Emily&Singapore

Time to say goodbye to SINGAPORE

2007-06-24T06:11:00.000-07:00

After having posted 49 posts on my blog during the last 6 months, it is time to post the 50th and final one: it is time to say goodbye. My time in Singapore is over - I spent 178 fantastic days here - studying, travelling, working and so much more.

The last six months were definitely one time of my life and I am so thankful for everything I experienced here. I have seen lots of fantastic countries in Asia and met so many great people during my time in Asia and I want to thank all of you, who were part of it.

This is how we came to Singapore on 27th December 2006 ...

Tessa, Jaqui and me ... exhausted from the trip
... with our luggage

And that is how we are leaving, in June 2007:
... with a 20 kg box to send home and many more thing to take home - but I am not only taking clothes, shoes and bags, but more importantly I am leaving Singapore taking lots of new experiences, friendships and opinions with me!
Thank you Singapore and see you again!

Saying goodbye to Brotzeit - a great team!

2007-06-24T05:37:00.001-07:00

After Tessa and I worked at Brotzeit - the German restaurant in Singapore - and tried nearly all the food and different types of beers for almost two months, we had to say goodbye to all of the nice people there. Of course we needed to have a farewell party and in the end we even had two :)
Goodbye Lynn and Haida ...
Goodbye Jasren, Zulis and Sairul ...
Goodbye Sunil, Deepak, Yanti, Aho, Sairul and Lynn ...
Goodbye Deepak, Sunil and Yanti ...

Goodbye Kodi and Neet - the beautiful couple ...
Goodbye Nasir and Yanti ...
Goodbye Neeraj, Nasir and Xiao Yu ...
Goodbye to the kitchen crew and Chef Hans ...
Goodbye Caster, Neeraj, Sunil, Deepak and Amrit ...Goodbye and thank you to all of you: Sairul, Nasir, Martin, Audra, Sulaimann, Kodi, Neet, Lynn, Caster, Zulis, Sharin, Hans, Yanti, Jasren, Fariz, Deepak M. & S., Sunil, Neeraj, Raju, Amrit, Rukesh, Iskander, Haida, Bishnu, Aho and the whole kitchen crew.
We enjoyed working at Brotzeit as the Olsen twins ;) It was great working with you and getting to know you all! Take care and auf Wiedersehen!

Vietnam

2007-06-23T20:51:00.000-07:00

Finally, I'm also putting the pictures from my trip to Vietnam on my blog - 2 weeks from North to South. I was travelling by myself, but on the way I met many interesting people to share so many impressive moments together in Vietnam.

Hanoi ...

Trekking in Sapa (2 km from the Chinese border).

My friend - a woman from a hill tribe ...

This place is known for the many beautiful rice terraces ...

After Sapa I continued to Halong Bay - one of the most fascinating places in Vietnam. I stayed on a boat for the night ...

... on the way we also visited some caves

And in the evening we challenged the karaoke machine on the boat ... we sang English as well as Austrian and Australian songs :)

After I selpt on the night train from Hanoi, which took 16 hours, I arrived in Hoi An - a very romantic little town.

On the river ...

There I attended a cooking class, which was fantastic! First, we went to the market, to buy the food we needed ...

Afterwards, we started cooking and that is one of the dishes ...
... and my decoration

The next stop was China Beach ...

Erin, Laura and me
The final stop was Saigon - HCMC.

I visited the Cu Chi Tunnels - where the Vietcong had hidden and fought against the Americans during the war. They had built and lived in these tunnels in the ground - amazing how small these tunnels are if you imagine that there were around 16,000 people living in them!Traffic in HCMC!
In the Mekong Delta ...Farewell-Dinner with the "Aussie Chicks" :) I meet them now and again along the way and we had a great time together in Halong Bay and in HCMC.

Marathon in Singapore - EATING (27/05/07-29/05/07)

2007-05-29T08:55:00.000-07:00

Since we are both leaving Singapore soon, we were trying to catch up with the local food here in Singapore during the last couple of days. Xiao Yu and Maresa were very nice and joined us showing us different places to eat and different dishes ...

We started off on Sunday night with different seafood dishes and lime juice :)

Afterwards we shared some Chinese deserts ...

A "nice" dish made of the womb of frogs ... yummie! (Apparently it is very healthy ...)
On Monday the marathon continued.
In order to digest our food better, we drank lots of Chinese tea ...Inbetween we needed some Western food again. Fortunately, our Italian flatmate Savina cooked some real Italian Lasagne - wow that was great!
Having the lasagne with the two Italian girls :)
As Xiao Yu and Maresa miss the Austrian food so much, we also went to Brotzeit to have some real Austrian food. We were sitting outside where we could enjoy the beautiful view on Sentosa ...
The all-time favourite PORK KNUCKLES (Schweinshaxen) :)
A lot of Chinese people come to try this dish. We, however, prefer the Käsespätzle as well as the Käsekrainer - these are of course accompanied by a real Radler (mix of beer and Sprite)
The marathon came to an end on Tuesday: We went to Geylang.
Geylang is the Redlight-District in Singapore. There they also sell very typical food and of course we also went there to try some dishes, we have never tried before ...

