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Travelling across Myanmar – The do’s, the don’ts and in betweens

Myanmar is a beautiful country that is developing at a rapid rate and if you are planning to visit I am sure you will want to see quite a few different places. Whether it is the scarce, ancient lands of Bagan, the majestic and jaw dropping Shwedagon Pagoda or the one foot standing fishermen of Inle lake, Myanmar has a whole new world to offer any type of traveller.

I had so many questions around travelling within Myanmar, could we rent a car? Was flying safe? Are the sleeper buses comfortable and scented? Especially since I get motion sickness so easily! Continue reading “Travelling across Myanmar – The do’s, the don’ts and in betweens”

Ooh Poo Pah Doo, Home to blue´s biggest legends

I have always wondered what life was like back in the day, strolling into a jazz bar in the 60s listening to the live rhythm that filled the streets, dancing to every beat, without a care in the world. Or maybe even learning to play the sax so that I could really join in! Watching a season of Mad Men took me there, not that I wished I was to be part of that chauvinistic era, I just wanted a taste

I recently wrote about the things I loved about New Orleans and said I would touch on the jazz and blues in a separate post – well if you havn´t already guessed, here it is. Anyone you ask will tell you that New Orleans is the birth place of Jazz and if you ask them where the best place is to listen to some live music they´ll send you to Frenchmen street. Thats where we spent our first 2 nights, roaming the busy street – including the more rowdy, less classy bourbon street. This was fun and it is worth seeing, however, it is full of tourists and there never is a place to sit to just appreciate the music. Continue reading “Ooh Poo Pah Doo, Home to blue´s biggest legends”

How I fell inlove with New Orleans in 3 days

What is so great about New Orleans?

It’s stories, many of which are built on pain and a little bit of magic. From hurricane Katrina, the sounds of drums played by slaves, the secret violence of the Mardi Gras Indians and Voodoo. The stories this city possesses are enchanting and mysterious.

Continue reading “How I fell inlove with New Orleans in 3 days”

Living life Gluten free

I am not trying to be the self proclaiming gluten intolerant girl that wants the whole world to know she is a vegan or doesn’t eat gluten – because I am neither of those things. I am just a girl trying to figure out why my tummy is constantly bloated or rumbling (possibly last night’s pizza) and finding the best nutritions to tone this body up!

I love bread and carbs.

Yes I said it, judge! Continue reading “Living life Gluten free”

Myanmar’s Crown Jewel – Shwedagon Pagoda

Anyone who has had the privilege of visiting Myanmar( formerly known as Burma) will tell you that the country is not short of temples, or what they call pagodas. And while they all hold a mystical charm and peace, none quite compares to what you see in the Shwedagon platform on the bustling city of Yangon, sitting on Singuttara hill.

The pagodas here are quite different to the ancient ones in Old Bagan. Here, the majestic gold resonates throughout and you can´t help but think, wow.

Continue reading “Myanmar’s Crown Jewel – Shwedagon Pagoda”

Singaporean Old School Delights

Everywhere you go in most developed countries, you see how children these days have no interest in playing outside and would rather immerse themselves in the virtual world. I grew up in Singapore in an old british army camp with beautiful bungalow houses and almost endless fields of green. We would have cobra snakes in our gardens (no lie) and bull frogs in our pond, competing on the loudest croak to impress the lady frogs. I would spend my free time outside with my neighbours in the longkangs (large drains) looking for guppy fish to catch or explore the “haunted” house a few streets behind us.

I can’t imagine a better childhood and I feel sorry for the children of this generation who will never have the same, real adventures because they are too busy on their iPads.

Anyway, I am drifting away from the main point of this post – Old School Delights. Continue reading “Singaporean Old School Delights”

Mel In Myanmar – 12 things I learnt in a boat on Inle Lake

Morning’s in Nyuang shwe ,a town near Inle Lake, are really chilly. To deal with this, the locals walk around with thick wool blankets around their shoulders, their version of scarves I guess.
The afternoon sun however can get quite aggressive.

Continue reading “Mel In Myanmar – 12 things I learnt in a boat on Inle Lake”

Hot Air Balloon in Bagan – Is Oriental Balloon’s the Best Option?

How did you celebrate your birthday this year? I was in the sky, breathing in the burmese air while watching the sun rise behind the horizon, leaving the temples of Bagan in a bright glow (not to brag but I needed something beautiful to get over the fact that I am a quarter of a century old now)

Continue reading “Hot Air Balloon in Bagan – Is Oriental Balloon’s the Best Option?”

6 reasons you should visit Myanmar this year

1.More and more foreigners are visiting Myanmar

Firstly, every year more and more tourists decide to travel to Myanmar (formerly known as Burma). When we went to Bagan there were a few restaurants fully filled with French and German tourist. With the recent news about the government banning tourist from climbing the temples in Bagan ( just after our visit to Bagan, phew), it just shows how much is going to change as Myanmar becomes a bigger tourist attraction. So book your flight there now before it becomes the next Thailand.

Continue reading “6 reasons you should visit Myanmar this year”

Celebrating Chinese New Year in Singapore

Chinese New Year is a big annual occasion that tops Christmas in Singapore. No shops are open during the two public holidays and hardly any hawker stalls ( be wary in case you are travelling to Singapore during this time). But in return, you get to experience the traditions and culture that have been around for centuries. Many countries other than China celebrate CNY – Myanmar, Vietnam and actually any country/region that has a large chinese population aka any Chinatown!

Continue reading “Celebrating Chinese New Year in Singapore”