Monthly Archives: February 2018

Fun @ Sentosa Island

Sentosa Island is a famous tourist destination in Singapore. The island got the name “Sentosa” (which means “isle of tranquillity”) only in 1972 after Singapore government decided to develop the island into a holiday resort for local visitors and tourists. 

We spent one day in Sentosa Island doing many amazing things and I wished we had more time to spend there. There are so many things to do that a day is definitely not enough.  

I remember going there the last time to Universal Studio but this time we wanted it to be more fun for Chhori so we stuck to kid friendly stuffs. 

We started outside Universal Studio where the water sprinklers are. Chhori was so happy with the water that she was running from one end to other. 

From there we passed through the Trick Eye Museum to go to SEA Aquarium. I will post about the aquarium in a separate post. 

After the aquarium, we were hungry so went to the big food court for lunch. There are so many places to eat from that it is a bit confusing but we decided to stick with Malay traditional food. The food was yummy and it was nice to rest and eat in the air-conditioned hall. 

After lunch we decided to walk around the area and Chhori was fascinated by the lollies outside Candylicious. She kept running from one to another saying “M n M Mama”, “Surprise mama”. It was nice to see her so excited. 

As it was so hot we decided to get an ice cream before we start on the Festive Walk. Festive Walk is a strip that connects several attractions.

You can shop in some of the luxury boutiques, including the very first Victoria´s Secret boutique in Asia, Versace, Rolex, Ralph Lauren, Bulgari and many more or just walk along to reach the Merlion Park. 

The legendary Merlion is a half lion half fish guardian of prosperity which personifies Singapore’s history as a port city. The lion depicts the folklore of Prince Sang Nila Utama’s rediscovery of lion (singa) and City (pura) while the fish tail symbolises ancient fishing village of Temasek, meaning “sea” in Javanese. Today, the majestic Merlion is a Singapore icon attracting visitors from all around the world. 

Legend has it that the Merlion would visit Sentosa Island every year to guard Singapore’s well-being.  

This whole walk was very picturesque and we took heaps of photos. From there we took the train to go to the Siloso Beach as we had booked tickets to watch the Wings of Time. 

The Wings of Time show at Sentosa is a night show that is available daily at 7.40pm and 8.40pm. The show, which cost $10m to produce, is set outdoors at Siloso Beach against the backdrop of the open sea. It’s wonderful to see how art and science come together to create the show. 

The 25-minute show tells a tale about two friends, a mysterious pre-historic bird and their journey across several landscapes and time to find the bird’s home. 

We had tickets for the 7.40 pm one. When the show started and for the whole length of the show, Chhori was really good and enjoyed it, even asking questions sometimes. 

The show ended with a bang, a wonderful display of fireworks. 

After the show, we walked from the beach to the Merlion Park as the queue for the train was too long. We wanted to go to Merlion Park to see the sound and light show at 8.45 pm. 

Merlion sound and light show ran every half hour starting at 7.45 pm. The show was National Day themed, showcasing the diversity of the cultures in Singapore that coexist so beautifully. We thoroughly enjoyed it and were glad to have such a wonderful time at the island. 

It was almost 10 pm then so we caught the train to Vivo City and a cab from there to our hotel. We were all tired but we were happy to have had a wonderful day on Sentosa Island.

M from nepaliaustralian

XOXO

P.S: Do not forget to  check out winners of  NEPALIAUSTRALIAN’s Blog Award 2017

Little India and China town in Singapore

While we were in Singapore we went and enjoyed roaming around Little India and China town. 

That morning we woke up and caught a Grab cab to go to Little India for breakfast. We found the MTR restaurant which is very famous for Indian vegetarian food so decided to give it a go. 

The restaurant was busy so we had to wait for a few minutes before we got our table. The place was small and extremely busy but had great service. We ordered some dosa and idly.

The food was good but not exceptionally good to be so famous. May be we didn’t pick the right dishes or maybe I have eaten in many nice Indian restaurants. 

After breakfast we went to roam around the area. We went to Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple and Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple. We also went to different Chinese temples. 