Here you see Tessa and me eating meat - in fact, it is FROG!And this is what the frog stew looks like :)

The four of us enjoying the new tastes ...

Even more frogs available ...

The food marathon continues ...

Some egg pies - quite sweet

And finally the desert - Soy milk in different variations together with a fried something ...

Tessa and me evaluating the tastes ...

While Xiao Yu and Maresa are playing around with the chopsticks ...

So these last couple of days we tried many different dishes and got to know new tastes. Thank you Xiao Yu and Maresa for showing us around :)

Nevertheless, some exercise will be necessary during the next days so that is where you will find us :)

And that is also a nice place to be as it is getting hotter and hotter in Singapore!

3rd Australian Joy (23/05/2007)

2007-05-23T22:46:00.000-07:00

Oh my gosh :) Once again and after a very long time Tessa and I went out in the evening to meet some good friends and enjoy a nice evening with them ...First we went to our favourite Australian restaurant in Singapore to have some strawberry daiquiries and of course a lovely desert - mh. This time Maresa, Xiao Yu and Nora - an Austrian girl - joined us. As you can see, Tessa is really enjoying her strawberry :)And afterwards some really nice white wine ...Of course we did not take a normal taxi to get to the clubs - we instead took a nice Cabrio :)Afterwards in MOS - Xiao Yu will miss us :(
Fotoshooting with the girls before going home ...
... at Clarke Quay
Wow, what a night!

Working life in Singapore ...

2007-05-13T20:37:00.000-07:00

So what have we been up to since we started work at Brotzeit - the German Bier Bar and Restaurant? Well, of course we haven't got so much time anymore as we used to while studying at SMU.

A couple of weeks ago Spiderman 3 started playing in the cinemas in Singapore and also in Brotzeit the film was celebrated and even Spiderman came ...

Kodi and me ... with HIM

The whole Brotzeit Crew ...

Tessa and I also moved to another apartment again and now we live with an Italian woman. Fortunately, there is also a pool - so Tessa and I can go swimming, sun bathing and just relaxing at the Pool ...

We also have breakfast at the pool ...

As the moving and the carrying of all our bags from one place to another was so exhausting, we decided to enjoy some Australian food :) What we love most is the desert!!!

Welcome back ... :)

... to keep healthy, we sometimes visit our new friend - the manager of a SPA restaurant in Vivo City and there we relax in the cosy chairs drinking coffee with soy milk and eating healthy cakes ...In Brotzeit we also meet a lot of new people and so we met Cornelia and Dhillon - a nice couple from Switzerland and the US. Last Friday it was Dhillon's 30th birthday and so we celebrated him in New Asia Bar ...

Late in the night- a final group picture before going home again ...

Saying goodbye to our apartment and moving to another one ... (01/05/07)

2007-05-01T05:42:00.000-07:00

Time has passed so quickly and finally the time has come to move to another apartment. As SMU is over for us now and we already started work, we decided to move to another place - The Plaza in Singapore. We both have a room on the 3oth floor overlooking Singapore - an astonishing view when laying in bed. On our last evening in the flat, we had some drinks with Leo and Basti and then we went out. So dear friends these are the last pictures in front of our red wall - we will miss it!
Afterwards we went clubbing ...

The day after - after having slept long - we finished packing and Leo helped us to move from our apartment to the Plaza. Here you only see a few bags we had ... and Leo was really helpful carrying all the heavy bags for us ...

These are the bags which we took to the Plaza - the rest is still at Leo's place. We will have to see what we do with all our clothes, shoes ...
So that was some more news from Singapore ... take care!

Tessa's return and her Birthday Celebrations (21/04/07-22/04/07)

2007-04-23T20:50:00.000-07:00

Tessa came back from her trip with Paul on Saturday and so we celebrated her birthday at the weekend. We went for a dinner to the Hard Rock Café: Jaqueline, Hannes, Paul and Tessa, Leo, Yen and her boyfriend and me. We had a nice meal there and enjoyed the music very much.

We also enjoyed our starter ...

... and I my burger :)

Afterwards we went clubbing and met some friends from Singapore ... ... and some friends from Mexico and France: Andrea and Marie.A cuddle with Xiao Yu and Tessa
On Sunday we went to Vivo City. This is on the roof of Vivo City - there is a wonderful view of Sentosa. In this shopping centre there is the restaurant where Tessa and I will work for the next two months: Brotzeit.Afterwards we went to Sentosa Beach ...... and relaxed in Café del MarFinally, we watched the sunset from the beach ...
In the evening we had our dinner at Brotzeit eating Käsespätzle, Kaiserschmarrn, Apfelstrudel ... :)

Tioman Island - family holiday (06/04/07 - 09/04/07)

2007-04-09T22:57:00.000-07:00

All of us, also Thomas and Christian, came back to Singapore on Thursday night and so the six of us (my parents, the boys, Martin and me) left Friday early in the morning for the Tioman Island in Malaysia.

