A Filipino Christmas

For the first time in our lives, Phil and I chose to spend Christmas away rather than at home with our families. It was not an easy decision for me as I love the opportunity Christmas brings to have everyone together; not to mention all the delicious food, drink and cheer. However, having been home twice already this year we thought it a good time to try something different.

A few friends had recommended Tao - a boat tour from El Nido to Coron in the Philippines. We booked the 5 night trip over Christmas followed by a few nights in the Coron area to do some diving. It was hands down one of the best things we've ever done and I can see why it comes so highly recommended.

Like most of the less touristy idyllic places, our little area of the Philippines was a bit of a mission to get to. We caught our first red-eye flight to Cebu, then a second to Puerto Princessa, then finally a 5 hour drive to El Nido.

El Nido had lovely chilled beach bars and hundreds of horny stray dogs (who woke me up very early with their noisy antics). We stayed at a cheap hotel called Ambience Place but were there less than 24 hours as the next morning we set sail on our Tao boat.

On registering for Tao you have to write a little bit about yourself and why you want to join the trip. The website makes it clear that the trip isn't for everyone and tries to arrange the groups so that 'like-minded' people are together. We were lucky in that the other 22 people were lovely and there's definitely a good bunch to keep in touch with.

Tao doesn't follow a specific itinerary or route. The boat stops at different islands throughout the day so you can snorkel, lie on the beach, play volleyball, cuddle the adorable puppy Moana, read a book, or wax lyrical with new pals.

This was our little route...

Along the way we caught some tuna from the back of the boat which was killed, prepared and eaten in all of 30 minutes. The freshest sashimi ever.

On Christmas eve we sat around a fire and sang carols. A few of us also walked around the island and shared a few songs with some local islanders which was pretty cute.

We woke up on Christmas morning like any other day of the trip. Even though I tried my hardest, it really didn't feel like Christmas at all. Not that I'm complaining, as we were in the middle of absolute paradise. 

We ended our tour in Coron and stayed at a great hotel called Coron Bay Area. The first thing I did was have a massage in my room (priorities), then headed out for drinks and dinner with the Tao crew. 

We were only in Coron town for one day and were told a typhoon was coming which would stop all tours and boats to other islands. Luckily we managed to organise a private tour to a couple of places recommended online: Twin Lagoon and Kayangan Lake. 

The Twin Lagoon was very beautiful and peaceful, but Kayangan Lake was definitely our favourite of the two.

Kayangan Lake was slightly marred by the large number of tourists there when we arrived. We began a climb up rocky steps until we reached the end of a long queue of Asian tourists. Confused why there would be a queue for a lake, I went ahead to check and it transpired that the queue was in fact for a viewing point photo opp. Crazy, but good for us as it meant we could manoeuvre around and see the lake.

The lake is well worth a swim but you need to bring a mask and snorkel with you to get the best of it. The water is crystal clear and the underwater rocks are stunning. There's also a little cave along the side which is pretty cool. 

We stayed in the lake long enough for the large numbers of tourists to disperse on their group tours. It's definitely worth doing the private option as we did as it means you can go at a less busier time and go at your own pace, and it only costs a fraction more.

We ate a lunch of fresh fish and veggies on our little boat then headed back to Coron. With a whole afternoon at our disposal, we donned our trainers and sports gear and began the 742 steps to Mount Tapyas. I was prepared for a challenge after reading another blog post about the walk, but it was fairly painless and we were at the large CORON letter in no time at all, meeting some of our fellow Tao crew at the top by chance. 

After a leisurely walk back down, we caught a 30 minute tricycle to the Maquinit Springs just in time for sunset. The Springs were wonderfully warm and the perfect place to chill out with friends as the sun went down. An hour was probably enough for us all before we turned into prunes and overheated.

There was still rumour of a fast approaching typhoon the next morning so we were slightly concerned about getting our transfer over to Sangat Island. We waited a short while in anticipation and were thrilled when we were collected and taken to the most beautiful little island resorts I've ever seen. It turned out that many of our friends weren't able to arrange any transportation off the island so we were very lucky!

I recommend alot of places, but I really cannot recommend Sangat Dive Resort enough. Even if you aren't a diver you'll have an amazing stay there, trust me. Be warned that it is a little on the pricey side, but in my opinion, very worth it.

As we arrived on the island we were greeted by some the friendliest staff I've come across, and taken up to our villa on top of the hill. It was surrounded by jungle and warned to keep our belongings inside to avoid the thieving monkeys!

We had long enough to get changed into our dive gear and we off out to dive the Morozan Maru - an English passenger liner which was captured by the imperial Japanese navy and used as an auxiliary cargo vessel during work war 2. It was sunk, along with several others in 1944. 

The next couple of days we dived the Olympia, Okiawa and Irako. All fantastic in their own right, but nothing compared to the Morozan. We dived the Morozan once more on the last day. Ducking under and over debry, squeezing ourselves into tiny gaps, swimming up in to an air pocket, and losing our dive master...

