Travelling with Ezz

After what was a bittersweet trip home, I decided to delay my return to Korat with another short vacation to Singapore (trip number 3!) and Bangkok. My friend from Singapore, Ezzy (pronounced Easy), was kind enough to let me stay with him in Singapore and show me around the city. In addition, he also agreed to follow me back to Bangkok, where I would show him the sights.

Reunited with my favourite Fun-sized Singaporean.

Last time I saw Ezzy, I was out partying with him and a bunch of his friends so I was excited to hang out with him sober and explore the city together. When I landed into Singapore, as much as I was pleased to be in warmer climates, I was also greeted with rain, and lots of it.

The first day I arrived, I was greeted by Ezzy downtown where he helped lug all my stuff back to his house in the north of the city; carrying 30kgs of luggage on the Singapore MRT where my suitcase has a broken wheel and the carriages are pretty full wasn't the most exciting of experiences. But after that, I was introduced to his family, presented them with some welsh souvenirs and treats as a thank you and made myself at home. As it was STILL raining and Ezzy had just come off from a night shift, we spent the majority of that afternoon catching up with sleep and relaxing. The day was topped off visiting a really cool Mexican joint called Muchachos (https://www.muchachos.sg) where we scoffed our face on delicious burritos, drank Mexi-coke (you know, coke imported from Mexico which is known as the best tasting coke in the world because they use cane sugar instead of corn syrup to sweeten the drink.) and then made our way to a Sky Bar at the Gardens by the Bay, drank wine, and admired the amazing view of the city.

Chilling at a Skybar overlooking the Marina Bay Sands Hotel.

Although we did plan a whole itinerary on the preface that the weather would be nice, we were wrong. The next day (and the remaining days of my trip actually) saw rainy skies so we decided to alter oour itinerary to 'indoor' activities. I guess looking at it positively though, this just gave me more time to get over my jetlag, chill out, eat some delicious food (like cocunut red velvet cake!) and check some some cute hipster cafes in the city. The second day of my trip saw Ezzy and I check out the National Museum of Singapore, but not before we had late lunch at Little India. From going there the previous trip with Grace, I knew I had to go back this time as it was probably the only decent Indian food (apart from yours of course Archna!) that I'd be getting for a few months. What was crazy is that the guy whose food stall I went to last time actually remember me! I think he actually thought I lived in Singapore and was in hiding or something. But, it was great to see him again and if you are ever in Singapore, you should really check out his stall (Pakir Mohd Delights) and Little India in general! From Little India, we made our way over to the Museum, where they had one really cool exhibit in particular on the life of Lee Kuan Yew. Lee was Singapore's first Prime Minister after independence from the British in 1955. According to Wikipedia (...), Lee is recognised as the 'founding father of Singapore' with the country being described as transitioning from a third world country to a first in a single generation thanks to his leadership. The ex-Prime Minister actually passed away just days after I left Singapore previously, and it was really amazing to see just how much his life (and death) impacted not just the Singaporean people, but people from all over the world.

I LOVE THIS CITY.

In addition the checking out the sights of Singapore, in true hipster style, Ezzy wanted to show me some of the hidden gems (i.e. hipster cafes) of Singapore. One that stuck out in particular was a cafe called 'Artistry' located near Arab Street where I had THE most amazing coconut red velvet cake (which really tasted as good as it sounds). After meeting his friend at the cafe, we all decided to go watch Pitch Perfect 2 (which if you haven't seen, go watch it!) which I'm glad I did because it is not even showing in Korat, let alone a Thai-dubbed version. For the majority of the rest of the trip, Ezzy had to work so I met up with Ais who was travelling solo around Singapore and we visited the Botanical Gardens and Chinatown together. The last night in Singapore, Ais and I met up once again to get our last fix of Mexican food in Singapore and walked around the Marina Bay to witness the gorgeous views of the Singaporean skyline at night. I really hate leaving that city.

Luckily for me, my return to Korat was delayed even further due to Ezzy agreeing to follow me back to Thailand and enjoy a 4 day break in Bangkok. This time, it was my turn to be tour guide (how ironic...) and show him around the city. For the first day, I did the same itinerary as I did with Harriet, plus a few extra hipster cafes thrown in there that Ezz had discovered on a website. The first day, Ezz and I explored Wat Arun (still under construction but just as beautiful) and Wat Pho (Temple of the Reclining Buddha). That night, we explored the first of a few cafes we checked out in Bangkok. After You, a really cute desert cafe at Siam Square One hosted this delicious Double Chocolate and Nut soft baked Cookie (although we asked for Peanut Butter). Next door was a Hello Kitty Cafe! It was so cool; literally everything in there was pink and covered in Hello Kitty merch. (I didn't get time to actually go in there but next time I most definitely will!). 

