a life size horse with a lamp shade on top of it's head. Now I wish I took a picture.

I made my way to my room and of course was having some second thoughts about coming to a place I had only been once, alone. Sounds silly since Ridley had just dropped me off only two hours ago but already I was feeling a wee bit lonely for home. However, once I got settled in a bit I received a text message from Ruben. He wanted to let me know there was a Christmas market right outside my hotel! So brushing off the loneliness I grabbed my purse, camera and off I went to the market. As I walked up the street to see people everywhere and what looked to be like a Christmas concert that had just ended. Rats. But then I looked to my left and all I could see was a large nativity scene with blowing snow. Yes, that's right. Snow. I couldn't help but smile and stand underneath the falling snowflakes with all the other giggling kids. I felt like it was meant for me. Have you ever experienced that? Where you end up somewhere and you aren't sure why but one small thing happens and you realize that you are exactly where you are meant to be at that exact moment in time. That is how I felt. I wasn't in the Christmas spirit this year because I missed the snow. Well, the snow and a lot more, but I couldn't get into the spirit without seeing some snow. Today I got my wish.

Click here to watch: Snow in KK

The nativity scene with falling snow.

And of course what Christmas market would it be without durian, the
king of fruits.