It was nice and surprising to see so many Chines temples in Little India and visa versa when we went to China town. 

After visiting the temples we went to Mostafa Centre for some shopping. It was really overwhelming for me as it was so big and things are everywhere. I prefer to shop in small shops where I feel like I can go and browsers where as in a large place with too many things make my head spin. 

We bought one item from the whole building and left the centre. 

From there we walk around the area and went to Taka centre. The first thing we did was to go to their food court where there were choices of so many authentic Hawker food. 

The food is really cheap here and so yummy. I really loved the food. The only negative point was it was hot and had no air conditioning. 

After that we went to the centre to look around and were equally overwhelmed by so many shops selling traditional sarees and lengha. I wanted to buy a few for me and Chhori but it was too much to handle and look inside any of the shops. AS wanted me to buy something but I told him that we need to leave as I couldn’t make up my mind with all the options. 

From there we went to the hotel to rest and Chhori had a nap. 

In the evening we went to China town. First of all went to a few temples around the area like the Hindu temple Sri Mariamman Temple and a few Chinese temples before walking around the market stalls.

We bought a few souvenirs and gifts.

 

We also went to a famous Tin Tin shop. 

It was AS’s birthday that day so we decided to go to a restaurant and celebrate. We went to Xie Lao Song restaurant and I was glad it was so cool with air conditioning.  

For dinner, we ordered chilli crab and duck dishes.

The food was yummy and AS enjoyed his with local beer. AS also had a yummy cheese cake I had got for his birthday. 

After dinner, we went for a stroll and saw many people dancing with to some music in an old square. It was so nice to see that anyone can walk and join the group and leave once done. 

By this time Chhori was fast asleep in her stroller so we caught a Grab cab and went back to the hotel. 

We had walked so much this day and we are so tired that we were fast asleep in our soft warm bed as soon as we go into it. 

M from nepaliaustralian

XOXO

P.S: Do not forget to  check out winners of  NEPALIAUSTRALIAN’s Blog Award 2017

NEPALIAUSTRALIAN’s Blog Award 2017 WINNERS Announced

I would like to say a big thank you to all the bloggers and voters who participated in NEPALIAUSTRALIAN’s Blog Award 2017. I am so happy to see so many of you voting and making this award bigger than ever. Thank you for all the emails as well.I am also thrilled by the way everyone came together to celebrate and support the talented individuals who spend so many hours behind the scenes creating the blogs we all love to read. I have to let the bloggers know that you have some amazing supporters who voted for you.

Without further delay, I am more than pleased to announce the winners of the NEPALIAUSTRALIAN’s Blog Award 2017. Good luck to everyone who has been nominated.

Drum roll………

Below are the award winners in each category of the NEPALIAUSTRALIAN’s Blog Award 2017.

Best Blog for 2017

https://www.thecountdownto60.com/

Best Photo Blog 2017

https://retireediary.wordpress.com/

Best Food Blog 2017

http://ramyarecipesblog.wordpress.com

Best Travel Blog 2017

https://amindfultravellerblog.wordpress.com/

Best Fashion Blog 2017

http://www.styledomination.com/

Best Personal Blog 2017

http://ramyarecipesblog.wordpress.com

Most Diverse Blog 2017

https://nepalichori.com

Best New Blog 2017

https://bookishowlette.wordpress.com

A Big Congratulations to all the winners, please do not forget to leave your acceptance speech and thank you everyone.

Take care,

M from nepaliaustralian

XOXO

Singapore Zoo 

When we went to Singapore for holiday, we wanted Chhori to have lots of fun so Singapore zoo was on the top of our to-do list. 

Since we travel as a family now, the way we do things is very different compared to when we used to travel as a couple. Now there are a lot less adventurous stuffs and more baby friendly activities and so the zoo was on top of the list for us in Singapore. 

Chhori had enjoyed the Dubbo Zoo and Nepal Zoo so much that we knew that the zoo would be a must visit destination for us. 

The Singapore Zoo, formerly known as the Singapore Zoological Gardens and commonly known locally as the Mandai Zoo, occupies 28 hectares (69 acres) on the margins of Upper Seletar Reservoir within Singapore’s heavily forested central catchment area. 