Beautiful Architecture at the Grand Palace

The last full day in Bangkok was spent at the Grand Palace. Initially I thought 500B entry was a little pricey, but upon entering I realised it was totally worth it. Every temple was exquisite and the architecture and detail that went into it was breathtaking. I ended up using a whole roll of film whilst walking around there and it was fun to just stroll around with my dad's chunky camera and 90s camera strap, I don't think I could have has looked more touristy if I tried. What I didn't realise though with the ticket is that you get entry in 3 establishments of the 'Grand Palace' but it was so hot and crowded, we were just focused on seeing what we could and getting out of there to grab some lunch. 

The Grand Palace was amazing. Definitely worth a visit!

For dinner, we decided to try and find somewhere that did some authentic Thai street food; that was a little harder than you would think because I usually venture to Bangkok to NOT eat Thai food. But, after a little bit of research, we headed to Sukhumvit Soi 38 and ate at a little food stall tucked away in an alley that boasts to have the best Pad Thai in Bangkok (its even won awards for it). The place was called "Pad Thai Fire Look" where this old guy cooks his famous dish which is rich in flavours. At 70 baht, it was a little pricey in my opinion for Pad Thai but it was still good. (Not as good as Street Food Lady's though...the street food vendor near my room in Korat for those of you wondering).

Our last night in Bangkok was spent chilling in a swanky hotel, eating Burger King at 2 in the morning on our bed and relaxing and watching cartoons...like dorks. It was great fun and such a chill way to end our trip. On Thursday, Ezzy went home to Singapore whilst I travelled back to Korat. Funnily enough, Ezzy made it back to Singapore before I made it to Korat...haha

Ezzy: A great travel buddy.

But if you're reading this, I just want to thank you for being the most amazing travel buddy for this trip; I had a blast both in Singapore and Bangkok and can't wait to see you hopefully at the end of July! For now though, its back to the grind of school. I was told by a Tarot reader funnily enough that change will come in my work and that it will be difficult. Well, having 25 periods a week (up from 18) and one day with 7 periods out of 8 is definitely a sign that this semester is going to be a challenge! I'm not teaching Primary as originally planned, but hopefully if they can find replacements, then I should be moved by the end of June. Keeping everything crossed!

Home Sweet Home

I'd been waiting for this moment for quite some time. After a few stressful weeks at work, I was ready to escape Korat and head back to colder shores.

I decided to come back to the UK early last month, and thought it would be cool to surprise my sisters and it did come as quite a spontaneous decision. After celebrating my 24th birthday in Bangkok, I left for London the following morning and finally made it home early afternoon on the 4th. The sisters arrived to my house with overwhelmed shock; oh my god and the f word was mentioned but it was through sheer delight that I'd surprised them. It was a wonderful reunion and a much needed one. It was nice to come back to an environment where I was understood, I didn't have to try and be someone else or be over-mindful of what I was saying in fear/paranoia that someone would perceive it as bitchy/malicious. It was a much needed break and a chance to reunite with old friends and see what they'd been getting up to over the past 6 months. Coming home meant gift giving (which I think the family were more excited about...haha), and eating British food like my first Fish and Chips in 6 months and it didn't disappoint!

Reuniting with two of my closest friends, Sophoe and Gaby, was such a treat. Now BOTH engaged, I was so excited to hear about their wedding preparations and how life had been treating them. We reminisced, vented and laughed over Mexican food (my go-to cuisine now it seems) and it just made me so happy to catch up but sad that I would not be there to attend Gaby's wedding (which is the end of next month). (If you're reading this Gab, feel free to still send me over an invitation...haha)

In addition to reuniting with friends, I made sure to stop by as many family member's houses as possible, and check in with them after 6 months. Coming home made me realize what overwhelming support I have from all members of my family and regardless of what I've ache iced or what kid takes I've made, they've always and will always stand by me. (As families should do).

The break consisted of not much else; except buying clothes at Primark and then returning most of those clothes days later due to being more aware of how expensive things are (yes, even Primark seems expensive to me now...). Apart from that, it really was nice to just sit and do nothing for a whole week...apart from put weight on from eating lots of food and becoming paler by the hour due to the lack of sun that was there. I had not worn so many clothes in 6 months and felt so cold all the time that I felt it necessary to parade around the house in a onesie and thick socks. As much as I loved being home, I was ready to return to warmer climates. And now after 9 days, I'm now sitting in Abu Dhabi airport waiting for my connecting flight to Singapore, where I'll be spending the next 5 days with my new best friend, Ezzy. And then back to Bangkok on Monday.

Diolch Cymru! for a great week. I'll see you next year! For now, it's back to Asia for more adventures!