The six of us slept in little chalets just near the sea. The water was turquoise and the jungle had different tones of green - really beautiful. Thomas and Christian in the speed boat on the way there.

The view from our room ...The three boys ... My dad and me ...
During the day we took a boat to Coral Island where we went snorkelling and also diving. This was a great experience and I will definitely do it again ... We could see a lot of different fish and Thomas and Christian even saw a shark and a turtle ... mhh a lot going on in the waterCoral Island - white beaches View from the beach at the resort ...
In the boat on the way to the airport. Unfortunately Martin had to take the bus ...
All of us enjoyed the days in Tioman - even though it was very quiet and not a lot going on, we could make the best of it. Just after we arrived in Singapore again, my parents, Thomas and Christian flew back to Austria again. I enjoyed having them here in Asia the last 4 four weeks - we did a lot and I also had a great time!

Exploring Thailand with my parents (31/03/07 - 05/04/07)

2007-04-09T22:51:00.000-07:00

After my parents had spent a few days in Borneo, they returned to Singapore to travel to Thailand with me. Early in the morning we took the plane to Chiang Mai. The plan was to go trekking in Chiang Rai and then go to visit Bangkok. 30 years ago my dad was in Asia and he lived with a monk in Wat U Mong for a week in Chiang Mai. So we went there to have a look if this kind monk was still there. Unfortunately he had left 7 years ago. We, however, chatted to a 20 year old young man from Canada who had decided to be a monk. I could not sit next to him as they are not allowed to touch women ...
Different sayings were hung up ...
After a bus ride, we arrived in Chiang Rai and looked for the hotel
The next morning brushing my teeth and getting ready for the trekking tour to the hill tribes ...
The first day we visited the Golden Triangle, then we continued to Lahu Village, Akha Village and then returned to Chiang Rai again after two nights.

... Golden Triangle (31/03/07)

2007-04-09T22:43:00.000-07:00

The first day in Chiang Rai we went to see the Golden Triangle, where Burma, Laos and Thailand meet ...At the Golden Triangle we watched a ceremony where Thai girls danced in the temple to thank Buddha for something he had done for them. As you can see, they are very nicely dressed ...On our way to Laos on a boat ... We had lunch on an island in Laos ...
Back in Thailand we visited different villages. This one is called Karen - where the women wear golden rings around their neck. Girls start wearing them at the age of 5 and they can never take them off. In the past, women wore them to protect themselves against tigers in the Jungle - it was supposed to blind the tiger.
We also saw a hill tribe called Big Ears ...
A cute little girl

... Lahu Village (31/03/07 - 01/04/07)

2007-04-09T22:31:00.000-07:00

Mhh, after a nice day at the Golden Triangle, we came to the place where we were supposed to sleep :)) Wow, we were really surprised. It was a very poor village in the middle of nowhere. First, we were not sure what we should do - so we only sat in front of the little hut as our hosts did not talk to us and rather ignored us ...Nevertheless, we had a very nice view ... That was the hut - only very small.
The villagers even cooked in there ...So in the evening we were sitting on the little balcony having our meal ... mmmh very strange ...

When we were there, it was very hot and there were a lot of fires in the Jungle. So suddenly after we had had our dinner we heard some music and then the mayor of Lahu village spoke through loudspeakers and asked every man to come to help to extinguish the fire as it was coming nearer and nearer to the village. Of course my dad also joined and it turned out that they did not have good facilities to extinguish the fire, so everyone had to pee on it :))) That's the little hut :))) That is where the three of us slept. Obviously, we had the parent's bedroom. We slept on the floor on bamboo sticks, beneath us were the pigs, chickens and other different kinds of animals which made noises during the night ...
Brushing my teeth, surrounded by pigs and chickens ...

and even bigger animals :)My dad waiting to leave :)
That was a really interesting experience for us, but we were happy to leave.

... cooking in the Jungle (01/04/07)

2007-04-09T22:19:00.000-07:00

In the middle of the jungle, near the waterfall, some television people came to record how the winner of the Thailand Guide Award cooked a meal only with banana leaves and bamboo. They invited us to join them - so we were the European guests watching and applauding. Here you see the winner and Oui, the famous and beautiful (her words) woman from the television programme Channel 5 ... It was very interesting to see how they cooked a great meal in the Jungle ... Of course there was not only one man working, but many. Here they are making little mugs and chop sticks out of bamboo ...
The camera man ...
Scrambled egg cooked in bamboo ... mmmhh!
Finally, the meal was ready and Oui, the camera team, the villagers and we enjoyed the great meal ...The television lady :)Our guide Bamboo also joined us ...That was a really nice experience and we were also on TV in Thailand ...

