Travels

The Singapore Botanic Gardens

We took a break from the cement and exhaust of the big city and headed out to do something a little greener. The Singapore Botanic Gardens contains several themed gardens including a Healing Garden (displays plants used in traditional medicine in South East Asia), a Fragrant Garden (where jasmine and ylang ylang are still in bloom), a little bonsai garden, and more. The highlight is the Orchid Garden which takes you on a beautiful stroll through 1,000 species and over 2,000 different hybrids of orchids.

Jenny WongMarch 20, 2016Singapore

Food Fridays - Singapore

Singapore doesn't shy away from gathering food inspiration from other areas, both east and west. We had a great time experimenting at the cheap local hawker's centers as well as splurging for a few special treats.

Jenny WongMarch 18, 2016Singapore, Food Fridays

Speeding Through the Phi Phi Islands

Welcome to the most beautiful oven in the world. Yes, that's right. Oven. Between the mid-day sun, light-reflecting water, and foot-burning sand, it was a fun but toasty tour around the Phi Phi islands (named after a flower that no longer exists). A quick note about speedboats...if they hand out sick bags and motion sickness pills free of charge, it's not just for show, it means it's going to be a really really bumpy ride.

Jenny WongMarch 16, 2016Phuket, Thailand

Favorite Corners - Bangkok

We encountered a bit of Bangkok burnout while we were here, so we slowed down the pace a bit, and took to wandering rather than sight hopping. We hit a few more shopping malls than we'd like to admit and tried to find the cheapest places for fresh mango smoothies.

Jenny WongMarch 13, 2016Bangkok, Favorite Corners, Thailand

Food Fridays - Bangkok & Phuket

Thai food definitely has its own unique flavors and we were lucky enough to hit a local festival and sample some things not on the restaurant menus.

Jenny WongMarch 11, 2016Thailand, Phuket, Food Fridays, Bangkok

Close Ups and Rooftops at Wat Phra Kaew and the Grand Palace

We arrived here just in time to take advantage of a free guided tour that showed us the highlights of Wat Phra Kaew, including the Emerald Buddha. There is an amazing amount of gold, glass, and glitter at this place. There is also an amazing amount of tourists milling about. The only way to get a photo that doesn't contain a clump of random people is to either do roof line shots or close ups. Fortunately, this is the perfect place to take those types of pictures.

Jenny WongMarch 9, 2016Bangkok, Thailand

Wat Pho

Temples abound here in Bangkok, but this one has a few extra things that make it worthy of its own post: A Thai massage school where we got a wonderful mind-numbing traditional Thai massage for $9. Slightly fewer tourists (few enough not to get shoved around by crazed selfie-taking fiends). Free bottled water. And cats..

Jenny WongMarch 6, 2016Thailand, Bangkok

Food Fridays - Siem Reap

We weren't quite sure what to expect of Cambodian food, but it turned out to be a fantastic experience trying out their local dishes.

Jenny WongMarch 4, 2016Cambodia, Siem Reap, Food Fridays

Temple Hopping in Siem Reap

Two days of temple hopping and 600 photos later, I'm trying to figure out the best way to concisely represent what we saw. I know, tough job. Basically, if you're ever in Cambodia, go see the temples. They can be a little busy, but you can usually find a quiet corner somewhere to sit, gulp down some water (we were in 35 degree weather), and day dream about all of the stories those walls could tell.

That said, I'm going to try a gallery for this post because there are just too many pics for the regular format. Enjoy.

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Jenny WongMarch 2, 2016Cambodia, Siem Reap

Favorite Corners - Hong Kong & Guangzhou

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Jenny WongFebruary 28, 2016Guangzhou, Favorite Corners, China, Hong Kong

Food Fridays - Hong Kong & Guangzhou

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Jenny WongFebruary 26, 2016Guangzhou, China, Hong Kong, Food Fridays

Favorite Corners - Tokyo

It's time to say, "Sayonara, Tokyo." We've had a lot of fun in this city and the people are very gracious, polite, and eager to share their culture. They also play the sounds of birds chirping into their subway stations. I'm not a fan of big cities in general, but if I had to pick a favorite, I think Tokyo would be it...for now. Unfortunately, we can't share everything we've done or else this post might never end. So, here are the best of the rest!.

Jenny WongFebruary 25, 2016Favorite Corners, Tokyo, Japan

Cambodia | Canada | China | Croatia | Czech Republic | Finland | France | Germany | Greece | Iceland | Ireland | Italy | Japan | Malta | Peru | Portugal | Singapore | South Korea | Spain | Thailand | Turkey | U.K. | U.S.A.