Cruising Ha Long Bay

A couple of friends from the UK were touring Vietnam so Phil and I took a long-weekend to join them in Ha Long Bay.

There are numerous tour packages to choose from offering different levels of luxury, activities and duration of trip. Luckily we didn't have to worry about making the decision as it had already been made for us by our friends who had gone for Garden Bay Cruises.

We got picked up from Hanoi and driven over to the harbour. The Garden Bay boat was relatively small with just a handful of other people and us.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner was served for us on the boat and in between we kayaked around the limestone pillars, explored caves, went squid fishing, drunk G&Ts, did some tai chi on the deck and sunbathed.

It really was a flying visit and we could have done with another day to properly switch off from work and relax, but it was well worth it and great to see a little bit of Hanoi before our return flight to Singapore as well.

Boracay International Dragon Boat Festival

Various Singapore international dragon boat teams joined forces as the 'Singapore Barabarians' in the 11th Boracay International Dragon Boat festival, racing against 35 other teams from across the world over a long-weekend in paradise.

Although we paddled alongside other DB teams most weekends in Singapore, the teams never really interact much. One of the reasons why BIDBF was so incredible was that we had the opportunity to get to know loads of new people from the British, American Dragons, AustCham and the Spanish Armada teams.

As is now tradition, the opening ceremony takes the format of a sort of talent contest, with teams performing a choreographed dance on stage. There's no obligation to participate but of course Phil and I were got stuck in, and consequently found ourselves dancing around with coconuts and being launched into the air with a Filipino flag in front of hundreds of people on the first night. The whole experience from practising after work before the trip, through until the performance itself was so much fun and the effort paid off when we were ultimately crowned first place!

We weren't needed for training until lunchtime the next day so we managed to squeeze in a dive with a few other DBers. We did a 28m plane wreck and reef dive which was pretty cool then raced over for a quick test paddle with the rest of the team.

The next day was race day. Up before the sun and on the beach getting nervous for the first 500m heat. I was put up front as pacer for a couple of races and also drummed in another which was a great experience...but also quite scary feeling like I was about to be thrown off the front of the boat by the force of the paddlers!

Paddling in the sea is incomparable to our regular mirky Kallang river training. All the teams were out in the shallows cheering the racers, the sun was shining and the sea was crystal clear. Everytime a wave came in the boats were at risk of capsizing and I'm pretty sure it happened to the Singapore Barbarians more than any other team!

The second day was 250m race day and a hell of a lot easier and quicker than day one at 500m. The mens and mixed boats didn't place but some of the women brought in some medals.

The whole weekend was fantastic. We ate like kings with fresh meat and fish from the market (thanks to our Filipino Captain) and partied till the wee hours every evening. The locals, the other DB teams, the ocean, beach and food made my time there feel like paradise!

Melbourne and Sydney

I recently went to Australia for the first time and had an absolute blast - it must be one of the best places I've ever visited and a trip I'll remember for ever. 

Saying that.. it didn't start off too well. If you're a Brit, the first thing you should know is that a visa is required to enter Australia. You don't want to make the same mistake I made by turning up at the airport, running to get a visa, and getting back to check-in to find it was closed and I couldn't board my flight.

It was a bummer, but I eventually managed to get a flight 24 hours later and arrived in sunny Melbourne. We spent the day walking around the Laneways laughing at all the tourists taking edgy shots of each other in Flinders Lane.. and then joining in.

We went to Kew for a friend's BBQ then headed to the recommended bar in Fitzroy called 'Naked for Satan' to watch the sunset, finishing the night at 'Black Cat' for cocktails and live music.

The next day we started our road trip in St Kilda (with a delicious brunch at Dr Jekyll) then got onto the Great Ocean Road. We stopped in Apollo Bay for some grub at La Bimba then went on to the Twelve Apostles. The scenery along the GOR is stunning!

The next day we drove over to Philip Island. Seeing the Nobbies was yet another moment where we were blown away by the beauty of Australia. Endless blue and lots of little penguins. 

We had organised a tour with a guide as the sun set, to witness all the penguins coming back from fishing. We sat on the beach with our night vision binoculars and watched them all waddle up towards us. I'd highly recommend it to anyone as it's super cute. 

We were back on the road again early the next day and made our way over to Yarra Valley to taste all the local wines and visit a friend who lives in the Dandenongs.

We were stayed in an air bnb right on the top of the hill overlooking the valley and as the sun rose the next day, I walked out onto the front lawn to see two kangeroos grazing in front of the house. 

That was the end of our Victoria trip and I remember thinking that anywhere else would be hard pressed to beat it... but we then caught a flight over to Sydney and I feel in love all over again.

We hopped on and off ferries, saw the cannon fire at Fort Denison, tried to by trendy in Manly, had drinks at the Opera Bar, had a cheese fondue in Martin's Place, went up the sky tower, wandered around Paddington Market, sunbathed at Bondi Beach and met friends at Octupus for dinner. 