... Akha Village (01/04/07 - 02/04/07)

2007-04-09T22:09:00.000-07:00

We could finally leave Lahu Village in the morining and continue the trekking to the next village. We hoped to find some better place ... Here my parents under a banana tree ...Nearly at the next village, hoping for something nice :)Finally, we could spot the little hut on the hill where we would spend our next night - in Akha Village ... Happy sitting in the Bamboo Bar. There we had a wonderful view, nice food and drinks as well as nice villagers joining us ... At last a cup of tea for my mum ...

After we had relaxed at the bamboo bar, we walked to a nearby waterfall and spent the day there. The water was cool and refreshing, the nature was astonishing ...
In the evening I decided to sleep outside of the hut. It was actually really romantic as there was the full moon, the animals in the jungle were making music ...
In the morning I woke up and watched the sun rising ...

... last day in Chiang Rai (02/04/07)

2007-04-09T21:54:00.000-07:00

After we had a relaxing night in our little hut in Akha Village, we continued our journey back to Chiang Rai. Our guide Bamboo gave my dad the name "Admiral" because he always walked so fast :) So here you see our Admiral ... My mum and me in front of the waterfall ...
A tea plantation in the jungle ...
In the evening back in Chiang Rai eating fruit ...
A big variety of fruit ... mmhh!
At the airport ... monks are treated really nicely in Thailand ...
Our plane bringing us to Bangkok ...

... Bangkok (03/04/07 - 05/04/07)

2007-04-09T21:29:00.000-07:00

The last stop before flying back to Singapore was Bangkok - the dirty city which never sleeps. The easiest way of transport is the Tuk Tuk - quite fast ... The Golden Palace in Bangkok with its beautiful buildings and temples. The difference between this place and the rest of Bangkok is amazing - it is so clean and nice here ...
Lots of different figures with lots of colours ...

It was very hot ...

The sleeping Buddha - also a must in Bangkok ...View from the boat ...
Before flying to Singapore again, we had a massage as well as a pedicure - we loved it ...
Hard Rock Café Bangkok - a tradition in my family. We enjoyed a real burger after having eaten only rice and noodles during the last days ...

Singapore with my parents (24/03/07 - 26/03/07)

2007-04-09T21:04:00.000-07:00

On Saturday 24th March my parents visited me in Singapore to spend the next three weeks in Asia. Sentosa Island was the perfect place to go on this sunny day. Before taking the cable car to the beach, we enjoyed a wonderful view over the city of Singapore ...The view from the cable car on Sentosa Island ...On Sentosa Island there is a Butterfly Park, which we visited ... Two butterflies making love ... Martin and me ... After we having seen enough butterflies, we went to Singapore's aquarium on Sentosa Island where we saw a big white shark ...
... dolphins
After a nice day at Sentosa Island we could see a beautiful sunset ...
My dad was in Singapore 30 years ago and finally we found something which was still the same ... small wooden houses in the water. Singapore wants to keep these houses to remind of the Asian culture ... In the evening we walked from the Esplanade to Clarke Quay ...
My parents ...

Saying goodbye to Singapore Management University (30/03/07)

2007-04-09T20:48:00.000-07:00

Time has passed so quickly and finally I have to say goodbye to my exchange semester here in Singapore. I am actually a little sad as I really enjoyed the time at university and I could learn a lot. The international office of SMU organised an evening for all exchange students, where we had the chance to meet everyone and enjoy the last hours together. A last cuddle with Andrea (Mexico), Christof (Austria), Kathi (Germany) and Leo (from my university) in front of the bar.
Of course also Tessa and I needed to hug :)
And finally here you see the "dorlings" again - the girls with whom I enjoyed the great evening at the Australian restaurant - I will miss you!
After the celebrations we went to Insomnia and enjoyed the live music there.
Even though the semester at the SMU has finished, I am still lucky as I can stay here in Singapore. Tessa and I got a job at an Austrian/German restaurant. We will work in the restaurant as well as help to build up the restaurant as far as logistics etc. are concerned. So we actually have an interesting task as we can work in the restaurant as well as in the office.

Great Australian Food (21/03/07)

2007-03-22T20:06:00.000-07:00

Last Wednesday we were invited to a fantastic Australian restaurant. The weekend before we met a guy from Singapore who owns this restaurant and he invited us to a wonderful meal!

We were a group of five girls: Andrea and Paulina from Mexico, Kathi from Germany and Tessa and me. We started off with Champagne in the bar, then had two appetizers, the main course (mmh) and finally (as women like it) the desert :)

The chocolate cake was fantastic - melting chocolate inside :)) Of course also the Créme brulée, the banana cake and the scoops of ice cream were nice ...

After the meal we relaxed again in the bar with a strawberry Daiquiri before going to MOS to dance and loose a little of what we gained while eating. Here you also see our host Zali ...

Here you see Tessa being proud of her big jug and I only have a small one ... :)

Later on, Kathi, Tessa and I were still dancing in MOS. It was a great evening and lots of fun with our "dorlings".