Singapore Zoo is home to many exotic and endangered species.  

We caught a Grab Cab and arrived at the zoo around 10 am. It was already packed with families with kids and bus full of tourists. We queued for tickets and got a map with and it looked really easy to navigate. There are a number of zones located around the zoo: Frozen Tundra, Wild Africa, Fragile Forest, Australian Zone, Great Rift Valley of Ethiopia, Treetops Trail, Gibbon Island, Primate Kingdom, Reptile Garden, Tortoise Shell-ter and Tropical Crops & Orchid Garden.  

When we checked the timetable, we saw that there was a giraffe feeding soon so went and queued for the feeding. It took 30 minutes to get our turn but some for reason, the giraffe had decided to go away when it was being fed by the people before us. We waited for a while but the giraffe didn’t come back so they cancelled the feeding and we were so disappointed. I know we have no control over the animals’ behavior but I was so looking forward to do this one. 

Anyway from there we explored the rest of the zoo. The zoo is an amazing place to spend the day and is designed to be easy to navigate so you get to see as many animals as you want. 

Chhori was so excited to see the polar bear, cute otter and orangutans jumping in the trees. 

We also saw reptiles, pandas, dolphins and a white tiger. 

But the best part for Chhori was the waterpark in the Kidzworld and I have to say what a great idea. It was a hot and humid day and the waterpark was ideal for the kids to chill out in. We had packed her swimwear so she was super excited to play in the water. 

We spent more than an hour before we move on to another area. Chhori didn’t want to leave and wanted to stay longer but we were hungry. 

There is not many lunch option inside the zoo. There is only one main restaurant located in the middle of the park and a KFC at Kidzworld. There are a few more outside. 

We went to the Ah Meng restaurant and they had various stations of food like Malay and Indian, I had Nasi Lemak and AS had roast chicken and rice while we bought nugget & chips for Chhori. 

The food was ok but it was really busy. 

Overall we had a great time at the zoo and it was great fun for Chhori too.

M from nepaliaustralian

XOXO

P.S: Do not forget to vote your favourite blog . NEPALIAUSTRALIAN’s Blog Award 2017

Chhori turns 3!!

I cannot believe my daughter turns 3 today. Most of you have been with me on this journey from the day I announced that I was pregnant. Can you believe that it has been full 3 years since I introduce her to you all? 

I wanted to write a letter to Chhori to reflect on the first few years of her life. I hope she will read this one day and understand how much we love her and how much she has changed our life. 

Dear Chhori, 

I still can’t believe how fast time has flown since the day I first laid my eyes on you. 

Even before you were born, you were already a part of me, every second of every day, for almost 9 months. For this reason alone, Chhori, I will never, ever stop loving you for the rest of my life. 

When I was pregnant with you I was a little scared at times thinking about how the future would be but the moment I saw you, I was sure things would be ok.   

You were so tiny then, all helpless and fragile. I used to spend nights awake nursing you and just looking at you because you have completed me. I loved to carry you in a baby carrier with you enjoying hearing my heart beat and snuggling up against me. 

You evolved from lying on the cot, to sitting on your own, from carrier to stroller and from crawling to waking then running. Now, you’ve grown into a little girl who has accomplished so much. 

 

You are already potty-trained, know what you want to wear when we go out, sing along to numerous rhymes, dance to Nepali songs, can identify different shapes, colours, numbers, letters, and so many other things.  

You are this beautiful little soul. From you I have learned patience, I have experienced family, and I have evolved too. I am a better person for having you in my life. 

Every day is a testament to the wonderful person that you are, and Papa and I will always be proud of you. We love you, simply because you are our daughter.  

Happy Birthday Baby Girl. Wishing you a million days that reflect the possibilities you see. 

I love you with all my heart. 

Love,

Mama

We are having party to celebrate so will post more about it later.

M from nepaliaustralian

XOXO

P.S: Do not forget to vote your favourite blog . NEPALIAUSTRALIAN’s Blog Award 2017