Certainly the most interesting diving I've ever done. Thanks to the typhoon stopping other travellers, we had each dive site to ourselves. I'm not sure we would have quite the same positive experience had their been other divers 20m down disturbing the haunting quiet of the wreck.

The last night of our stay was new year's eve and Sangat had arranged a huge buffet dinner, decorated the area with fairy lights, blasted the music, and arranged games for us all. It became clear that alot of the guests fancied a chilled night, but Phil and I got carried away with shots, more shots, skinny dipping and more skinny dipping.

I'm now writing this at the end of our trip and I can hands down say that this has been one of the best holidays we've had. But at the same time, it hasn't really felt like Christmas at all.

A Solo Retreat

In my 27 years I have never been on holiday alone, so I utilised some extra lieu days and booked in a three night trip to Ubud in Bali.

Friday

I arrived at Villa Ubud in the afternoon and squeezed in a Yin yoga session before dinner. It was a bit strange eating alone but it appeared that nobody else was staying at the villa. Eager to make the most of my time there I signed up for a hike up Mount Batur, leaving at 2am the next morning. Unfortunately I drank a full pot of green tea after dinner - a huge mistake as before I knew it I was up for the hike without any sleep. Who knew it contained caffeine?

Saturday

I was picked up and driven over to the base for a quick breakfast and to meet the tour group, before beginning the hike up Mount Batur. Two hours of uphill scrabbling, weaving and climbing; getting wet from the clouds and fog and not knowing how far we were from the top. It was a lot more difficult than I thought! My group summited around 5am where we had our second breakfast and quietly froze against the icy wind (top tip: bring a scarf and jacket and not make the same mistake I did).

We kept getting glimpses of the sunrise until the clouds eventually lifted and we were able to see the sun creep up out from behind. IN the end, it was worth the aching legs and cold!

The downhill trek was easier and I was back at Villa Ubud for my third breakfast in no time at all. I've never achieved so much before 9am! I had a massage followed by a second yoga session. It was all I could do to stay up for dinner then fell asleep with my book. Bliss.

Sunday

I had a different yoga instructor who really pushed me. I already feel more flexible. There's something to be said for daily yoga. I might try and get up an hour earlier each morning and fit in a session back in Singapore (I wonder how long that will last..)

After breakfast I headed into Ubud town centre and shopped, had a pedicure, drank a fresh coconut and wandered aimlessly for a couple of hours. I love the little clothes shops in Bali - such a treat compared to Singapore, and cheap too. It would have been wrong of me not to buy anything ;)

After another yoga sesh I stumbled across an awesome bar called No Mas. It didn't look like much from the front but head through a mini garden path and suddenly there's a pool with beds, deck chairs and little booths all around with vibey music and great cocktails. As Ubud is a fairly quiet town, I'd recommend going there to anyone visiting who fancies a bit of night life.

Monday

My last day and my first yoga session with other humans! Five others in fact. After yoga it was sunbathing, breakfast and off to the airport.  

I feel healthier, bendier and more relaxed after the trip... however, I was disappointed that there weren't other yogis to interact with during my stay. It's definitely the kind of retreat for those who are happy with their own company, but for others (like me), I'd recommend a different style of retreat or perhaps bring a pal along for some bants.

Malaccacacaca

A group of us booked a very impromptu weekend away in Malacca; an old Straits Settlement just 3 hours up the west coast of Malaysia. 

I had no expectations, but was rather just keen for a cheap weekend away with friends. Perhaps having no expectations was a good thing, as I was pleasantly surprised by how pretty and interesting it was.

We made a bit of a mistake by travelling up at peak hour on a Friday night. What should have been a 3 hour trip, became a 7 hour trip due to the tailback at immigration. We hired a private car for general ease, but I think getting a public bus over the border is quicker as they skip the normal queues. I would definitely recommend doing a bit of research beforehand, as holding your bladder for several hours in stationary traffic is not the one!

We arrived in the early hours to a cracking little one-floor, Air BnB house right next to Jonker Street - the city's main street.

We spent all of Saturday exploring and eating. I can't recall the names of the restaurants we went to, but Malacca is famed for it's good food, so I'm sure most places would be pretty decent. 

There were a few street vendors selling coconuts, but instead of chopping the tip off and sticking a straw in, thy somehow managed to spoon out the whole inner flesh/juice and proceeded to juggle with them. Never seen anything like it.

We had a cheeky margarita (or two) at Sid's Pub, ate along the river side and checked out all the amazing street art. It reminded me a lot of Penang, but in my opinion, better.

We came across a little shop owned my an artist, selling all kinds of paintings, sculptures and sketches. Phil and I bought a beautiful little hand painted peranakan house which is now on our wall at home:

There was an old church called 'St Paul's' which was built in 1521, making it the oldest church in Southeast Asia! Inside the dilapidated ruins was a husky voiced busker and we could have stayed there for hours listening to him and letting the the sun shine through the trees and gaps in the building.