Party weekend with Thomas and Christian (16/03/07-18/03/07)

2007-03-19T00:48:00.000-07:00

On Friday afternoon Thomas and his friend Christian arrived in Singapore to spend the weekend with us before flying to Bali to go surfing. The weekend was packed but we had great fun :)

We started off by going to a Korean restaurant as the boys needed some food and some energy to get through the night ... great food!

Afterwards we went out. Here a picture with my brother Thomas - tradition before going out ... a picture in front of our red wall ...Before leaving the house, though, we started off the party night in our living room/balcony ...

Zouk - we are coming! Christian, Thomas, Martin and me ...
Saturday morning (2 o'clock) we needed some rest at Martin's swimming pool. We enjoyed the sun and the nice day in Singapore ...
Fotoshooting included :)
After the nice rest at the pool, we got ready to start the next party night. This time we took a picture on our balcony - the Carinthians are united.
On our way to Clarke Quay (the leisure area in Singapore) we passed the Esplanade and Boat Quay - a wonderful view. At Clarke Quay we met Kathi (a German friend) and Markus (a Swedish guy) to eat Satay in an Indonesian restaurant.
Finally, we were in Ministry of Sound and enjoyed the music and the atmosphere in the White Room.
Later in the evening ...
All of us had a great weekend here in Singapore. Thomas and Christian are already in Bali and will return in about two weeks before we go to Tioman Island together with my parents.

Radio Interview (14/03/07)

2007-03-14T04:14:00.000-07:00

Today we gave an interview for the SMU Radioshow Flight 1300, where we talked about Austria - arts, music, culture, sports, history ...

It is really amazing, because SMU has its own studio which is really professional. It was good fun talking about Austria and playing Austrian music :)

Of course we also played "I am from Austria" and we even got a little home sick.

A great weekend in Singapore (9/03/07 - 11/03/07)

2007-03-11T07:00:00.000-07:00

This weekend was a great one ... we enjoyed our time in Singapore and started off on Saturday morning (well, late morning) with a sightseeing tour. Singapore has lots of tall buildings, but also old rather smaller houses - the contrast is very nice ... Of course going out was part of our weekend - Martin went to MOS for the first time :) I think he liked it :)

Today (Sunday) we went to Sentosa Beach and we were not alone - a lizard was also enjoying the sun and now and again he went for a little swim :)
Before going home again ...
Sentosa - always something going on ... a water show.
So, really relaxing weekend and tomorrow we have to work for university again ... so see you soon!

Bali (01/03/07 - 04/03/07)

2007-03-07T20:46:00.000-08:00

Before Martin had to start his internship in Singapore, we wanted to make trip to Bali. We didn't stay in Kuta - the main tourist place - but in Sanur (that's a little further north). In Bali there is still the rain season and therefore it rained every day but that didn't bother us as we wanted to explore the island and not spend all the time at the beach. Here I am sitting in a little hut near the rice terraces and the Sacret Monkey Forest in Ubud. That is a big and important temple in Bali. People enter this cave and meditate there. As it was full moon while we were there, there were actually quite a few meditating. Of course the sarong shouldn't be missing ...
In the evening we enjoyed a wonderful dinner while watchig Balinese dancers, but before we had a cocktail.
The next day we made a big tour through Bali and also visited the wood carver ...
Finally, we had lunch with an astonishing view of the vulcano. Well, as you see it wasn't that warm ...
We really enjoyed the time in Bali and were very much surpised by nature's beauty and the friendliness of the people.

Pictures from Bali

2007-03-07T20:40:00.000-08:00

Handicraft market in UbudBalinese dancers
Temple
Rice terrace
Kuta Beach

Yan's Birthday dinner (28.02)

2007-03-06T18:46:00.000-08:00

On Wednesday, Yan - Tessa's buddy at SMU - invited us to a traditional Chinese Steamboat Dinner to celebrate her birthday. This was a great evening with lots of fun. The salad you see on the picture is very typical for Chinese New Year - first you put all the ingredients on a plate and then all of us started mixing the salad with our chopsticks. It was important to put the salad as high up in the air as possible, while shouting "haja haja" in order to be lucky in the next year :)) Great fun, I can tell you ... Martin, Peji and me sitting at the table full of food ...
This is the Steamboat. It is filled with soup and we could just put seafood, vegetables, eggs etc. in to cook ...
So, here you see the whole round ... very nice people :)
Finally, that's Yan cutting her birthday cake - actually a cake made of ice cream. Of course we also sang her Austrian birthday songs and so did her Chinese friends. As there was so much of the cake, we played games at the end and the looser had to eat another piece :) We were even crying because we were laughing so much :)

Martin's arrival in SG - Meeting with Anne&Rupert (24.02-26.02)

2007-03-06T18:37:00.000-08:00

On Saturday 24th February, Martin arrived in Singapore because he is doing his internship at Infineon in Singapore for the next few months. Here you see Tessa's mum (she was visiting Tessa for 10 days), Anne and Rupert (Martin's cousins from Austria) and me and Tessa drinking coffee in Coffee Beans in Orchard Road ... Me and Martin ... Martin and his cousins ...
In the evening of the Sunday we went to the New Asia Bar for a drink. While sitting there, we enjoyed a fantastic view over Singapore - especially at sunset.
Afterwards we had a fantastic dinner at a Korean restaurant - lots of good food :)

Laos (15/02/2007 – 22/02/07) - some pictures ...

