Phi Phi and Heroes

First, Happy New Year to all and all the best in 2014! I read an article recently about the ups and downs of traveling alone, and this trip has mostly been ups but unfortunately a down as well. I traveled to phi phi on Monday night, to check it out and stay one night. I really liked the place I stayed and the island itself. However, had a bit of a robbery, so it put a damper on the whole experience (Dad and Nicola all ok). But out of all bad, I try to look for some good, and the good is I met two wonderful guys that have been a world of help.

Although I was really not up for it, the guys did take me down to the beach to ring in the New Year and I am so glad I went. It is a beautiful day today and I am sure this will be a great year!

Big Grown up Girl

I made a friend! How exciting, I can talk to strangers (too be fair she was instigator!) and be a big grown up girl. And we had a fabulous day on a canoe trip around some islands.

I did a tour and canoe trip all on my own!  I did meet this ultra friendly Australian girl, Kayleen.

Karon, Phuket

Well my first full day has been rather successful here in Karon, beautiful day, a great location and I have managed not to fall out with myself just yet. Plan for tonight is to make a friend or at the very least try!

And heard from Lola, who is having a great time running in the fields with Susanne!

On the Road Again

After a last night of surprise surprise, eating, I am off to Phuket where I plan on fasting before I go home the size of a whale (sadly this may prove difficult surrounded by extra yummy Thai food!).
I had a lovely time with Pia's kind and lovely parents and cousins. They went over the top to welcome me and make me feel part of the family, and I hope I one day will get the chance to do the same for them. The team has now split up and I currently waiting to board my plane, time to be a big grown up girl and try and survive on my own!

Indian Christmas

It is safe to say this was a Christmas Day like none before it for me. Basically it involved a lot of eating (guess that is usual), a blessing in a Temple and a huge Indian curry.
Proper Indian, although it was fairly expensive, whole huge meal costing about 2 pounds each.
A totally different sort of Christmas Day but was fairly fabulous nonetheless.

Finnish Christmas in JB

Yesterday was my first Finnish Christmas (celebrated of course in Malaysia), and what a great one we had. Chris prepared a fabulous dinner and we had a wonderful evening that extended to the wee hours of Christmas morning. I am missing all my family, Dad in Calgary, Nicola in Bristol, Hopkins in Marlow, Lola in Basel and the rest in Barbados, and am so thankful for Skype and the ability to talk to them all. Merry Christmas everyone and big love to all my friends and family all over the world (you know who you are;)).

Johor Bahru, Malaysia

My image of Johor Bahru (otherwise known as JB) was of some sort of hot, dangerous, cement covered city, the way it was described to me I imagined we were coming to some sort of war zone. Talk about the art of exaggeration!! First Pia's family and home are lovely, I have seen loads of green, we had a lovely meal out and even went to a beautiful marina, I was not robbed or in anyway felt like I might be! I think JB has got a bad rap! I have now woken up on Christmas Eve (when Pia's family celebrate) to Christmas music, warmth and a house full of Christmas cheer, and very much looking forward to a Malaysian/Finnish/Indian Christmas.

Off to Malaysia

In a few hours me and Chris will be heading off to Malaysia (Pia went yesterday). We spent our last day here in the city, the usual tourist attractions followed by an Indian in the area that riots occurred a few weeks ago. Because of the riot (sparked by an Indian man killed by a bus) there is a six month ban on alcohol in the district, but we managed to make it through the meal regardless.. Ending the day with a very spicy Indian.

I have had a great time in Singapore, and see many similarities to Switzerland, guessing why it is knick named the Switzerland of Asia (it is clean, great transport system, expensive bars, lots of expats). But there are of course many differences as well, for one it is hot, the food is fantastic and ridiculously cheap, they have beaches, and you have Asia on your door step (just to name a few). All and all I can see why it is very appealing as a place to come for a few years, at the very least just to explore Asia.

Nature Day

Today we had a nature day, starting off at the MacRitchie Reservoir and then heading to the East Coast. It is pretty amazing that just on the outskirts of the city what you can find, jungle, monkeys, lake, paths, beach, really loads for any nature lover. We spent the morning at the MacRitchie Reservoir.  Really beautiful spot, jungle, roof top walks, lovely lake.

Monsoon

Today was my first experience of monsoon, basically a hot rainy day. A good day to explore the city, eat and have the odd local beverage.
It also gave me a new appreciation for rain, not all bad!
Now I ready for the sun again!!

Same Same but Different

It is funny, you imagine that you are traveling fairly far away, the 'other side of the world' and you expect things to be very different. But you know what they are not really, which I guess if you think about makes sense, at the end of the day we are all from the same race. I am not saying we have it all the same, not quite that ignorant, but just surprises me how the same Singapore is to other places I have been, especially Switzerland (but that is a whole other blog!). Today was a day of food, fairly fantastic food. Oh and more importantly, the day Pia and Chris arrived!