Great trip and I can't wait to go back!

Diving with Thresher Sharks in the Phillipines

As it was Chinese New Year, Singapore gave everyone a long weekend which Phil and I used to head over to to Malapascua Island, just north of Cebu in the Philippines.

We caught the 8pm flight landing in Cebu at 1am... we then had a 3 hour drive up to Maya port, a 45 minute boat ride to Malapascua Island, then finally a half hour walk to our resort just as the sun was rising over the island.

Sunrise in Malapascua

Although it was a long way to travel, it was well worth it. I liked the Spanish vibe and it's off the beaten track making it far less touristy than other places I've gone to like Bali or Thailand.  

We did four dives over the two days we were there - two of which were pretty incredible. (We dived with Evolution Divers who I would highly recommend)

1. The Monad Shoal. We were up and in the water at the crack of dawn to watch majestic Thresher Sharks enjoy their morning cleaning session. Apparently the sharks go to the Monad Shoal almost every morning to wait for the cleaner fish to nibble all their parasites and dead skin away. Thrshers are pretty rare so I feel pretty lucky to have got the chance to see them in their natural habitat.

Here's a photo of a Thresher Shark... unfortunately I didn't get any good underwater shots of the real thing so this is a carrot version. Basically the same thing.

Thresher Shark

2. Gato Island.  We left the bright sunshine to swim down into the Gato caves where it was completely black except for the small circle of our torch lights. The best bit was moving my torch to find it land upon two 5ft white tipped reef sharks right in front of us. We also watched, mesmerised, as a huge shoal of mackerel glimmered in the sunlight like silver. I have a video, but it really doesn't do it justice:

After the dives, we wandered around the island where we saw whole rows of washed up damaged boats and rubbish from where Typhoon Yolanda had left her mark. There were lots of men building new boats and renewing old ones as their children flew their kites along the beach. 

Eventually we found our way to an idyllic bar where we spent the evening watching the sunset and drinking cocktails. 

To anyone interested in diving, I would recommend visiting Malapascua. It was a good little getaway, but with the travel time we could have definitely done with another night on the island!

Blink and you miss it

With all the excitement of Christmas, I realised it's been ages since my last post.

It was so good to get home and catch up with friends and family.. and of course my gorgeous dog! Early morning walks on the common in the dark with woolly hats and wellies. Cosy nights in with friends, wine and cheese. Pub lunches, ice skating, board games and port.

Polaroid pals

It was all too quick though. And before I knew it, Phil and I were on a plane and back in Singapore.

Thankfully we've had a relatively chilled start back at work and a couple of visitors from the UK passing through to see us which has eased any blues we might have had.

My friend was in town for just a few days, so we planned a weekend soaking up the culture and getting active. (This is the guy who ran 32 marathons in 36 days last year!! Don't even..)

On Friday night we headed over to Art After Dark at Gillman Barracks for some art, music and food. I'm not really into contemporary art, but the live music and set-up they have for their evening open house is pretty cool, so definitely worthwhile checking out.

Art After Dark

As it's Chinese New Year coming up, China Town is buzzing with activity at the moment. The annual international Lion Dance competition took place on Saturday so after an afternoon of dragon boating, we bought our $10 ticket and headed over to see what it was all about.

Not having done any research beforehand, I didn't really know what I was expecting - but it certainly wasn't two acrobats in a lion costume carrying out jaw-dropping manoeuvres and jumps between small raised platforms! Tak a look at the video:

Our final day with my friend saw us pack a picnic and walk the Southern Ridges trail. Starting at Mount Faber, walking over the Henderson Waves, along the Canopy Walk and over to Hortpark. It was a bit of a novelty finding a decent hill in Singapore so I'd recommend it to others who want to get away from the bustle of the city on a weekend. 

I didn't take photos of the walk, but did manage to get a shot of the Bell of Happiness at the top of Mount Faber!

The Bell of Happiness

It's always so nice having friends over and I love that everyone who has visited so far has fallen in love with Singapore just as I have. My folks are going to be in Singapore in just a few weeks an I can't wait!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

Over the last few weeks I've had my team & work Christmas party, the Gaelic Dragons Christmas party & paddle and Phil and I also had our own little Christmas party at our flat. We also found the time to head over the Palau Ubin where we spent a day cycling around and singing Christmas carols with friends and an evening at Christmas Wonderland at Gardens by the Bay.

After all of this, it's safe to say that I am well and truly in the Christmas spirit and counting down the days until I'm back in the UK with my family and friends! 

Sober Christmas Dragons

Drunk Christmas Dragons

Pedaling around Palau 

Oh the weather outside is frightful
(lol jk its 32 degrees)

Can you tell we're excited?

Festive paddling

Christmas Wonderland

Snow in Singapore

It's going to be a great Christmas this year, I can tell !