2007-02-22T18:33:00.000-08:00

1st stop: Vientiane

2007-02-22T07:05:00.000-08:00

Wow, Laos is a great country - that I can definitely say after having spent eight days in this wonderful country, which has actually only been open since 1998 for tourists. Last week we had a week off from university as it was Chinese New Year and of course I took the chance to travel … to Laos. I travelled with two other girls – Marie Helene from Canada and Marie from France. We flew to the North of Thailand (Udon Thani) and from there we took taxis, busses etc. to get to the boarder of Laos:
Our first stop was Vientiane – the capital city of Laos. I would not call it a capital city but rather the “biggest village” in Asia. We only spent one night there and looked at the most important monument in Laos: Pha Thant Luang. We also met some monks …There were some women who sold small cages of wood with birds inside to set free – so we set them free. Trying to find something to cope better with the heat ...Already at the boarder we met some French guys working in Singapore and so we spent our evening with them having a nice dinner … The next day we took a bus to the North and the next stop: Vang Vieng

2nd Stop: Vang Vieng (two nights)

2007-02-22T06:45:00.000-08:00

When we arrived in Vang Vieng our French friends had already organised a guesthouse for us -so we could go to the balcony immediately to watch the beautiful sunset behind the mountains and palm trees ... Dinner on the first evening …
The next day we made a tour including four different caves and tubing. We could walk through three of the four caves, but needed lights as we walked quite far into the cave. The last cave we entered via the water – on tubes. We formed a long chain (each one holding the other) and so we paddled through the cave while the guide was whistling and singing songs.
Afterwards we visited a village and found this really cute girl …
… and enjoyed the fascinating landscape …
The final station of our tour in Vang Vieng was the tubing in the water. A lot of young people were going down the river in “tyres”.

3rd Stop - Luang Prabang (in the North)

2007-02-22T06:27:00.000-08:00

The next day we headed to Luang Prabang to spend three nights there ...

Luang Prabang itself is a very peaceful place with a lot monks. There is not even an ATM there, but that did not really bother us. Every day we enjoyed wonderful meals in Luang Prabang and of course in the morning we had some Lao tea at the Mekong River …

The next day we took a tuk tuk to get to beautiful waterfalls about an hour away from Luang Prabang. This was really fascinating – we could swim in the really cold water nearly by ourselves and enjoyed the view we had. The second day we visited a small village and took an elephant ride. The village itself was really charming but the young girls with babies in their arms shocked us a little. There were about 45 houses in the village with about 7 people living in each one of them. We were also invited to look at a house.
The elephant (an 18-year old female) was always hungry and did not have enough bananas … The last night all of us went to have a nice dinner together. The two Maries continued on to Thailand and me and the French guys headed back to Vientiane and then to Singapore. I had a great time in Laos and I will definitely go back to this amazing country in a few years time to see how it has developed and changed.

Austria meets Austria in "Biergarten" in Singapore

2007-02-14T06:26:00.000-08:00

Anne (Martin's cousin) is working in Singapore and of course we also meet now and again. So we spent one evening in a nice "Biergarten" just next to SMU. There is a live band playing there nearly every evening.

Café del Mar on Sentosa Island

2007-02-14T06:17:00.000-08:00

Last Saturday we met some friends in Café del Mar, but first I would like to show you our house - Kim Lim Mansion in Singapore. Café del Mar is directly on the beach and offers us guests a swimming pool as well as lots of sun beds to relax directly on the beach.

That evening we could even see the stars ... Tessa and me relaxing on our bed :)

Café Iguana (Mexican restaurant)

2007-02-14T05:53:00.000-08:00

Sunday we went to a Mexican restaurant in clake quay - the area in Singapore full of clubs and bars. After a nice dinner, we walked to the Esplanade and on our way we made some nice pictures ... You can see the Esplanade as well as the most expensive hotel in Singapore (right side of the picture)
Tessa, Jaqui, Kati (Leo's girlfriend) and me on the bridge.

Two small girls in a big city ...

Balcony - a nice bar in Orchard Road

2007-02-08T07:47:00.000-08:00

Balcony - a bar in Orchard Road ... yesterday it was the first time we were there. It even has a small whirlpool for guests needing refreshing moments.

Before though the three girls as usual ...

We are in Singapore ... but here you only see Austrians having a nice discussion about ... well Austria and Carinthia in particular. Later more Mexican and South American friends joined us.

