Phnom Penh Days (19, 20, 21, 22 Dec 2014)

Day 3 - 19 Dec

We only reached Phnom Penh around 2pm and were joined by a new tour guide.  I guess he heard the rumbling noises from our tummies as he immediately brought us to enjoy a late lunch at 230pm :D After a quick lunch, we started our Palace tour. At 330pm, it was pretty warm to be walking around. Fortunately for us, there were several shady places for us to seek shelter.  Its superb location on the bank of Tonle Sap River & Mekong river also ensured constant breeze to cool us down. 

Throne Hall (primary audience hall of the King, used for coronations & other official state functions) was the highlight as we could get a glimpse inside to witness the grandeur - trademark of any royal events.  Other notable buildings include pavilion to hold banquets, waiting room for the King before he mounts an elephant, repository to house royal regalia & presents from other heads of state.

Angkor City served as the capital of Cambodia till the 15th century.  Only after the defeat by Siam / Thailand, Phnom Penh became the new capital for Khmer Kingdom.  This current royal palace was constructed over a century ago to serve as an official residence of the royal family. 

Cambodia's Cultural Captial Siem Reap (17, 18, 19 Dec 2014)

Day 1 - Dec 17

Although we left Yangon around 10am on 17 Dec, we still had to transit in Bangkok and finally landed in Siem Reap only around 3pm.  Our tour company picked us up from the airport and dropped us off at the Angkor Paradise Hotel.  We decided to take a rest till 530pm or so to then head out for dinner and a bit of souvenir shopping at Pub Street.  As my mom was taking a nap, I chose to soak in the pool while reading up on all the attractions that Siem Reap has to offer.  We were all pleasantly surprised by a very cooling climate of Siem Reap! 

Tuk-tuk transported us from hotel to the lively Pub Street for 1 USD per person.  As "Amok" - curry cooked using thick coconut gravy, lemongrass, turmeric root, shallots, ginger and served on banana leaf- was considered national dish, we decided to have dinner at a restaurant aptly named Amok and ordered chicken Amok. Oh dear, we were not a fan, sadly.  Coconut milk was just too overwhelming for our taste-buds. I also ordered this platter called "Taste of Siem" to try a bit of everything.

First Visit to Cambodia with Mom

In Dec 2014, a few of my friends from the Junior College days were visiting me in Myanmar for 4 days 14-17 Dec.  Only after their trip was planned, I learnt of a trip to Cambodia from 17-22 Dec.  I had to accompany my mom and a few of her clients to attend a training course in Phnom Penh. Fortunately for my friends, the overlap between 2 trips was just 1 day! Nonetheless, I couldn’t help but feel bad to leave them alone on their own.  Like a mother hen, I was quite worried if they could find their way around, if they got cheated, if they managed to get to the airport on time for their flight and so on :D I can share more about Mister's Myanmar trips and my friends' trip in the future if you guys are interested. I also went on the most epic trip of my life in Sep & Oct 2014 to the States but as it was a month-long trip, there will be many posts and let me share about it at a later date too. For now, let us focus on Cambodia.

Angkor Wat - 8th Wonder of the World

Mr & Missy in Thailand Day 3

Instead of rushing to Hua Hin vineyard on our second day, we decided to relax at the beach.  After all, we had recently been to 2 vineyards in Myanmar. Also what is the point of having to keep rushing from one place to another? Such trip would just tire us out instead of re-energizing us so we packed our towels, sun block, shades & headed out to the beach at around 830am. It was about 15-20 min walk from our hotel and we found such a serene beach, so different from the likes of busy areas like Phuket & Pattaya! 

Does this look familiar? It was from Nickhun & Victoria's We Got Married filming! Haha pardon the inner Hallyu fan girl in me ((:

Mr & Missy in Myanmar - Day 3 - 21 Dec 2013

On such a cold day (definitely below 10C), enjoying the warmth of cocoon between the thick blanket and a bed, further comforted by the heater, was just a bliss.  We had a hard time getting out of bed. But we forced ourselves to get ready and pack our stuff due to the long day of sightseeing ahead. By 8:30 am, we were enjoying breakfast on the balcony, overlooking the Shan mountain range. Due to the cold weather, we could fully appreciate the warm sun light without breaking any sweat. But our food turned cold sooo fast! So we had no choice but to eat as fast as possible.  By 9 am, we had checked out and loaded our luggage onto the van, ready to head out.

Mr & Missy in Bali Day 1

We were so very excited to be visiting this famed paradise - Bali!  Our flight departure time was 1020 am and we were done with check-in by 9 am.  It helped that we didn't have any check-in luggage. Since it was just a 3D2N trip, we were just going with our cabin luggage.  Besides, the focus is not on shopping, its more on sightseeing and relaxing.

Off we go!

Landed in Bali right on time around 1 pm!

Mr & Missy in Bali

Hotel stays should be a norm for people in Singapore, considering how much we love to travel. But staying at a private villa with a pool just for your own usage is not! We were very lucky to be blessed with a 2-night stay at the  Khayangan Dreams Villa Kerobokan for SGD 351 (Normal rate for 2 nights stay at a one-bedroom pool villa is about SGD 600).  Amazing 42% discount! So just to enjoy this pool villa stay, we planned our trip to Bali! 

Mr & Missy in Korea Day 9 (24 May 2013)

SUPER EXCITED to be finally touring JEJU ISLAND!!!!!!!!!!!! WOO HOOOOOOO

We left December Hotel around 8:30 am. Since the hotel was located in the central location of Jeju City, there was no problem with getting a cab to the airport. It was pretty near that cab fare was just 2,000-3,000 Won only. 

