Saturday, January 23, 2010

The King Louis

Kh had a very stressful week so I treated him to The King Louis. We were at Vivocity and didn't know what to eat, so we thought we would give this a try.






This Knight's Platter cost me $58 (after ++). First impression, upon looking at it, WOW. Second impression, upon having my first bite, hmm not bad. Then it goes downhill from there.

The meat platter was the cheapest and it comes with (They can give it fancy names, but I'm just gonna put it in my words.) chicken cutlet, grilled pork steak, grilled beef steak, chicken skewers, salad, potato wedges, and fruit skewers dusted with cinnamon powder. The best stuff? Unfortunately, also the easiest to cook, chicken cutlet. The rest were simply mediocre. Now, why would I go to a restaurant and pay $58 for something I can easily cook myself?

Sure it's nice to have a castle theme restaurant with a view overlooking Sentosa, beautiful furniture (we suspect that they retained pretty much of Hog's Breathe Cafe's furniture), some Orlando Bloom knight movie on TV... I just hated the loud noisy music that takes away all the cosiness the restaurant has to offer.

It amazes me how we can easily splurge $60 on a restaurant meal and yet bargain so hard for a $2 t-shirt in Cambodia. "It's all about relativity," Kh explains.

Verdict:
Food- 5/10
Service- 6.5/10
Ambience- 6.5/10
Price- 7/10

Total: 6/10

Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Home Sweet Home

It's been awhile...

I'm certainly not homesick, in fact I think I can do this forever, but I felt it was a good time to come home. For one, I missed eating singapore food. Been having crappy meals for weeks. And you wonder why Singapore is labelled a food haven.

25 days is not a long time. But it was enough to change habits, leave a thick layer of dust on my stuff, experience changes to my surroundings.

I fell asleep at about 10plus yesterday. Came home at 8pm, unpacked backpack (usually it will take me a fortnight to do this), washed clothes, hang clothes, bathed. Then I read a few pages of my pirated copy of "The Audacity of Hope" on my bed (see I don't usually read books, bought it in HCMC for $3) , fell asleep while reading, with my bolster still behind my pillow (have not had a bolster for weeks), and woke up at 8am today, still without my bolster. Now I'm sleeping early and waking up early like how it's been for the past few weeks!

Oh yes, I started using my com a couple of hours ago and I had this feeling that something isn't quite right. Thinking, thinking, oh yes, cuz my laptop screen is so LARGE. -_-" Been using netbook for too long. Kinda forgotten how using a laptop feels like. Lol.

Oh well, X'mas dinner coming up soon. Looking forward to it. =)

Monday, December 28, 2009

Highlights II

This post will be about highlights in Cambodia.

Of the 7 places we went, only 3 places are worth mentioning:
1. Siem Reap, Angkor temples (a must-see for anyone who calls themselves a traveller)
2. Battambang (the friendliest town I know)
3. Sihanoukville (for its Bamboo Island, rather than its town)



Bayon in Angkor Thom, one of my favourite sites
Angkor Archeological Park, Siem Reap


Riding on the hot air balloon for an aerial view of Angkor Wat
Siem Reap


Nice sunset on Phnom Bakheng
Angkor Archeological Park, Siem Reap


Ta Phrom, a temple half-devoured by a jungle, also where Tomb Raider was filmed
Angkor Archeological Park, Siem Reap


Dramatic sunset at Chong Eneas floating village
Siem Reap



Riding on the soon-to-be-extinct bamboo train
Battambang


Beautiful, tranquil sunset on the bamboo train
Battambang



Swimming in the crystal clear waters of Bamboo Island
Sihanoukville

Scammed!

Our Laos and Cambodia tour has officially ended and we're back on Vietnamese territories. Just within 5 mins on their soil, Kh and I are harshly reminded of how aggressive and dishonest Vietnamese can be. If Laos is bad, Cambodia is worse, and Vietnam tops the list. It just goes to show what development can do to a country and its people, though of course I'm certain the situation will change for the better if it were out of poverty.

Needless to say, we got scammed about $30 by some unscrupulous Vietnamese, and I was extremely irritated with the all-too-familiar push on the shoulder,"OEI! Buy from me!" However, I'm thankful we didn't lose a lot of money, and it was a good learning experience.

Having said that, I also think getting scammed is part and parcel of travelling, especially in poverty-stricken places like these. There are certain things you wouldn't know, and you wouldn't have known unless you've been there. Nevertheless, I will not let my good impression of Vietnam be tarnish because of this one-time scam. Vietnam is a beautiful country and there are places which I'd love to revisit.

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Highlights

A few highlights of the trip so far...


Visiting Tat KuangSi, one of Laos most dramatic waterfalls
Luang Prabang, Laos


Eating delicious roadside bbq food
Luang Prabang, Laos


Kayaking along the scenic Nam Song river
Vang Vieng, Laos


Enjoying the beautiful scenery of Don Det
Siphandon (4000 islands), Laos


Being amazed at Khon Phapheng, one of Laos largest rapids
Siphandon (4000 islands), Laos