weekend, we

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Hi how was your weekend? We had so much fun in Singapore, I absolutely loved it. It was so nice to be back in a pedestrian-friendly city and just pop in and out of shops and stop for drinks and food along the way. Singapore couldn't be more opposite from KL in the overall safety factor and well-thought-out city planning. After my first venture out by the river I thought "oh man, can we just stay here and not go back?". It's awful to compare but for the first time since we left London I felt 100% safe and comfortable being by myself. And while there is still a mall on every other block, unlike KL there are a lot more street-level storefronts and walkable shopping/dining options.

The only obvious negative is that it's not the cheapest city to play and live in so after a shamefully pricey and touristy dinner at Clarke Quay, we resolved to finding more reasonable spots (and thankfully we did). The rest of the weekend was spent hanging out in the Arab Corner and checking out the big flashy sites of Marina Bay. On our last day met up with Tanya, a blog reader who lives in Singapore with her family. We connected over being LA Expat girls and we've been in touch via email and instagram ever since. She showed us a different part of town that only further solidified how great the city is and then Joe and I took a rest at the gorgeous and historic Raffles Hotel before heading to the airport.

I didn't want to leave but on the drive home, with miles and miles of palm tree groves and native forest, I realized that Malaysia is a great place to be, too. It may not have all of the western comforts and perks that Singapore does but that's okay. We are in South East Asia, after all, and I want to experience all of it.

photos taken with iPhone using VSCO Cam

fruit glorious fruit

penang by Ana Maria Munoz We're back from a few days in Bangkok and while it's always nice to get away (for me at least, Joe was in business meetings), it stinks to come home to an empty fridge. I can't wait to go grocery shopping and make a pit stop at my new favorite fruit stand where they sell pre-cut pieces of almost everything in little baggies; papaya, watermelon, pineapple, dragon fruit, mango, and pomegranate seeds just to name a few. My selections usually run me about USD 4 and what I love most is that I save time by not having to cut them and I don't have to worry about rushing to consume them before they spoil. Now I'm really spoiled! When did I ever eat pomegranate seeds and watermelon like "yeah, whatever, no big deal"...? They were always either too expensive or too much of a hassle to buy whole. This is much better. Do you have a favorite fruit that you'd consume ridiculous amounts of if you could buy them more cheap and easy?

This snap is from our tasting at the Tropical Fruit farm in Penang. And yes, that is a little bug on the bottom left piece - welcome to the jungle.

 

 

the suite life

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Just a few things that are making our temp apartment feel like home. We wouldn't dream of leaving our friend Erl tucked away in a box and Joe couldn't be without his favorite whisky. Recognize the Moroccan slippers and the book cover? The router has been a life saver since the suite only has a single ethernet connection. We've learned how to make hotel stays a bit more comfortable.

Do you have any favorite things that instantly make a place feel like home?