We had to take a shuttle bus from the airport to the car rental company's parking lot. As we we were walking to the shuttle bus, we saw cameramen getting ready to film at the airport! I wanted to stay around and see which celebrities will be filming but Mister reminded me about our packed schedule to see Jeju :( And I so very reluctantly got on to the shuttle bus which brought us to the parking lot of the KT Car Rental.

Mister was confirming our reservation and making payment. Did I mention that he booked a MINI COOPER for us??!!! I WAS HAPPY EXCITED AMAZED RESTLESS ECSTATIC EUPHORIC haha you get the idea. 

Mr & Missy in Korea Day 8 (23 May 2013)

We only met at 11am at Sinchon Subway station. We had such a late start today because we would be leaving for Jeju with 7:55pm flight and I needed to pack ALL my belongings, check out of my guesthouse and leave all my luggage at the reception before starting my day. 

Thursday is Mister's fast food day.  He is pretty strict with eating junk food so he allowed himself to eat fast food just ONCE a week.  As there is no Taco Bell in Singapore and he loves Mexican food, we had our lunch there.  I love my cheese quesadilla! 

Mr & Missy in Korea Day 7 (22 May 2013)

Mister came to Sinchon Station around 10:30am to bring me to his hostel so that we could eat lunch together. I planned to edit our trip photos and arrange them in chronological order while he attends his afternoon classes 1-3pm.

Along the road to SK Global House

Mr & Missy in Korea Day 6 (21 May 2013)

Since we couldn't take our Hanbok photos the day before, we had to go back to the Korean Tourism Organization at M plaza Level 5.  We reached there around 1030am and didn't have to wait long for our turn.  Each group is given 10 minutes to take photos. 

Mr & Missy in Korea Day 5 (20 May 2013)

The next day was Monday and Mister had to attend classes till 1pm. He came over to Sinchon Station around 1:15pm to meet me for lunch.  Since it was a bit warm, we decided to try cold noodles (Naeng Myeon  냉면) and dumpling (mandu 만두 )! 

Noodle in ice-cold water! Perfect summer food haha :D 

Mr & Missy in Korea Day 4 (19 May 2013)

Thanks to our Hanok owner, we knew we needed to change our bus ticket so we checked out from Seonunjae Inn pretty early, around 730 am.  Since we have to go back to Jeonju to take our shuttle bus back to Seoul, we left our luggage at the Seonunjae Inn. Of course, we remembered to take pictures at our beautiful Hanok before we left.

Mr & Missy in Korea Day 3 (18 May 2013)

Thanks to Korea's efforts to promote tourism, there is a free shuttle bus to Jeonju for foreigners - http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/FU/FU_EN_15.jsp?cid=1797480 . Since there is only one bus per day, we need to book early though. I met Mister at Sinchon Subway station at 7:15am as the bus would depart at 8am from Donghwa Duty Free parking lot.  Donghwa Duty Free parking lot is just 1-2 min walk away from the exit 6 of Gwanhwamun Station (Line 5). 

Since I will be staying in Jeonju for one night, I checked out of my room and left my luggage at the guesthouse's reception counter.

Mr & Missy in Korea Day 2 (17 May 2013)

I met Mister at Sinchon Subway at 7:30am since we planned to go to Nami Island and the Garden of the Morning Calm. Such an early start! So I just had a simple breakfast of Korean strawberries and yogurt. Strawberries were pretty sweet and not too sour!

Mr & Missy in Korea Day 1 (16 May 2013)

I was a bit unsure about flying with China Eastern Airline as I have never heard of it and didn't know many people who have flied with China Eastern Airline.  But to my surprise, it departed from Changi Airport Terminal 3!  

Third Trip to My Favorite City "Seoul"

For about 6 months, from mid Nov 2013 to mid May 2013, things weren't going very well for me and I really needed a break.  And when Mister suggested that I visit him (he is an exchange student at the Yonsei University Seoul for one semester), I immediately agreed and started planning to go to Korea!

I was there for 14 days from 16 May 2013 to 29 May 2013. And that's one of the reasons why I haven't been blogging :D But I did upload a few photos on Instragram (@missynandar) during the trip!

Instragram Hashtags for my trip photos

A Journey to the K land! Day 7 Part 2 - 8 Feb 2013

After we left the Garden of the Morning Calm with 1:00pm Circle Tour Bus, I felt so warm and cozy inside the bus which had a heater. I even fell asleep for a few minute! Haha

Gapyeong Circle Tour Bus Schedule 

5,000 Won for an all-day pass bus ticket

A Journey to the K land! Day 7 Part 1 - 8 Feb 2013

I had beef & seaweed porridge for breakfast to help me recover faster from this terrible flu! 

A Journey to the K land! Day 6 - 7 Feb 2013

It's official that I had a flu! My runny nose was like a tap. I lost my voice. My throat hurt and even swallowing saliva was so painful. Strong wind didn't help either.  We decided to cancel our day trip to Mt. Seoraksan and just hang around the area.  We had porridge for breakfast and just walked around in Myeong Dong, doing cosmetics shopping till 12 noon. 

After dropping off our purchases in our room, we then headed out to Dongmyo Station on Line 6. There was a E-Mart and we wanted to buy sticker wall papers. We had our lunch there too!

We had to pass by Cheonggyecheon stream while walking to E-Mart. It is located at the basement of the "Lotte Castle" condominium.