... a nice way of relaxing after a hard day at university :)

Going out with Xiao Yu and Maresa (27/01/07)

2007-02-04T02:28:00.000-08:00

Saturday January 27th we went clubbing with our friends Xiao Yu and Maresa from Singapore. This was also the first time for us to go to MOS (Ministry of Sound) - a great club in SG with different levels and dancing rooms with different music. So here are just some pics ...

Kuala Lumpur (31/01/07 - 02/02/07)

2007-02-03T23:40:00.000-08:00

On Wednesday night we took a very comfortable bus to KL. Fortunately we could stay at some friends of Tessa (actually at the Austrian ambassador’s house in KL). We had a little house near the pool for ourselves and every night before going to bed we took a swim which was very refreshing.

The bus ride took about 5 hours, but we were in a really comfortable one, where we could lay down and watch about 20 different films. So we didn’t mind the long ride.

Thursday morning (really early - at 7.30) we meet our friends from SMU - Fernando and Miguel (from Mexico) - at the Petronas Twin Towers. They had arrived at 3 am and directly went to queue at the entrance of the towers, so we were actually the first ones to enjoy the view.
After we had breakfast in the Petronas Shopping Centre we got a taxi to go to the Taipusan Festival (more details beneath). In the afternoon we went back to the Petronas Shopping centre - well Tessa and I found a shop selling great shoes *smile* and in the evening before our friends went home again, we visited Chinatown and the market there (full of fake stuff).

Picture from the bridge between the two towers.

In the afternoon ... snapshots

Two girls in a big city.

In KL we also visited the National Mosque.

Tessa and I had to put on special clothes so we do not show too much of our body. I must say that wearing this sort of cloak was quite comfortable although I didn't like the cloth on our heads :)

So back to Singapore ... lots to do for SMU.

Taipusam - Indian Festival in KL

2007-02-03T23:20:00.000-08:00

Another amazing experience in Asia ... Taipusan is a kind of pilgrimage for Hindu people from all over the world. They yearly come to Kuala Lumpur at Batu caves and celebrate their belief. Part of the ceremony is also to shave their heads.

Here you see the stairs (272 steps) up to the Batu Caves with a statue of Buddha.

People walk the 13 kilometers from KL to the Batu Caves carrying heavy frames decorated in different ways. Some even pierce themselves in various parts of the body (most of the time they pierce themselves in their cheeks and through the tongue) - so they cannot speak the whole of the way. When they arrive at the Batu Caves they take out the piercings and celebrate their journey. Unfortunately we did not go up the Caves but we didn't want to interfere in their religous ceremony.

That's us: Tessa, me and Fernando. Together with him and Miguel (from Mexico) we spent the day in KL.

As you can see all members of the family take part in this holy Indian festival.

Singapore with Buddy Su yi

2007-02-03T12:24:00.000-08:00

At SMU exchange students are taken care of so called Buddies who especially help organising things at the beginning etc. I acutally met Suyi, my Buddy, relatively late because she's from Kuala Lumpur and couldn't come to see me in Singapore when I arrived because of floods in the South of Malaysia. Well, here we meet for the first time. We went to the Esplanade and for the first time I saw the skyline of Singapore :)

That's her, my Buddy Suyi with the skyline in the back.

Austria meets Singapore and many other countries (26/01/07)

2007-01-26T23:14:00.000-08:00

On Friday our Austrian party took place. We invited many friends from Austria, Singapore but also from other countries. First we had a party at our place and then went out.
We cooked for our guests - Wiener Schnitzel, Kartoffelsalat (potatoe salad) and pancakes. All of our guests enjoyed the meal but they just got small portions- a "Baby Schnitzel" and "Baby pancakes with chocolate and jam" :)

Of course there were more Austrians - Martin and Michael, who were helping in the kitchen - as you can see

After the party in our flat we all went to the club Zouk to dance

Still in club Zouk ...

... our two friends from Singapore, Yan and Peji

Preparing for the party ... that's us in our living room

Going out in Singapore and pics from SMU

2007-01-24T08:33:00.000-08:00

Some pictures of Jaqui, Tessa and me at the SMU - with our identity cards. It is really cold there so we have to take enough clothes to keep us warm :)

Well as alcohol and going out in Singapore costs a lot of money, we try to take the chance as often as possible to go out at Ladies’ night on Wednesdays as we get every drink for free. Very often preparties take place somewhere and most of the exchange students also go there … so a good chance … take a look yourself. As you see on the pictures we also had fun taking pictures in our flat before we went out.

At a preparty ...

We have a really nice red wall in our living room ... so there it is :)

The Irish girl and me in Attica - another club in Singapore

The view from the balcony - the first time Ladies' Night

The second trip … Bangkok (18/01/07 - 21/01/07)

2007-01-24T07:44:00.000-08:00

Well, as we really liked Thailand we went back after two days in Singapore *smile* … to Bangkok. Actually it was a little stressful as we had to go to university during the two days we were in SG and had to finish some readings and assignments, but we knew that we were doing it for a good thing - shopping *smile*. So on Thursday morning we got a flight.