Singapore

I have arrived in boiling hot Singapore and could not be more thrilled. Pia has set me up to stay with her best friend, Adrena, until she and Chris arrive tomorrow night. A beautiful flat, a very warm welcome, sunny skies and heat is not a bad way to kick off this holiday.

Leaving on a Huge Plane

I have never been so excited for a super long flight before, but I am ultra excited for this 14 hour one. It is going to be great, possibly the most relaxing time I have had in months (unless we crash, then it may be fairly stressful). All I am going to do is eat, sleep and watch films and when I get off the plane it is going to be hot! Yippee!

Flying in world's biggest place, three entrances quite impressive (although would have been more impressive had I been seated upstairs!)

Last Day of the Year

My last day of the year in Basel (assuming plane takes off) was spent running around getting ready for my trip. It is safe to say I was a tiny bit stressed until I arrived at Patrick and Ellie's for a delicious fish pie.

Cannot think of better way to spend last Basel 2013 night :)

Full Up

16 hours after eating and I think I will never be able to eat again. As a veggie Christmas dinners can be a bit of a disappointment (stuffing with meat, meat gravy and then the actual meat itself), so when presented yesterday with the best veggie roast ever (stuffing, sausages, gravy), it is safe to say I went slightly over the top. A fantastic spread, with fantastic people, a great night hosted by Lily and Ollie (newish Basel friends).

I have about 6 hours left to digest this food, and start all over!

Oh Christmas Tree

Holidays have begun and before I start to prepare for my trip I wanted to make sure Suzanna and Lola were ready for their Christmas together. So for the first time in many years I got a Christmas tree. Only a mini one, a little misshaped and lacking in decoration but all the same beautiful and makes the whole flat Christmasy

A little bit Charlie Brown Christmasy but I love it.

Christmas at Eva's..

... is imagine similar to Christmas at the Obamas, or the Pitts (Brad and Ang) or maybe even at Kate and Williams, the difference being that Eva's is far more stylish. You walk into the place and you feel like you need a make over. In fact, I think Eva should think about that as a career adaptation, she is already in charge of finding all us teachers homes, maybe she should upgrade that into styling them and us (well defo me) too.

The beautiful table

Asa's little cork man presents to us (think she only does them so she can drink more bubbles)

The chefs of the evening, Eva and Asa

A lovely meal

and night.  Another successful wine event, thank you so much Eva for such a fabulous evening.

And it Begins

Last night my Christmas season officially began, with a girlie Christmas dinner. We tried a new restaurant in Basel (Grace), (recently converted from a run down Irish pub) it has been beautifully done, with good food, great prices and extremely generous prosecco pours (which of course has made it my new number one). We had a lovely time, exchanged Christmas gifts (loved mine, I will probably look ten years younger by Friday), ate far too much, a brilliant way to kick off Christmas.

We for the most part appeared to be a sophisticated looking bunch of ladies, of course the image was shattered when they all started begging to open their gifts before dinner (I finally relented to avoid any tantrums).

Magic Mountains

We got on the train Friday feeling ultra stressed and exhausted from the week. The first half hour me, Pia and Chris talked over each other to tell our tales of a manic week. We returned yesterday different people, relaxed, rested, happy and ready to take on the last week of work of the year. Guess it is the magic of the mountains, good friends, yummy food and ample amount of hot chocolate (with a teeny bit of rum in it).

A great condense reunion weekend with the added pleasure of Chris's company.

De Matterhorn

Really have no words to express the brilliant day we had, beautiful weather, slopes, friends. Really and truly amazing...  And to make it even better, Karen shots Roberts joined us today!

A great day followed by an 'après ski', beautiful fire and eventually amazing food.

A Convert

I cannot believe I have not done a proper ski weekend before and not only that but also I was not overly bothered. This week I was saying this is probably my only ski weekend as fairly booked up and thought it would be just 'ok'. I could not have been more wrong. It is properly amazing, I do not even mind the cold, one night here and I am a convert, ski weekends are the way forward.

Car free, having a little jog into town

Beautiful

All bundled up

Soaking up the astmosphere

Romantic Journey

Something about taking long train journeys through the mountains, it feels quite romantic. Of course, it would probably be more romantic for Pia and Chris if I was not tagging along. Oh well, they are stuck with me, and we are having a lovely trip to Zermat, and tomorrow I will hopefully be on the Matterhorn.

What a great place!

Snowed Under

Well this post should be full of pictures of Emily's caroling night, the school production of the Sound of music, a catch up with some friends but instead the only photos I could possibly post are of a stack of work and me a sleep on the sofa (and as I feel these are both rather boring I shall not). I have been completely snowed under this week, fairly exhausted and probably slightly irritable. However, I am trying to chirp up and get through one more day to get to the weekend, where I may quite literally be snowed under...

The block of flats across the road has kept my spirits quite high, love their Christmas display.