As the sun was setting, we hopped on a boat for a tour of the city. We were all a little crammed in, but we were able to see the city at dusk and the street art from a slightly different perspective. 

As Malacca is so small, I wasn't expected a wild night. We had some street food on Jonker street and sat in Geographer Bar listening to  live music. Before we knew it we were all dragged onto the dance floor and doing shots of tequila...

Later on we found Mixx Club which was huge, and as some of the only westerners there, were treated like little celebrities by other girls in the club. A bit strange, but hilarious. 

Hungover and hungry, we could just about muster brunch and a massage the next day (it's a hard life), before heading back to Singapore.

Getting away for a weekend is great as it feels like a holiday, even if it's just a few hours drive. I'd recommend anyone in Singapore to head over the boarder for a weekend - it's cheap, refreshingly different and beautiful. 

Ho Chi Minh weekender

We had one last chance to catch up with the Swedes (the couple we met in Nusa Lembongan) before they headed back to Europe, so Phil and I flew to our chosen meeting point - Ho Chi Minh - to spend some time with them over a weekend.

We rented an AirBnB in District 4 and arrived to beer, cider and a smorgers board of cheese. Couldn't have been happier to catch up with what feels like old friends and wax lyrical until the early hours.

Saturday was the only full day we all had in HCM so had a hearty breakfast at Elbow Room and walked around the city for a few hours. There's an amazing bar at the top of Centec Tower called Shri which the Swedes had been to before and recommended. We had fantastic views of the city and the cocktails arrived to the table in ships, handbags, scientific apparatus and other strange things. Each one came with a culture/history lesson about why it relates to Vietnam and if I remembered any I would love to tell you... but unfortunately the sun and cocktails got to my head far too much that day!

I had booked us on to a city food tour with Back of the Bike, and after the nightmare I'd had booking the tour in Dubai, I was a bit nervous we would have the same bad luck again. I needn't have worried. The tour was incredible and the highlight of our trip to HCM by far.

The four of us were picked up by local guides, all of whom were warm, friendly and extremely knowledgeable about Vietnam. We hopped on the back of their bikes and drove through the city to thr first of five food stops.

Stop 1 was an amazing papaya salad which we ate on mats at the side of the road. The lady who made it has been selling from the same spot for decades and a firm favourite for locals and tourists.

Stop 2 was called Cút Chiên Bơ and in my opinion, the best of the whole tour. Roasted quail in a Vietnamese baguette dipped in some kind of sweet and sticky sauce. So so good.

Stop 3 was crab and fish soup or bún riêu cua (I think) made with coconut milk and fat noodles. Delicious again, but to be honest we were all getting a bit full by this point. 

Stop 4 was a small version of an Indian dosa, called something like banh khot. Little fried pancakes with prawn and veggies, which then became the filling for a rice paper roll with added greens. We also had beetle nut leaf wrapped around beef and dipped in anchovy sauce which was pretty tasty.

Once we had finished, we were given the opportunity to try a duck embryo, something which is really common in Vietnam but in the words of my tour guide, 'rather challenging for Westerners'. We all declined to try it, but chose to watch our guide eat one instead. It was bizarre to see her eat the yolk which was full of veins, then the white of the egg which had already formed half a chick. Definitely not my thing and has probably put me off eating eggs for a while!

Stop 5 was the final stop and the desert course. We had black sticky rice, white sticky rice, coconut ice cream, frozen yogurt with mulberries and fruit. I absolutely love Vietnamese food and need to start cooking more of it back home.

I would highly recommend this tour to everyone visiting HCM. Not only do you get to try good local food, but you also get free flow beer (or soft drinks) and  hear all about the history and culture of the city from the guides.

My guide Tinh was telling me that each there are 24 districts in HCM and each is known for something different amongst the locals. I.e. the western expats live in D2, Koreans live in D7, the rough area is D4, Chinatown is D5, there are also districts for shopping, karaoke, love hotels etc. 

She also taught me a few Vietnamese words:

Yo - cheers
Hello - sing chow
Thanks - cam on

Pronounce 'Pho' as Pha, otherwise it means prostitute
Don't say 'yum' when something tastes good as it means 'horny'
Definitely don't say 'yum, Pha!'

After the tour we found a bar for a few cocktails then the Swedes wanted to go somewhere quiet so they could watch the Sweden vs Germany football match. Whilst the Swedes watched the match, I popped into the spa opposite for a pedicure. It was a bit of a shame the footy was on the one night we had together, as it kinda put a stop to the momentum of the evening. That said, it was so much fun to see them again, and it's such a shame we don't live closer so can get together more regularly.

We said our hungover goodbyes the next day, with a promise to visit Stockholm at some point in the not too distant future.