During the four days in Bangkok we actually did a lot …

Enjoying the “healthy” ride on the Tuck Tuck (high speed + exhaust fumes from the many cars in Bangkok) …

A great oil massage for a whole hour, facial treatment for 1 ½ hours as well as pedicure as you can see on the pictures … WOW it was fantastic! We even had to take a shower before the oil massage as we were quite dirty from the roads. While showering three Asian women were waiting for us to hand over a towel and help us into our Kimonos *big smile* We definitely enjoyed it and I have the address if someone wants to go there - but only for women … sorry guys

Going to get our dresses and blouses fitted - that’s only what it looked like the first time … so please wait and you will soon see what it looks like when it’s finished

Shopping on the market - a lot of fake stuff there …

Eating pancakes with bananas and Nutella at night

… well yes and going home on Sunday again to prepare for a challenging week at SMU.

Our first trip … Phuket and The Phi Phi Islands (11/01/07 - 15/01/07)

2007-01-23T08:02:00.000-08:00

We already booked our first trip here when we were still in Austria and actually it was planned that only the four Austrians will go, but then fortunately another 15 people decided to join us and also booked a flight. We arrived in Phuket on Thursday night and slept in Phuket and went to Patong Beach (the biggest beach in Phuket) on Friday. The beach was full with people and of course the old white men weren’t missing with their young Asian girls …

So as we didn't really like it in Phuket, we took the ferry to The Phi Phi Islands on Saturday morning to enjoy the rest of our trip there. We all slept in a hostel in the centre of The Phi Phi Islands but still it only took us five minutes on foot to get to the next beach. On the first day, six of us took a small taxi boat and we went around the islands, did some snorkelling and watched the breathteaking sunset - a very windy but great experience!!

The second day all of us took a big boat and we went to different islands the whole day and at a few stations we could get off the boat, do some snorkelling or kayaking and enjoy the breathtaking scenery. We also visited an island where the film The Beach was filmed. It is a national park and during the day it is full of people … unfortunately. Still, the boat trip was also great and we even visited some beaches, where the sand is like white flour - just so fine and nice. I could imagine staying there a little longer …

2007-01-23T07:59:00.000-08:00

Sunday at Sentosa Island

2007-01-23T07:54:00.000-08:00

One Sunday after going out in Singapore we took the chance to go to Sentosa Island where we could enjoy the sun, go swimming in the water and meet up with some Mexican friends. Sentosa Island offers a lot of things to do of which we actually didn’t do anything as we had other plans in the evening … the Night Safari in Singapore. After laying in the sun the whole day we rushed there in the evening to see all the animals which are active in the night. In fact, it was quite scary sitting on the little train, driving through a small jungle with the animals just next to you and hearing all kinds of different creatures around you but not knowing exactly where they are … huuu but definitely a great experience :)

2007-01-23T07:50:00.000-08:00

Mission to little India

2007-01-23T07:45:00.000-08:00

With some Austrian, Mexican and also Singaporean friends we went to little India one evening to enjoy some Indian food and also to watch an Indian festival which was going on there. It was interesting to see the “holy cow” in the middle of town where a lot of people were gathered. We wanted to eat some Indian food, but as we didn’t really get what we wanted at the first place we tried a second one and were more successful. Indian food is definitely different I must say also has some enjoyable dishes to try.

The first days in Singapore

2007-01-23T07:35:00.000-08:00

While waiting for Xiao Yu to go to Ikea with us ... Ladies In Black - Mission in Singapore :)

As we wanted to explore Singapore as soon as possible, we most importantly started with a shopping centre *smile* namely the Suntec City which is the second biggest in Singapore and where a lot of shops offer a big variety of clothes, shoes, bags, sun glasses etc. to buy. So after having spent many hours in the there we just tried to find our way home late in the evening and of course also took the chance to take some pictures …

At that time we were still living in the hostel "sleepy sams" and as our suitcases were already full anyway we had to find some space to put our stuff.

Moving to our flat

2007-01-23T07:33:00.000-08:00

At the beginning of January we could finally move into our flat, but at the beginning we were confronted with a lot of cockroaches, which used our kitchen as their living room. One day we decided to clean the kitchen properly and then we could get rid of some and that was the result …

2007-01-23T07:28:00.000-08:00

Welcome to Singapore and Happy New Year

2007-01-23T03:23:00.000-08:00

Hello my dear friends,

Finally after nearly one month here in the beautiful city of Singapore I managed to get my own blog started, which will give you some information about my stay here in Singapore.
Please be patient with my updates - I will do my best and will also provide you with some pictures.

Well, after one month we have actually done a lot, met nice people, seen some places and I am really enjoying my time here in Singaopore :)

So let's start ... On the picture you can see us three girls, Jaqueline (Jaqui in the following), Tessa and Emily. All three of us are from Austria and we are sharing a flat here in Singapore. The picture was taken on Sentosa Island where we celebrated New Year with some of our new friends and other exchange students ...